Italy will not pour more taxpayer money into Alitalia-minister

Italy will not pump more public money into Alitalia, Industry minister Stefano Patuanelli said Saturday, warning that the troubled airline could shut down by mid-2020 without a buyer. Alitalia, which is losing E2m a day, was put under a new temporary administrator this month after a consortium of potential rescuers backed out. Patuanelli was quoted as saying by Italian newspaper Il Messaggero that he had signed off a further loan of E400m euros this week to keep the loss-making carrier in business. "This is really the last state intervention for Alitalia," Patuanelli said adding that either a buyer was found by mid-2020 or the company "would shut down". The minister dismissed the possibility of the loan being considered illegal state aid by the EC. <br/>