Berlusconi: Alitalia open to second Aeroflot bid

Italy's Premier-elect Silvio Berlusconi has said his country is open to a second bid from Russia's Aeroflot airline for a stake in Alitalia. The statement came at Berlusconi’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sardinia.

“All options are being considered – as long as Alitalia remains the national air carrier and decisions are made in Italy,” Berlusconi said.

Aeroflot was in the original bidding for the Italian carrier last year. However, the company's head, Valery Okulov, now says it’s unlikely to make another offer.

“We’ve got a lot of useful experience participating in Alitalia’s privatisation project. The information that we have doesn’t make us optimistic about taking part in the project for a second time,” he said.