Alitalia to be put up for sale in entirety

Rome May 3 (IANS/AKI) Italy s failing flagship airline Alitalia will go on sale in two weeks time in a bid to find a buyer and prevent liquidation Italy s Economic Development Minister Carlo Calenda said on Wednesday.

Within 15 days the commissioners will be open to expressions of interest Calenda told Italian public radio. For us the priority is the sale of the whole company he told Radio Anch io in an interview.

Calenda did not rule out the Italian state holding a future stake in the country.

Any idea is welcome but the important thing to bear in mind is that Alitalia needs an alliance with a big European group Calenda said. The problem is that its scale is too small.

With Alitalia losing around a million euros a day finding a buyer will be a tough challenge according to analysts.

In an interview with public broadcaster Rai on Wednesday Italy s Infrastucture and Transport Minister Graziano Delrio warned of possible drastic cuts to Alitalia in the event a buyer was found for the airline.

The Italian cabinet on Tuesday approved a 600 million euro bridging loan to Alitalia for a maximum period of six months until a buyer is found or a decision is taken to liquidate the company.

--IANS/AKI
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