Ferragamo exec says Italy is missing a strong national airline

Italy is feeling the lack of a strong national airline which could boost tourism and the economy as the country comes out of the pandemic, Salvatore Ferragamo's executive vice chairman said on Friday.

Italy is feeling the lack of a strong national airline which could boost tourism and the economy as the country comes out of the pandemic, Salvatore Ferragamo's executive vice chairman said on Friday. Michele Norsa's comments were among the first by a senior Italian executive reflecting growing concern on the issue, amid a mounting political crisis over the national carrier and delays over the relaunch.

"Now more than ever we feel the lack of a carrier that can accompany this transition and that has systematic and frequent connections with other markets, not only with Asia but also with the Americas," he said at a conference. Rome last year started restructuring Alitalia and launched ITA, which was supposed to replace the cash-strapped airline, beset by years of losses, in early April.

But this was delayed by lengthy negotiations with Brussels over the injection of new capital and the overall organisation of the new airline. Norsa said the luxury sector needed to focus its energy on bringing travellers - leisure and business ones alike - to Italy, one of the world's top tourist destinations.

ITA Chief Executive Fabio Lazzerini earlier this week said the group aimed to start flying on July 1, grabbing the last window of opportunity to do so in the summer season.

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