Major companies on Tuesday ruled out involvement in a new rescue of Alitalia, complicating a plan led by Rome in which state-controlled railway Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) will bid for the airline and look to bring in partners.
Alitalia was put under special administration last year, leaving the government once again seeking a buyer to save the carrier. It will be the airline’s third rescue in a decade.
FS said its board had decided to put in an offer to buy Alitalia, but gave no further details.
A source close to the deal had earlier told Reuters that FS’s bid would only be a “transitional phase”.
The source added the deal would be completed in two separate steps, with FS picking up Alitalia on set conditions and then, at a later stage, being joined by an Italian partner and a international one, from the airline sector.
The source said there was very little visibility on the next steps, and it was not clear which partners would join FS.
“The situation is very messy,” the source said.
Earlier this month, deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio suggested that state-controlled companies like oil major Eni , postal operator Poste and defence group Leonardo could all play a role in the…
