Alitalia may have Lufthansa return as bidder
Lufthansa [ETR: LHA], the German airline, could re-enter the race to acquire a stake in Alitalia, the troubled Italian airline, Italian-language daily Il Sole 24 Ore reported. The report cited sources at the airline who said that given the right conditions, Lufthansa could acquire a stake in Alitalia.
The report added that Lufthansa management has met with Armando Siri, the Italian under-secretary of Transport to discuss the matter.
The report noted that at the end of October Lufthansa ruled itself out of the bidding, saying that it would not partner with a state-controlled entity in the control of Alitalia. The report said that the latest development suggests a rethink and opens the possibility that Lufthansa is willing to work with Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), the Italian railway network that is set to take over the airline.
The report added that Lufthansa is being advised by Merrill Lynch on the Alitalia dossier.
The article also added that Lufthansa's three commissioners will complete their examination of the offers and manifestations of interest received from bidders and will then make their recommendations to the Ministry of Economic Development.
The item noted that Alitalia received binding offers from FS and Delta Airlines [NYSE: DAL] and a manifestation of interest from easyJet [LON: EZJ]