Fiumicino, November 11: Alitalia, an Italian airline, will reportedly lay off around 2,000 employees as the liquidation draws near. Once known as the largest airline in Italy, Alitalia filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and ceased operations by 2021, when it was reborn as ITA. Alitalia airline operated 160 aircraft in the mid-90s but was limited to 52 in recent times. The company did not expect to earn a profit before 2024. 

According to a report by AP News, Alitalia layoffs will affect the remaining 2,059 employees, as told by the trade unions. This comes as  Alitalia Airlines and German Lufthansa begin their merger process. Italian media reports said that the talks of mergers were stalled after the Italian Economy Ministry denied German Lufthansa's suggestion to adjust the price of a 41% stake in ITA Airways. Hawaiian Airlines Layoffs: Commercial US Airline Plans To Lay Off Non-Contract Employees After Its USD 1.9 Billion Merger With Alaska Airlines.

The report mentioned that Lufthansa argued that the Italian government-owned Alitalia would lose its value because of its poor performance in the fourth quarter of the year. The German airline said that it would stick to the 2023 terms of the contract for its investment in ITA Airlines. The company said that it signed all the required remedy packages by the agreed-upon deadline. Spirit Airlines Layoffs: Budget Carrier Plans To Lay Off Employees, Sell Planes To Reduce Costs and Raise Cash.

Amid these developments, Alitalia will consider firing the remaining 2,000 employees until the end of 2024. The final Alitalia layoffs round would target 1,100 flight attendants and 82 pilots, among others, starting in January 2025. This year, Boeing also fired employees to stay competitive in the industry.  Besides, Hawaiian Airlines laid off 73 people, and Spirit Airlines announced it would lay off employees to reduce costs and raise cash. 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 11, 2024 07:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).