Talks between the government and Alitalia are ongoing, a government spokesperson has confirmed.
When the talks between Air Malta and Alitalia were announced, Alitalia Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo had said that “maybe, the two parties would be able to take a final decision by end of June”.
Once the deadline given by the Alitalia expired, The Malta Independent sent a number of questions to the Ministry for Tourism.
In a reply, the Ministry’s spokesperson said that talks between the two parties are still ongoing and that the “Government’s priority is to secure the best possible deal which assures a sustainable solution for Air Malta. A thorough analysis of the proposed business plan must be done and a decision will be taken and communicated once that process is complete.”
In May, Mr Montezemolo was quoted as saying "We spoke about it only yesterday during the board meeting. We are at present looking into Air Malta's state of affairs and in summer, maybe at the board meeting before the end of June and maybe we will be in a position to take a decision.”
He added: "If we go on, it is a zero risk operation, maybe even less than zero. It is an investment of not even one euro for Alitalia but which can provide interesting connections to Sicily.
"Let us work; we are doing not just a due diligence on the economic level and the (Air Malta) management will have nothing to do with that of Alitalia."
By the end of April this year, the Minister for Tourism Edward Zammit Lewis had announced that a memorandum of understanding had been signed with Air Malta which will open up the negotiations leading to the sale of 49% of the national carrier’s stake to Alitalia.
The government's intention is to keep the majority stake in the national airline, and great attention will be given to the future of the workers, the Minister had said.