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Delta and Air France-KLM have teamed up with an unidentified fund to express an interest in a majority stake in ITA Airways, daily La Repubblica said Thursday, setting the stage for a potential bid battle for the successor to Alitalia. The expression of interest was presented to Italy's government in a letter, the paper said, citing a government source. A further expression of interest arrived from another international fund which is already invested in low-cost carriers, the paper added. A Delta spokesperson said the US airline had regular contact with the ITA leadership but did not comment directly on the report. "Delta has a longstanding history with the former Alitalia and has created a partnership with ITA Airways which Delta is committed to strengthening," the spokesperson said. Air France-KLM also declined to comment on the report, reiterating it was committed to deepening cooperation with ITA. It was often seen as a potential partner for Alitalia but nothing ever came of the speculation. Air France-KLM and Delta both have codeshare partnerships with ITA, the slimmed down successor to Alitalia which started operations last October.<br/>

Emirates has entered a new codeshare agreement with Garuda Indonesia, the country’s flag carrier, to offer better connectivity to passengers. Under the partnership, customers of both the airlines will benefit from connectivity on 16 routes across the Americas, Middle East, Africa and Europe. They can also avail of other travel benefits as part of the agreement. Garuda Indonesia will put its code on routes run by Emirates. These include the routes between Jakarta and Dubai, as well as onward flights to Paris, London Heathrow, Manchester, Milan and Barcelona from the hub of Emirates. Through its Jakarta and Denpasar hubs, Emirates will put its code on Garuda Indonesia-run flights on ten routes.<br/>