30/04/2021 (Agence Europe) – Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission’s Executive Vice President responsible for competition policy, said on Friday 30 April that she believed a solution could be found to Italy’s plan to create a new airline (ITA) to replace Alitalia. “ITA will have to be a new company, economically”, she said. “Otherwise ITA would be responsible for the aid received by Alitalia”. Another condition is that it must be demonstrated that the launch of ITA is an investment that will yield a return. Italy must present a “revised proposal” to ensure that these criteria are met, Vestager said. The Commission is in talks with the Italian government to ensure that a new carrier would have no links to Alitalia. Ms Vestager also said that a decision was imminent on the €1.3 billion of public aid granted to Alitalia since 2017. (LC)