The Italian government wants to find solutions for Alitalia that will keep it both Italian and privately owned.

Economics Minister Giulio Tremonti said the new government of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was seeking a solution from within the private sector and was committed to attracting Italian investors to Alitalia.

He said a number of business people had already shown interest and the risk of the company falling into the hands of competitors in the tourist trade had been averted.

This was a reference to Air France-KLM withdrawing an offer to buy Alitalia, which is 49.9 percent owned by the Italian government.

The European Commission in Brussels has warned Italy against re-nationalising Alitalia, after Berlusconi floated the idea of nationalisation instead of selling off the state's shareholding in it.