Less than three years after Etihad Airways saved Alitalia SpA from bankruptcy, the Italian airline is once again on the brink.
After spending €400 million ($427 million) to buy effective control of Alitalia in 2014, the Abu Dhabi-based carrier launched a much-ballyhooed effort to improve the Italian airline’s service, expand its international routes and make the domestic business leaner.
But the drive has done little to push up passenger numbers or beat back fierce competition from low-cost carriers, leaving Alitalia at risk of bankruptcy. It only weeks away from grounding its fleet and seeking another reboot.
On Thursday, Alitalia’s board examined a new business plan—including cost cuts—and a management shake-up for a former state-controlled airline that hasn’t turned a profit in nearly 20 years. The board is set to approve the plan next week.
When*Etihad*bought 49% of Alitalia in 2014, many in Italy hoped the Middle Eastern carrier would provide a fresh start to an airline laid low by years of mismanagement and political interference.
With a goal of turning a profit by this year, Alitalia cut unprofitable domestic routes and overhauled its aging fleet. Hoping that better service would lure travelers away from low-cost carriers, Etihad retrained Alitalia employees, teaching them everything from proper make-up application to foreign languages.
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But the strategy has flopped. The airline had*23 million passengers last year, 270,000 fewer than when Etihad entered in 2014. Meanwhile, Ryanair Holdings PLC, which overtook Alitalia as market leader in Italy in*2014,*saw passengers rise 25% to 32.6 million over the same period. Alitalia’s load factor—or the percentage of seats filled—was about 76% in 2016, below both Ryanair’s*about 95%*and the 80% target management had set, according to research institute Bruno Leoni.
Alitalia declined to comment on the estimates, and said its revenue was hit last year after terrorist attacks in Europe led to reduced air travel across the continent.
“[Alitalia] expected the market would react better to the improvement of the service,” said Oliviero Baccelli, transportation expert at Milan’s Bocconi University.
Etihad said that Alitalia’s turnaround isn’t yet complete and it is still addressing longstanding issues at the Italian carrier.
One major handicap has been the more lucrative long-haul routes. Alitalia has*added just six*intercontinental routes in two years.*The company said it has struggled to expand further because of the hundreds of millions required to establish new intercontinental routes—they typically lose money for some time—and because a long-standing joint venture Alitalia has with Air France and Delta prevents the Italians from expanding North American destinations, which are among the most profitable for the Italian carrier.
As a result, Alitalia remains focused on routes dominated by low-cost carriers, competing with budget airlines on 70% of its flights. At the same time, Alitalia’s costs are high, even after shedding 2,000 employees since 2014.
For instance, the company typically spends up to 15% more than rivals on leasing aircraft and fuel. Alitalia said in the past its troubled financial condition has made it difficult to negotiate leasing and fuel contracts, but it is planning to look to improve the terms. The company also covers hotel costs for its flight attendants*after a flight, unlike some no-frills airlines. Alitalia now loses at least €1.5 million a day, according to Bruno Leoni. Alitalia said it is losing money, but declined to comment on this estimate.
Analysts say the failed turnaround also exposes flaws in Etihad’s strategy of spending heavily to stitch together a network of disparate airlines that would route traffic through its Abu Dhabi hub and enable it to compete with mega-carriers such as Emirates Airlines. Stakes in carriers such as India’s Jet Airways and Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd. and Air Berlin PLC have brought meager returns.
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Hostesses from Alitalia, left, and Etihad Airways at a press conference to announce the partnership between the two carriers in October 2014. PHOTO: GIUSEPPE CACACE/GETTY IMAGES
Etihad said that the Italian carrier, as well as Air Berlin, has “required deeper restructuring and change,” but that the investments in those and other companies have also allowed it to save money “by joint procurement activities and other business synergies.” It added that the investments helped generate traffic via its Abu Dhabi hub.
Now, Alitalia—Etihad’s biggest investment—is considering an aggressive new plan involving €1 billion in cost cuts by 2019, a management shake-up and hundreds of layoffs. It wants to segment its passengers more aggressively, with so-called naked, or no frills, seats for penny pinchers and full-service tickets for others, a person familiar with the matter says. Under this plan, the company anticipates turning a profit within three years.
Unions—which staged a strike last month to protest the coming job cuts—reckon the airline needs €2 billion in fresh cash to overcome its troubles and expand its intercontinental routes. Under the plan, shareholders will invest about €1 billion over the next five years, the person familiar said.
Meanwhile, the government has firmly ruled out fresh help for a carrier that gobbled up*€10 billion*in taxpayers’ money over the years,*according to Bruno Leoni. Alitalia declined to comment on the figure.
“Nobody admitted they made mistakes,” says Nino Cortorillo, one union leader. Now “they need to go back to starting point.”