Italy's Industry Ministry has given the bankrupted airline Volare-Air Europe a green light to accept an acquisition offer from national carrier Alitalia.
Volare, a low cost carrier, is currently under government-appointed management.
The decision came after a court this week rejected a claim from Alitalia rival Air One that the national carrier could not make a bid because it would be using funds from a state-guaranteed loan. Air One has already announced that it will appeal the court's ruling.
In its decision on Friday, the ministry said that should Alitalia decide to withdraw its bid or if anti-trust authories block the operation, then the bankrupted low cost carrier would go to Air One and. Should the independent carrier also change its mind, it
would then go to the Merdiana-Eurofly airline.
Last year Alitalia, which is going through a major restructurization, submitted the highest bid for Volare-Air Europe, 38 million euros, while Air One offered 29 million euros and Meridiana-Eurofly 23.46 million euros.
