The Russian airline Aeroflot has said it is no longer interested in bidding for Alitalia, the Italian carrier said in a statement. It said it had been informed that Aeroflot "will not take part in the project to privatise" Alitalia.
Alitalia management is currently in talks with possible buyers for the financially troubled carrier. Lufthansa of Germany recently said it had yet to decide if it would make an offer. Other potential buyers are Air France-KLM and the Italian company Air One.
Alitalia is expected to inform the Italian government, which holds a 49.9 percent stake in the company, of the name of the company's prospective new owner by the end of November.