MILAN, Dec 10 (Reuters) - A meeting between the CAI consortium taking control of Italy's Alitalia and Air France-KLM was 'constructive', the CEO of the Franco-Dutch airline group said on Wednesday.
CAI is looking for an industrial partner for Alitalia and is in talks with Air France-KLM and Germany's Lufthansa.
'These are the first meetings. (Today's) meeting was one of analysis and (it was) constructive,' Air France-KLM CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta told reporters in Milan.
He did not answer reporters when asked about a possible Air France-KLM board meeting to look at Alitalia on Thursday.
Spinetta, along with Pierre-Henri Gourgeon -- who will be at the helm of Air France from Jan. 1, met with CAI CEO Rocco Sabelli and CAI Chairman Roberto Colaninno.
Italian business daily MF earlier said the final details of a partnership agreement between CAI and Air France-KLM would be agreed on Wednesday.
Under the agreement, Air France will buy a stake in the new Alitalia of slightly more than 20 percent for 250 million euros ($321.8 million), MF said in an unsourced story.
La Repubblica said a deal could be imminent.
A spokesman for Air France-KLM had no comment.
A source close to the matter added Wednesday's meeting also allowed for the signing of documents for the CAI capital increase for the Alitalia acquisition, ahead of a Dec 12 meeting with Alitalia's bankruptcy commissioner Augusto Fantozzi.
(Reporting by Danilo Masoni and Benedetta Dalla Rovere; Editing by Hans Peters) ($1=.7768 Euro) Keywords: ALITALIA/AIRFRANCE (danilo.masoni@thomsonreuters.com; +39 02 661 29 734; Reuters Messaging: danilo.masoni.thomsonreuters@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
CAI is looking for an industrial partner for Alitalia and is in talks with Air France-KLM and Germany's Lufthansa.
'These are the first meetings. (Today's) meeting was one of analysis and (it was) constructive,' Air France-KLM CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta told reporters in Milan.
He did not answer reporters when asked about a possible Air France-KLM board meeting to look at Alitalia on Thursday.
Spinetta, along with Pierre-Henri Gourgeon -- who will be at the helm of Air France from Jan. 1, met with CAI CEO Rocco Sabelli and CAI Chairman Roberto Colaninno.
Italian business daily MF earlier said the final details of a partnership agreement between CAI and Air France-KLM would be agreed on Wednesday.
Under the agreement, Air France will buy a stake in the new Alitalia of slightly more than 20 percent for 250 million euros ($321.8 million), MF said in an unsourced story.
La Repubblica said a deal could be imminent.
A spokesman for Air France-KLM had no comment.
A source close to the matter added Wednesday's meeting also allowed for the signing of documents for the CAI capital increase for the Alitalia acquisition, ahead of a Dec 12 meeting with Alitalia's bankruptcy commissioner Augusto Fantozzi.
(Reporting by Danilo Masoni and Benedetta Dalla Rovere; Editing by Hans Peters) ($1=.7768 Euro) Keywords: ALITALIA/AIRFRANCE (danilo.masoni@thomsonreuters.com; +39 02 661 29 734; Reuters Messaging: danilo.masoni.thomsonreuters@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.