Alitalia's future uncertain – EasyJet pulls out of talks to rescue Italian carrier

British budget airline easyJet pulled out of talks to rescue Alitalia on Monday, leaving the Italian carrier’s future uncertain only two weeks before a deadline to save it.

EasyJet said it had decided to withdraw from the process after talks with Italy’s state-controlled railway Ferrovie dello Stato and U.S. airline Delta Air Lines, Reuters reports.

EasyJet, whose shares were unaffected by its announcement, had said several times it was interested in Alitalia’s short-haul operations and positions at primary airports.

Alitalia was put under special administration in 2017 after workers rejected its most recent rescue plan, leaving Ferrovie racing to meet an end of March deadline set by Rome to present a rescue plan.

Without an industrial partner, Alitalia could soon find itself in trouble since neither Ferrovie nor the state have the skills to run the carrier, a source said last week, Reuters writes.

ALITALIA - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A

EasyJet Airline Company Limited London

Delta Airlines Atlanta USA

Governo Italiano - Vlada Italije

Alitalia

easyJet

Ferrovie dello Stato

sale of Alitalia

acquisition of Alitalia

purchase of Alitalia