Germany's Lufthansa airline said on Monday that it was still interested in becoming a partner of the now private Italian carrier Alitalia.
A Lufthansa spokesman told ANSA that an alliance between Alitalia and Air France-KLM was still not ''a done deal'' and that discussions continued between the German airline and Alitalia's new owners.
In regard to a report in the Austrian press that Lufthansa and Alitalia would hold a conference call on Monday, the spokesman said that no such meeting was planned.
The spokesman also denied reports that Lufthansa Chairman Wolfgang Mayrhuber would travel to Milan on Monday to meet with Alitalia top brass.
However, the spokesman did say that conference calls and top level meetings could be possible in the future.
The general consensus in Italy is that Alitalia will hook up with Air France-KLM, its partner in the international SkyTeam alliance, which is reported to be ready to spend as much as 300 million euros for a 25% stake in the Italian carrier.
Some pundits also believe that Alitalia continues to talk with Lufthansa in order to get the best price it can from Air France-KLM.
