ALITALIA REPORTS HIGHER NET PROFITS

  Italy's national airline, Alitalia Spa
  &lt;AZPI.MI>, reporting a 14.6 pct rise in provisional 1986 net
  profit, said it carried seven pct more passengers on domestic
  routes last year, but 11.5 pct fewer passengers on flights from
  North America and Canada.
      Alitalia said the drop in North American traffic had been
  due to a general fall in the numbers of American tourists
  visiting Europe caused by fears of terrorism.
      The airline reported provisional net profit rose to 55
  billion lire from 48 billion in 1985.
      A spokesman said Alitalia was hoping for an increase in
  traffic with the U.S. In 1987.
      It planned to increase the number of flights from Italy to
  New York to 19 per week, to reinstate flights to Boston and to
  re-open the direct Rome-Milan-Los Angeles service.
      The spokesman announced that from March 29, Alitalia would
  be starting a new weekly service to Shanghai.
      For its summer 1987 programme, it would be adding 127 extra
  flights to European destinations -- an increase of 27 pct.
  

