According to parliamentary sources cited by Italian media
The president of the airline Alitalia, Maurizio Prato, assured that before November 10th it will be known who the candidate will be to be the future buyer of the state quota (49,9%) put up for sale, in an appearance before the Transport Committee of Congress.
According to parliamentary sources cited by the Italian media, Prato stated that he will inform the Government of the chosen candidate before that date, and that afterwards the Executive will continue the negotiations for the transfer of all or part of the state quota.
Prato denied that the Franco-Dutch company Air France had already been chosen as the best candidate, and that the Government was exerting pressure for the selection of the airline's future partner.
On October 9, Alitalia announced that after initial contacts there were six possible candidates: the Russian company Aeroflot, the Franco-Dutch Air France-Klm, the Italian Air One and the German Lufthansa, as well as a consortium of businessmen whose spokesperson is the lawyer Antonio Baldassarre, and the American funds Texas Pacific Group (TPG).
Some of these suitors had already expressed interest in the state quota in the first public tender called by the Treasury, but the "rigid conditions" imposed forced them to withdraw and the bidding ultimately remained empty.
The airline, with a market capitalization of 1.200 billion euros (1.700 billion dollars), expects losses of 400 million euros in 2007.
The new buyer will also have to analyze the recently approved industrial plan for 2008-2010, which foresees a capital increase, a reduction in the workforce and the cancellation or relocation of some flights from Milan's Malpensa airport to concentrate activity in Rome's Fiumicino airport.
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