Hungary to maintain control over Kosovo's airspace

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 Only Ryanair publicly showed any interest - which it has since withdrawn.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

Hungary to maintain control over Kosovo's airspace

NEWS FLASH

Hungary will continue to control Kosovo's upper airspace for an indefinite period after its initial five-year contract expires on April 3. Kosovo’s Air Navigation Services Agency, ANSA, controls only the lower airspace, under 10.000 feet. HungaroControl said "there is incredibly high value" in Kosovo's airspace. It is believed that revenue from Kosovo's upper airspace amounted to around 7.5 million euros last year. NATO controlled the upper airspace between 1999 and 2014 when an international tender was held to select a new service provider. In addition to the winning HungaroControl, bids were also submitted by air traffic control authorities from Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Italy and Austria.