Alitalia to pull out of India, China sectors from next summer

Mumbai: Struggling Italian flag carrier, Alitalia, has said that it is pulling out of the India and China sectors. The move has been initiated after consultations with the Air France-KLM combine, which has  moved closer to taking over Alitalia in recent days.

Confirming the move, Tommaso Fumelli, general manager, India, told the media that the move was in step with recent negotiations held with the Air France-KLM group.

Fumelli also said that the airline would temporarily suspend operations to India and China from the next summer schedule and will consider re-starting services only after it regained profitability. According to Fumelli, the decision took into account route performance, fleet plan and the future set up of the network after merging of operations with Air France-KLM.
 
Currently, the carrier operates a total of 14 daily flights to the subcontinent that connect Milan with Mumbai and New Delhi.

Fumeeli said that Alitalia will henceforth focus more on North and South America, Japan and the Mediterranean countries.