Alitalia sale delayed after string of woes at European airlines

The sale of Alitalia has been delayed until next April, adding to uncertainty in the European airline industry following woes at Ryanair, Air Berlin and Monarch Airlines. Pushing back the sale to April may prevent it from flaring up as an issue in Italy’s general election, which is likely to take place in March, according to Italian political analysts. Italy’s economic development ministry blamed the delay on “extraordinary events” changing the “strategic dynamics” in the sector, including the break-up of Air Berlin, the failure of Monarch and the “operational crisis” at Ryanair. Alitalia, which is run by three government-appointed commissioners after collapsing into bankruptcy in May, on Monday received a bid from Lufthansa for its global network traffic and European domestic point-to-point business. Germany’s largest carrier confirmed it had submitted an offer letter “expressing its interest in establishing a ‘NewAlitalia’,” saying it could help support long-term economic prospects. EasyJet also said on Monday that it had expressed interest in some assets of a restructured Alitalia. The Italian government had been hoping that Alitalia would not be broken up, so it was giving preference to bids for the entire company.<br/>