Montenegro Airlines handles half a million passengers

GLOBAL AVIATION NEWS

Alitalia brand on sale

ITA will start flying on October 15 as Italy's new flag carrier, replacing a bankrupt Alitalia, but hardly anyone has heard of it. That's not the case for Alitalia - a storied brand, albeit tarnished by years of labour troubles, inefficiency and serial bankruptcies. Which is why the head of ITA Fabio Lazzerini (a former Alitalia man) plans to buy the brand in a tender the Italian government announced last week. ITA will be flying the old airline's aircraft, using many of its slots in Milan and Rome, and be staffed by the slimmed-down remnants of the old carrier's workforce. That's not the way ITA is being spun by Brussels and Rome. The European Commission determined last week that ITA and Alitalia are separate entities - so-called economic discontinuity. As a result, the new company is not liable for €900 million in illegal state aid received by its predecessor, which also allows Rome to inject €1.35 billion of fresh money into the new company. Just a few weeks before its maiden flight, search engine results for “ITA” bring up everything from the Italian Trade Agency to Amsterdam’s International Theatre. That makes the Alitalia brand crucial for the new company. ITA chief Lazzerini said he’d “do everything” to win the auction, which starts at €290 million. Only Ryanair publicly showed any interest - which it has since withdrawn. Industry figures say there’s been little appetite among competitors for the troubled brand, although reports say Italian ministerial officials are expecting some interest. Only companies “having a net worth … of not less than €200 million and holding air transport operating licenses or air operator certifications” are allowed to bid.
Politico

Montenegro Airlines handles half a million passengers

NEWS FLASH

Montenegro Airlines handled its 500.000th passenger of the year last Friday as the airline continues to boast strong growth. The traveller arrived in Podgorica on a flight from Zurich. The company's CEO, Živko Banjević, said, "Half a million passengers in less than nine months, within a very competitive environment, is a major success for Montenegro Airlines and the Montenegrin tourism industry. This milestone represents a suitable start to marking a quarter of a century of the airline's existence". Montenegro Airlines anticipates welcoming 620.000 passengers by year's end. The lucky 500.000th traveller, who was upgraded to business class on his flight, also received a holiday package for two.