The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) is looking for a private Italian investor to proceed with the privatization of the national airline ITA Airways. This is a functional assessment for the creation of a transfer scheme in which the Executive and Italy weigh heavily once the airline is privatised: whether the German group Lufthansa wins in the exclusive negotiation, whether the US investment fund Certares wins.

In short, the goal is to identify an Italian minority shareholder to support one of the two consortiums. Research is even more necessary now that the Italian-Swiss shipowner Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) has formalized that it will be out of the game. According to press rumors, the Meloni government, however, would like to bring in some pontieri, who boast a personal relationship with the Aponte family, to convince them to turn around. 

With the new center-right executive led by Giorgia Meloni, the Certares fund appears increasingly off the radar. And even if from Paris the airline Air France, an ally of US investors, reiterates its interest in ITA Airways, that of the French seems more like yet another nuisance. The Mef appears oriented to sell the Italian company to the Lufthansa Group supported by an Italian investor.