Discussion on the future of cash-strapped Alitalia entered a crucial phase, as talks with European authorities resumed, an early test of Italian PM Mario Draghi’s relationship with Brussels. The Italian government and the EC agreed to “work constructively together to find workable solutions on the Alitalia file,” a Commission spokesman said on Friday after Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager spoke to key Italian government officials. The Commission is seeking a radical overhaul of the airline, which has endured losses for years. Draghi has so far taken a hands-on approach, meeting with the development, transportation and finance ministers this week to refine the plan for Alitalia. Vestager spoke with Finance Minister Daniele Franco, Economic Development Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti and Infrastructure Minister Enrico Giovannini. Both sides agreed to start technical talks next week to “evaluate in detail potential solutions aimed at ensuring that the new carrier is born as soon as possible in compliance with the procedures of national and European law,” according to a joint statement from the Italian ministries. The new premier starts out with good standing in Brussels, given his past role as president of the European Central Bank. But the commission, which oversees rules limiting state aid within the bloc, isn’t convinced that Italy’s current proposal can offer a better outcome than previous projects that cost taxpayers money and failed to return Alitalia to health.<br/>
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Environmental activities have managed to gain access to a stored Air France Boeing 777-200ER and spray it with green colouring as part of a protest against the French government air transport policies. The aircraft – registered F-GSPB, a 1998 airframe fitted with General Electric GE90 engines – was parked at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, having been withdrawn from service in March last year as the effects of the pandemic began to emerge. Activists took the action on 5 March. Ahead of a parliamentary debate over a climate bill, the environmental group Greenpeace has accused the government of “greenwashing” and insists a reduction of air traffic is necessary to meet the commitments of the Paris climate agreement. It claims that technological innovations “praised” by French transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari will “not be enough to stem the climate crisis” and that regulation and reduction of air traffic are “essential”. “Measures proposed in the bill on this subject are far from the mark,” it adds. Greenpeace particularly highlights the continuation of airport expansion projects, and the development of rail alternatives to flight. It argues that the threshold duration for rail journeys to replace flights should be 6h, rather than the 2h 30min envisioned, and that rail development needs to be enhanced.<br/>
An Air France flight en route from Paris to New Delhi made an emergency landing at Sofia Airport in Bulgaria on Friday at about 5 p.m. (1500 GMT) because of a disruptive passenger, Bulgarian officials said on Saturday. The passenger, an Indian citizen, began to act up soon after take-off, quarrelling with other passengers, assaulting a flight attendant and pummeling the cockpit’s door, said Ivailo Angelov, an official at the National Investigation Agency. His aggressive behaviour prompted the flight’s commander to seek an emergency landing in Sofia. The man, whose name was not revealed, was taken off the aircraft and has been charged with endangering flight safety. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.<br/>