Rome — The offer from global cruise line MSC and German airline Lufthansa to take over the Italian state airline ITA is the preferred offer for the Italian government, according to media reports.
The Corriere della Sera newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing ministry sources, that the MSC-Lufthansa bid offers better economic and strategic prospects.
According to reports, the US investment fund Certares together with Franco-Dutch airline AirFrance-KLM and US airline Delta are also competing to buy ITA, the successor to Alitalia.
However, their offer is around €200 million ($200 million) less.
After interested parties were able to consult ITA's books in recent weeks to submit their bids, the Italian government is now expected to decide with whom it will enter into negotiations.
ITA started operations on October 15, 2021 and is in the hands of the Finance Ministry.
According to the media, 80% of the company is to be sold, leaving 20% with the state. MSC wants to take the lion's share, while Lufthansa is to step in with a smaller stake.
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