Germany carrier Lufthansa on Tuesday denied press speculation that it would ally itself with Italy's biggest private airline, Air One, in an attempt to acquire a controlling stake in Italian national carrier Alitalia.
Sources close to the German airline said Lufthansa ''does not comment on speculation'' and that there was ''no new news'' in regards to Alitalia.
Rumors that Lufthansa was interested in joining Air One, which which it already has a code-sharing agreement, and the Italian bank Intesa in a new offensive for Alitalia boosted the Italian carrier's shares by more than 2% on the Milan stock market Tuesday morning.
Air One, through its parent company AP Holding, lost out to Air France-KLM to have exclusive negotiations with Alitalia for the acquisition of the Treasury's 49.9% controlling stake in the national carrier.
Lufthansa had been on a shortlist of possible suitors for Alitalia but pulled out during the negotiation phase, which ended with only AP Holding and Air France-KLM as candidates.
The Italian government last month gave its green light to the unanimous decision by the Alitalia board to enter into exclusive merger talks with Air France-KLM.
The negotiations are expected to be concluded by the end of February.
Despite the government's decision, AP Holding, Intesa and a group of northern businesmen have embarked on a campaign to reopen the Alitalia dossier.
The aim of the offensive is to maintain the hub status of Milan's Malpensa airport, which is being downgraded in favor of Rome by Alitalia management with Air France-KLM's blessing.
Air France Chairman Jean-Cyril Spinetta arrives in Rome on Wednesday for a series of top-level talks with government and Alitalia officials on the merger prospect.
In related developments, budget carrier Ryanair on Tuesday reiterated its interest in expanding at Malpensa, but expressed doubts on the airport management's readiness to become a low-cost hub.
''Our door is always open. If Malpensa wants to improve the situation in northern Italy it should work with Ryanair,'' a spokesperson for the Irish carrier said.
The real problem, the spokesperson added, ''is that Malpensa does not seem to want to become a low-cost hub and this is bad news for Malpensa''.
Last September, Ryanair said it was ready to spend more than $1 billion in order to offer flights from Milan's Malpensa airport and expand its services at Orio al Serio airport in nearby Bergamo.
According to Ryanair, Malpensa ''has never achieved its full potential because it has always bet on the wrong horse: Alitalia''.
The government decided at the end of 2006 to sell most if not all of the Treasury's 49.9% stake in Alitalia.
An attempt last summer to auction the stake failed after all the bidders dropped out because of the conditions imposed by the Treasury.
It was then decided that Alitalia management would negotiate the direct sale of the Treasury's stake.
