Delta, Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic have excluded
Alitalia in their U.S. Department of Transportation filing or an amended
joint venture agreement.
The July 20 filing follows the carriers' plans, announced
last year, to consolidate Delta's parallel partnerships with Air France-KLM and
Virgin Atlantic into a single joint venture.
Alitalia, which is seeking investors amid bankruptcy proceedings
that began last year, had been a part of the SkyTeam joint venture with Delta
and Air France-KLM but is not a part of the venture in the amended filing.
"Although [we] hope to implement metal-neutral
cooperation with Alitalia in the future, Alitalia is currently undergoing
restructuring through the Italian bankruptcy process, and its future ownership
structure is uncertain," according to the filing. "The timing of any
future agreement with Alitalia is currently uncertain."
Among the complications, one of the joint venture's primary
competitors could eventually hold a stake in Alitalia. Italian newspaper Il
Giornale reported last week that Italy transport minister Danilo Toninelli aims
for the government to own 51% of the carrier and for private investors to own
the rest. Lufthansa, which is in a competing transatlantic joint venture with
United and Air Canada, remains a leading potential investor.
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Source: Business Travel News