The Italian treasury, which is trying to sell its controlling stake in Alitalia, is set to delay the deadline to present binding bids for the loss-making carrier by a week to November 20.
The Italian government has been struggling to sell its 49.9 percent stake. A tender organised by the treasury was scrapped in July after all the potential bidders gradually pulled out, saying the sale terms didn't give them enough freedom to implement a restructuring strategy.
After the auction collapsed, the government appointed a new chief executive at Alitalia, charged with finding a buyer for the ailing carrier.
Last month, Alitalia said it had six potential suitors, including leading European carriers Air France-KLM and Deutsche Lufthansa.
Air One, Italy's second-biggest carrier by passenger numbers after Alitalia, is also a potential buyer. The holding company which controls Air One said earlier this week that Goldman Sachs will act as adviser for a bid it is preparing with the support of Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo.
Beset by high operating and fuel costs, stiff competition from budget airlines and persistent labour strikes, Alitalia's net loss widened to US$918 million in 2006 from $246 million a year earlier after it booked a hefty write-down to cover the depreciation in value of its aging fleet.
Alitalia may have to file for bankruptcy in a few months if government attempts to sell the stake fail.
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