Air Transport

Italian national carrier Alitalia has signed a final agreement for its planned acquisition of fellow Italian operator Volare.

The Italian government last month backed Alitalia’s bid for Volare following an auction for control of the Italian airline group, which has been under state-appointed administrators since its financial collapse in late 2004. The deal still awaits competition authority approval.

The SkyTeam carrier intends using Volare to position it to compete “more effectively” in the low-cost sector and develop leisure routes in the Milan and Lombardy regions.