N. Italy Officials Unite Vs. Air France
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"These are the problems that require a national operator to confront"  Officials in northern Italy are uniting in opposition to Air France-KLM's bid for ailing Alitalia SpA, which would make Rome the nation's only hub at the expense of Milan.The Air France plan _ which the Alitalia board tipped Friday as its preferred bidder over Italian airline Air One SpA _ would do away with Alitalia's two-hub system, one at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport and the other at Milan's Malpensa.Having a hub in Milan has been fiercely defended by northern politicians, but has been criticized as too expensive and impractical. Alitalia's board, under chairman Maurizio Prato, has already signaled its intention to cut traffic to Malpensa. Read more
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The Italian government gives its backing to Air France-KLM's proposal to buy Alitalia.
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An alliance between Air France-KLM and Italian airline Alitalia is &quot;desirable,&quot; French President Jacques Chirac has said after meeting with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi.
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Air France-KLM plans to keep Alitalia  as a separate company overseen by a board of trustees once it has taken over the Italian airline, according to a news report on Sunday citing details of the French offer.
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Italy's struggling flagship airline Alitalia wants to remain allied with Air France but would like to renegotiate the terms of the tie-up, company chairman Giancarlo Cimoli said.
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Air France-KLM and the financially troubled Italian airline Alitalia said they have begun tentative talks on a possible alliance, prompting Italian government suspicions about French intentions.
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Siglato accordo con l'Aeronautica italiana
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French and Italian leaders are to discuss the future of struggling airline Alitalia amid talk of an Air France merger.
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Air France KLM, under pressure from Rome to commit to a merger with Alitalia, announced exploratory talks with the ailing carrier toy but reaffirmed conditions for a deal.Comment
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MESEBERG, Germany, Feb. 23 Germany and France support a fair division of the long-awaited restructuring of pan-European aircraft maker Airbus, the countries ' leaders said Friday.Comment
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France, Italy and Spain united behind a planned Mediterranean Union on Thursday, announcing a July summit in Paris of the countries bordering the sea.
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Italy's economy minister said Friday he backed Air France-KLM as the preferred bidder for the government's stake in troubled national carrier Alitalia.
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French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and his Italian counterpart Romano Prodi, whose countries are providing the core of a boosted UN force in Lebanon, will meet Friday in Rome, French officials said.
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The two hijackers of the Turkish Airlines flight that was forced to land in Italy on Tuesday are ready to surrender, Italy's civil aviation agency said.
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Thousands of Italians gathered  under heavy police guard on Saturday to protest against the  expansion of a U.S. military base that has aroused strong  opposition and divided the center-left government.
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Air France KLM said on Thursday it was in exploratory tie-up talks with Alitalia at the request of the Italian airline.Comment
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During the Ryder Cup, European nations put aside historical rivalries and stand united for their shared team.