Brussels rules against Italian government’s 2019 loan to Alitalia

The European Commission said on March 27 that a €400 million bridging loan granted by the Italian government to Alitalia in 2019 was illegal state aid. The commission said Italian authorities have to recover the loan, with interest. The former flag carrier was given two loans in 2017 that came to €900 million. Also deemed illegal by Brussels, the loans were not repaid. Alitalia was wound up and replaced by ITA Airways in 2021. “Italy did not behave as a private operator would have done, as it did not assess in advance the likelihood of repayment of the loans, plus