Air France-KLM is not bidding for shares in the Italian airline Alitalia, reports NRC.next. Some 11 candidates had registered for the shares by the 6pm deadline yesterday, the paper said. The Franco-Dutch alliance was seen as one of the most obvious candidates to acquire a major stake in its Italian rival.

However the company said it prefers to continue its cooperation with Alitalia within the existing Sky Team alliance which has seen the three airline firms working closely together since 2001.