Alitalia has been Italy’s national carrier for 75 years. Thus, the fact that they are closing is disheartening to many. Prior to COVID-19, Alitalia had 3,600 flights every week and carried 21.3 million passengers to 81 different destinations.
Why is Alitalia closing?
The airline has been in bankruptcy since May of 2017. The coronavirus made recovering from bankruptcy even more challenging. International travel still has not returned to how it was before COVID-19 hit. Italy has struggled to find enough investors to preserve the airline.
Canceled flights
According to Euronews reported, over 250,000 Alitalia flights are set to close. Individuals who booked flights after October 14th received an email on how to manage their reservations. They were provided options including requesting a refund or rebooking their flight before the 14th.
Beginning on October 15, the government-owned Italia Trasporto Aereo (ITA) will become Italy’s national carrier. Currently, Alitalia employs 10,000 individuals. It is currently unknown if the new Italia Trasporto Aereo (ITA) will allow these employees to work for them.
