The new ceo of Italy's Alitalia wants to revive the airline as a five star carrier. Silvano Cassano is making a last-ditch effort to rebuild Italy's national carrier and is dropping unprofitable short-haul routes in favor of intercontinental flights, upgrading technology and pampering customers to do it.
A former executive at Fiat and Benetton Group, he says will depend on the help of international partner Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, which owns 49 per cent of Alitalia. Etihad’s ceo James Hogan worked with Cassano at car-rental company Hertz in the 1990s.
“Alitalia can only thrive as a five-star airline,” Cassano said. “Consumers say: 'give us an excuse to come back to you'. They want the love affair to start again.”
Cassano plans to invest EUR700 million over the next three years including an overhaul of the fleet starting with two new Airbus A330 wide-body airliners and EUR100 million invested in technology.
By 2017, all Alitalia planes will offer wifi, better food and new leather business class seats.
For his long-haul expansion, Cassano wants to connect fast-growing countries in Asia and is in talks for a code-share agreement in China.
The complexity of the turnaround lies partly in the fact that every part of the company needs work, including fleet upgrades, new technology, crew training and network improvements.
The new ceo of Italy's Alitalia wants to revive the airline as a five star carrier. Silvano Cassano is making a last-ditch effort to rebuild Italy's national carrier and is dropping unprofitable short-haul routes in favor of intercontinental flights, upgrading technology and pampering customers to do it.
A former executive at Fiat and Benetton Group, he says will depend on the help of international partner Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, which owns 49 per cent of Alitalia. Etihad’s ceo James Hogan worked with Cassano at car-rental company Hertz in the 1990s.
“Alitalia can only thrive as a five-star airline,” Cassano said. “Consumers say: 'give us an excuse to come back to you'. They want the love affair to start again.”
Cassano plans to invest EUR700 million over the next three years including an overhaul of the fleet starting with two new Airbus A330 wide-body airliners and EUR100 million invested in technology.
By 2017, all Alitalia planes will offer wifi, better food and new leather business class seats.
For his long-haul expansion, Cassano wants to connect fast-growing countries in Asia and is in talks for a code-share agreement in China.
The complexity of the turnaround lies partly in the fact that every part of the company needs work, including fleet upgrades, new technology, crew training and network improvements.
