A Rome court rejected a suit filed by Italian carrier Air One against the exclusive takeover talks that are being held between Air France-KLM and Alitalia.
Air One sued rival Alitalia on January 31 for picking Air France-KLM as a preferred bidder, saying it also wanted to present a binding bid.
Air One said it would appeal the court's decision, taking the case to Italy's top administrative court.
Alitalia picked the Franco-Dutch carrier as sole bidder on December 21, preferring it to Air One's bid. A few days later, the move was backed by the Italian government, which has a 50 percent stake in the airline. Exclusive talks between the two carriers are expected to end by mid-March.
However, the Alitalia sale, which the outgoing government of Premier Romano Prodi has been trying to complete for more than a year, suffered a setback last week.
Air France-KLM said the carrier would go ahead with an Alitalia takeover only if the move is backed by Italy's new government.
Italian general elections will take place on April 13 to 14, and a government isn't expected to be in place until May.
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