Alitalia, Cuscito: “Coa release to Ita first necessary step, now to resolve the fleet and employment node”

“It is a positive fact” the issue by ENAC of the Air Operator Certificate (Coa) and of the Air Transport Operating License to Ita, the new company that will take over from Alitalia but “it is only a first necessary step for the departure of the company. To date the company does not exist, there is only one hypothesis. With the stew and a fleet reduced to 52 aircraft due to the defeat of the Government in the negotiations with the EU, we are very worried about both it concerns the industrial project of Ita which is still lacking except for occupational stability “. This was stated to Adnkronos by the national secretary of Filt Cgil, Fabrizio Cuscito, commenting on the issue of the Coa and the air transport operating license to Ita by ENAC. “Now – explains Cuscito – we need to make up for lost time. There are still many question marks and in particular those concerning maintenance, handling and brand activities. The release of the certification is positive but there are still many. doubts and many worries. Only today, after 4 years of Alitalia commissioning and after the inaction of many governments that have alternated, has finally arrived at the release of the Coa “. Ita, adds the national secretary of the Filt CGIL, therefore, “he starts with big penalties and with an incomplete company: the fleet, which initially will consist of 52 aircraft, is too small and, moreover, maintenance and handling activities and the brand will have to be put up for competition. These are negative factors caused by the defeat of our government in the negotiation with the EU. Then we have to resolve the ticket issue which risks being a highly penalizing mess for Ita “. In short, explains Cuscito, “we are very worried about the industrial project and the employment problems. Ita initially envisages the hiring of only 2,750-2,950 workers against a total of 10,500 workers”. ‘on 23/9 the redundancy fund expires, summoned to the min. I work the first ‘On 23 September, he observes, “the layoffs for about 8,000 workers expire. On September 1, the trade unions were summoned to the Ministry of Labor to address the question of the possible renewal of the layoffs. A fact that will also be decisive for the departure of the new Ita “. The unions a month ago had asked for a meeting with the top management of Ita and are still awaiting a call. “For the moment – explains Cuscito – we have not received any feedback. We wrote more than a month ago and we have never been summoned. fleet and deal with the stew issue “. Commenting on the words of the Minister of Economic Development, Giancarlo Giorgetti who announced difficult choices on the employment front and on the new staff contract hired by Ita, Cuscito remember” that the cost of Alitalia’s work is equal at an average of 16% and is therefore below the European average. The reason why Alitalia did not go well is not linked to the cost of labor but to the industrial theme, the unrealized synergies and alliances made and a lack of revenues “. In short, the national secretary of Filt CGIL says he is “worried about the industrial perspective” of Ita: “if the industrial project does not take off, there will be repercussions on work and it will be the workers who will pay the consequences once again. We need a serious project. With a fleet of 52 planes and stew there is a lot of work to do. ” As for the situation of air transport that has to cope with the crisis linked to the pandemic, Cuscito explains that “certainly the Delta variant and the fourth wave do not help” Ita but, he adds, “the time lost by our government has favored low-cost airlines. costs that have occupied the whole of Italy with very aggressive marketing. When the market will probably recover in the summer of 2022, Ita will be late. Indeed, it is already late “.