No Merger Talks between Air France-KLM, Alitalia

Jean-Cyril Spinetta, chief executive of Air France-KLM, has denied recent press speculation by saying that there are no talks underway with Alitalia concerning a merger of the two airlines.

Recently, Alitalia has shared that it has no plan to merge with French airline Air France in the near future, but cooperation between them will continue.

The statement was made in response to recent media reports which said Alitalia and Air France were preparing to merge. An Alitalia spokesman told reporters Alitalia and Air France would continue to cooperate on an equal footing with their seven other aviation partners within the Sky Team Alliance.

On the recent rise in Alitalia shares, according to Reuters report recently, Italian newspapers had speculated the jump could be due to renewed discussions with Air France-KLM about on-off merger plans.