MERIDIANA is planning to join one of three global airline alliances by the end of the year in a bid to ensure its survival.
The independently owned Italian airline revealed it was talking to the KLM-led Wings group about a tie-up, but refused to name the other two. It is also believed to be in talks with the Star Alliance and the Qualiflyer group.
Commercial director Steve Forte said: “We could survive for maybe three years on our own, but it would be a risk.
“Our criteria for the alliance is for it to be meaningful for us and to be profitable.”
Forte confirmed British Airways had approached the airline to become a franchise operator, but this had been rejected. The carrier already has a commercial agreement with KLM on the Florence-Amsterdam route. Forte said this could be extended to codesharing in the future.
He said the drawback with joining KLM’s alliance was that Italian flag-carrier Alitalia is a member, which Meridiana is barred from co-operating with. Forte said the two Italian airlines could work independently, but still be in the same partnership.
He said Meridiana would wait until joining an alliance before improving its fleet as it wanted compatible jets with future partners. Boeing 737s are being considered to replace BAe 146s by 2002.
The BAe146s are used between Gatwick and Florence – Meridiana’s most profitable route.
This is currently flown thrice-daily, but Forte said a fourth flight is planned for summer 2000.
Two of the three Florence flights connect onto Palermo, but this is being scaled back to a daily service on May 1.
The airline’s twice-weekly Gatwick flight to Olbia, Sardinia, will be relaunched on June 1. Larger capacity MD-80s rather than the DC9s used last summer will operate the service as the smaller jets will be replaced next month.