Air France-KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has denied having submitted a bid for Alitalia (AZA, Rome Fiumicino) days after Italian Industry Minister Carlo Calenda said it had teamed up with easyJet (London Luton) for a joint proposal.
The Franco-Dutch carrier group said in a statement to the Paris bourse earlier this week that contrary to Calenda's words, it had not participated in the sale process for ailing Alitalia nor had it had access to any confidential information.
"Air France-KLM denies having submitted an offer for the acquisition of Alitalia," it said.
Calenda told local media last week that three proposals had been submitted for Alitalia including one from each of Lufthansa Group and U.S. private equity fund Cerberus. Cerberus had previously been linked to a joint proposal with easyJet.
During an interview with La7 television news, Calenda said the Italian government still planned to complete the Alitalia sale process ahead of general elections due on May 4.
