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Italian infrastructure group Atlantia is set to join the consortium of investors led by railway company Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) to rescue Alitalia, paving the way to relaunch the carrier, more than 2 years after filing for bankruptcy. After assessing the expressions of interest received, the FS board said it has identified Rome airport operator Atlantia as a partner to join investors Delta Air Lines and the Italian govt, which wants to make the airline the cornerstone of a multimodal transport strategy to boost Italian tourism. “FS will start working with the designated partners as soon as possible to share an industrial plan and the other elements of the potential offer,” it added. Atlantia confirmed interest in taking part in the Alitalia relaunch just a few days ahead of the July 15 deadline. <br/>

Korean Air has finalised a deal with Boeing that will significantly boost the airline’s 787 fleet. The carrier has confirmed orders for 10 787-9s and 10 -10s, in a deal that was first announced as an MOU at the Paris Air Show June 18. At that time, it also revealed a deal to lease another 10 -10s from Air Lease Corp. Korean already operates 10 787-9s. The carrier intends to deploy the -10s on medium-haul routes, and the -9s on longer-range flights. The airline’s chairman Walter Cho said the 787 family “will become the backbone of our mid- and long-haul fleet for many years to come.” He noted that the -10s will have 15% more passenger and cargo capacity than the -9s, “which will be critical to our long-term business goals.” <br/>