Alitalia suspends flights

ALL Alitalia Airlines' flights between Milan, Rome and Johannesburg will be suspended with effect from March 24, 2001, a spokesperson for the airline's general manager, Giancarlo Marra, confirmed to Travel Now yesterday.
No reasons have yet been given though the spokesperson said, "We are trying to solve this problem with our head office but have no idea why the decision has been taken. We have not yet received the official information behind the decision from our head office in Rome and are waiting for a press release to be issued."
The decision will remain in effect for an "indefinite" period of time.
Alitalia currently operates five flights a week to Milan and one to Rome and is the only airline out of SA to directly service the Italian market that is one of South African Tourism's key six identified European markets under its R40m international marketing campaign.
According to latest statistics released by Statistics SA, a total of 15 828 Italians visited SA between January and May last year.
South African Tourism's chief marketing officer, Owen Leed, said that Alitalia's decision will in no way affect the future direction of the country's marketing campaign in Italy.
"We will carry on as usual with our April/May marketing plans," Leed told Travel Now. "We still see Italy as an important growth market and there are still many other airlines offering routing through Frankfurt and London so Alitalia's decision is unlikely to affect the market."
Leed added that South African Tourism would be "quite heavily" marketing SA during the annual BIT trade show in Milan next month, including a number of scenic outdoor billboards aimed at the travel trade being erected on road accesses the exhibition.

(Elizabeth Sheridan)