News / Etihad buys into Alitalia, but will the EU see it as a takeover and kill the deal?

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Freight forwarders have welcomed Etihad’s announcement this morning that it is to buy a 49% stake in troubled Alitalia. But there remain question marks over whether the EU will allow the deal to go ahead.

The Italian carrier, which now focuses on short haul, has debts of some €800m and has been searching for an investor since shareholder Air France KLM walked away from its plea for more cash late last year.

The Franco-Dutch airline still markets its cargo capacity, however, although ...