Air France KLM has addressed rumours of a possible takeover of Alitalia, denying that it has made a bid for the struggling Italian flag carrier.
The French-Dutch group released a statement over the weekend stating that:
“The Air France-KLM group would like to confirm that it has taken no part in the process launched by the Italian authorities to take over Alitalia.
“As such, the group has not had access to any confidential information.
“Air France-KLM denies having made an offer to take over Alitalia.”
Meanwhile Reuters reports Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr’s belief that “significant restructuring” still needs to take place “before Lufthansa would be in the position to enter comprehensively into the next phase of the [takeover] process”.
Alitalia entered bankruptcy proceedings in May last year, following an employee vote against plans to cut jobs and salaries, which would have led to the unlocking of funds.
Gulf carrier Etihad had held a 49 per cent stake in the airline, but said at the time that it was “not prepared to continue to invest” without the support of all stakeholders.
A forum thread discussing the latest Alitalia developments can be read here.
