In an open letter to the President of the Republic Kais Saied, former CEO of Tunisair Olfa Hamdi evoked that the airline is one of the symbols of national sovereignty and accordingly, it befalls under the competence of the President of the Republic to put a close to tries at destruction experienced by Tunisair.
The current administration seeks to cede Tunisair and has no plan of rescue it, she explained, estimating that the collapse of Tunisair will be the first centrepiece of the collapse of public institutions and enterprises and therefore of national economy.
Olfa Hamdi sought to expose, “without failing in the duty of reserve”, many files of corruption and mismanagement, in particular the sale of the presidential plane of former President of the Republic Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali lower than its real value and the transportation of millions of tourists at extremely low prices, which ended in losses at billions of dinars.
No subsidy was given to Tunisair during the lockdown period, she criticised, remarking that the absence of financial statements for the last three years, as well as the abuses of the unions, are also part of the causes of the lamentable state in which the company finds itself today.
Hamdi also singled out the UGTT, Chahed government and numerous former executives of the company (without quoting them by name). She also recollected that Tunisair suffered from corruption and mismanagement long before January 14.
According to Olfa Hamdi, to save Tunisair specific measures must be taken, in particular:
- Convert Tunisair into a completely exporting company and exempt it from VAT
- Allocate 203 million dinars for the repair of planes and the payment of some suppliers
- Lay off approximately 1,333 workers
- Review of certain agreements
- Transfer of all flights to Enfidha Airport before the conclusion of April and the start of the summer season
- Give up the idea of building a new airport in Utique.