Malaysia Airlines offers to lease A330s from Alitalia

Malaysia Airlines has offered to lease Airbus A330 jets from Alitalia if the struggling Italian airline is wound up, the Asian carrier's chief executive said on Wednesday. Alitalia is preparing for special administration proceedings after workers rejected its latest rescue plan, making it impossible for the loss-making airline to secure funds to keep its aircraft flying. Workers are hoping the Italian government will step in with an alternative rescue deal. Malaysia Airlines could take between six and eight Airbus A330s from Alitalia, CEO Peter Bellew said. "I hope Alitalia stays in business but it doesn't look good to me today. I think it's hard to see how they are going come back from the pressure they are sitting on at the moment," he said. An Alitalia spokesman declined to comment. Malaysia Airlines wants to lease between six and eight A330s or Boeing 777s for use from 2018 and a further seven to nine from 2019, Bellew said, expecting to finalise most of those deals in the next four to six weeks.<br/>