Alitalia works on next steps after proposal deadline passes

The deadline for proposals for the future of troubled Italian carrier Alitalia has passed and the airline’s administrators are regrouping to confirm the next steps.

Last month, Alitalia’s administrators said they received 32 expressions of interest. One of these came from Ryanair, which clarified it was not interested in buying Alitalia, but would be interested in feeding the Italian carrier’s long-haul traffic. EasyJet was also among the 32.

These interested parties were narrowed to a shortlist and sent a “procedure letter” on June 26. The eligible bidders were allowed access to Alitalia’s data room and given until July 21 to submit non-binding proposals to the administrators.

Late July 21, Alitalia issued a statement confirming that the deadline for non-binding proposals had expired at 18:00 local time.

“On the basis of the proposals received, the special commissioners will define the purpose of the program of the extraordinary administration and submit it to the ministry of economic development for approval within next week, together with the contents of the call for tender which will contain terms, deadlines and purposes for the next steps of the procedure,” Alitalia said.

The Italian flag carrier has been teetering on the brink of collapse since employees voted to reject a labor agreement that would have unlocked funding for a major turnaround plan.