03-Dec-2007 9:39 AM
Italy's Prodi says three contenders for Alitalia, including Air France
Analysis
Milan (Thomson Financial) - Italy's prime minister Romano Prodi
said that Air France-KLM is one of three contenders interested in taking control
of Alitalia SpA.
Speaking at the Franco-Italian summit in Nice, Prodi said that Alitalia was not discussed.
But he added that in a few days the experts will present their opinion on who the partner should be to enter into exclusive talks with Alitalia.
"Among these three contenders there is Air France," he said.
The other two partners identified by government sources are Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Italy's Air One airline, which has support from Intesa Sanpaolo SpA.