Italy picks Equita, Gianni & Origoni to advise on ITA Airways sale -sources

Italy’s Treasury has picked Equita and Gianni & Origoni as financial and legal advisers for the sale of stakes in ITA Airways, two sources close to the matter said Thursday, as Rome intensifies efforts to find strategic partners for the carrier. ITA took over from Alitalia in October, permanently grounding the 75-year-old, one-time symbol of Italian style and glamour after years of financial losses and failed rescue attempts. Shipping group MSC and Germany’s Lufthansa have expressed interest in buying a majority stake in ITA and are waiting to gain formal access to sensitive data on the state-owned airline. The government, which is entitled to inject E1.35b into the carrier over three years as agreed with EU authorities, approved a decree on February listing ways to sell ITA Airways under an open and market-based procedure. Rome prefers to keep the door open to other potential suitors, government officials said at the time.<br/>