One of the surprises of the year for the aviation market was the entry of the shipping giant MSC in the dispute for the purchase of the airline ITA Airways, in consortium with Lufthansa. Many were betting heavily on this group as the future owner of the Italian airline, but this was not the case and the Italian government preferred to go ahead with competing investors.
The other group, consisting of U.S. investment fund Certares, along with Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines, remained in contention and is now negotiating final terms with the Italian government. However, the final word will not be said for a few weeks yet.
In the meantime, the shipping company is still keen to enter the airline sector. Pierfrancesco Vago, president of MSC Cruises, recently gave an interview to the Swiss website Handelszeitungé, in which he talks about future, including ITA if the negotiation with the Certares-led consortium does not work out. Moreover, he has alternatives.
Vago made it clear that MSC will still be willing to invest in ITA if the situation changes in the coming months. An allusion to the fact that elections will be held in Italy on September 25, which could completely change the political environment and therefore also the sale of the state-owned shares of ITA Airways.
As reported by Aeroin, Vago also said that they would only onboard another airline if it is to offer customers a seamless travel experience and support MSC’s cargo business. As such, his company is seeking cooperation with a global airline.
Without naming names of potential partners, he made it clear that vertical integration is important to MSC Cruises, so added information on this should emerge soon.
