New KLM CEO Marjan Rintel has been in the job less than five months and already faces serious questions over the future of the airline she leads. Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, the linchpin of KLM’s operation and success, has restricted passenger numbers due to staffing issues through March. But while staffing numbers will eventually recover, the government of the Netherlands wants to go a step further. A proposed climate policy would cap the number of flights at 440,000 annually starting next November; that’s about 57,000 fewer flights than operated in 2019. And permanently limiting the number of flights could make it impossible for KLM to recover from, not to mention grow out of, the pandemic. The Dutch government needs to “follow a balanced approach,” Rintel said. “Hopefully we are able [to] in the meantime to discuss with the Dutch government that there are better solutions.” By “better” solutions, she referred to other ways the Dutch government could help the aviation sector cut emissions, and reduce noise, without artificially capping flights at Schiphol. For example, KLM’s orderbook of new Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer aircraft both reduce fuel burn — and emissions — by roughly a quarter and noise by up to 50% compared to older generation planes, Rintel said. In addition, moving forward with the all-but stalled Single European Sky air traffic control modernization initiative would cut emissions by shortening flight routes. KLM has 100 Airbus A320neo and A321neo aircraft on order, as well as seven Boeing 787-10s and 13 Embraer E195-E2s. Most of the new planes will replace older models in the airline’s fleet. But if the cap is implemented, KLM could be forced to cancel routes with its future growth prospects seriously curtailed. <br/>
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Italy's government will press ahead with plans to sell a majority stake in airline ITA Airways, the successor to Alitalia, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Tuesday, after shipping group MSC dropped its interest. "We are open to anybody who wants to participate in the privatisation," Giorgetti told a news conference, adding ITA Airways's data room is "always open." The privatisation is proving a headache for the Italian Treasury. Rome reopened the process at the end of last month after an exclusivity period for talks with US private equity fund Certares, Air France KLM and Delta failed to produce a deal. Shipping group MSC, which had partnered with German airline Lufthansa earlier this year to bid for ITA, said on Monday it was no longer interested in the transaction. On the other hand, a Lufthansa spokesman said last week that the German carrier was still interested in buying into ITA. The Treasury plans to privatise ITA through a direct sale while retaining a minority, non-controlling stake in the initial stage. Rome this month appointed former Treasury official Antonino Turicchi as chairman of ITA Airways.<br/>