Emirs to the conquest of the skies Italian: Meridiana to Qatar Airways – The Republic

Rome – Qatar Airways is ready to go shopping in Italy. After a tortuous negotiations began in the past year, Meridiana, the carrier owned by the Aga Khan in crisis, will enter the group of the emirate. According to Republic is able to anticipate, we are at the final stages and the announcement could come in the next few hours. The company Gulf after several private meetings between Matteo Renzi, the Economic Development Minister Federica Guidi, the Transport, Graziano Delrio, and Akbar Al Baker, number one of the Arab group – the last a few days ago in Rome – would now ready to enter Meridiana picking up 49% of the airline Sardinian. A share (the same that allowed Etihad entering Alitalia) that would allow Qatar to have access to all the rights of Italian and international flight currently hold Meridiana.

A second hypothesis, however, you would be making way for a few hours from the meeting that, tomorrow at 11 at the Ministry of Economic Development, will discover the cards of the emirs and those of the Sardinian society. IAG, which is the brand that links British Airways-Iberia, could complete the task, leaving out its largest shareholder group of the Hispano-British and that is Qatar. It would be around so the limit of 49% of participation in an EU carrier may impose on companies that come out of the Old Continent: IAG could proceed to an input forces in Italian society whose crisis is likely otherwise to be swept away by the summer here Costa Smeralda and thousands of redundant workers.

In the package of acquisitions is being discussed at the time, they would not enter the airport of Olbia, the headquarters of the Italian company, and other property in Costa Smeralda although the dialogue between the parties will be long and the outcome, especially when it comes to important assets, still it has not been defined. Especially if you look at the knot work, the history of this negotiation goes underground again written. The word, in fact, in the coming hours will also trade unions that are ready to do battle on the issue of contracts.

According to some theories circulating in these hours, Meridiana would transfer workers and contracts under the wing of ‘ Another family vector Air Italy. A move that would allow the new entrant to obtain employment contracts less costly both in terms of personnel flight than on the ground. But on this the unions are ready to raise the barricades and trying to get the most. Today there are over a thousand employees of the company Sardinia in layoffs and will expire in a few months of the year cigs granted in 2015. A deadline that has many unknowns and it could download very heavy impact on the entire sector and the economy of the island already to a severe test in recent years.

“If you were true the acquisition of a majority of the Meridiana Group it does not, by the Company of Qatar, would be good news, in line with the agreement signed last year, at the Ministry of Economic Development, with which it is extended layoffs for employees to Meridiana and averted layoffs at that stage, “said the secretary general of Uiltrasporti Claudio Tarlazzi. “Now it will be necessary to carefully evaluate the business plan, so that this operation has the conditions to ensure the revival of the Group and the strength of employment protection. We are, therefore, waiting for a call from the Ministry – ends – a result of which convene our territorial structures for the involvement of employees. “

Arguments:

sundial

Qatar Airways

IAG

British Airways

Iberia

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