Air France-KLM will wait to see Alitalia's new business plan before deciding what kind of minority stake it might take, CEO Jean-Cyril Spinetta said, adding any investment must be profitable.
"We'll see. But before talking about numbers, we'll wait to see the business plan," Spinetta said in an interview with Il Giornale newspaper, when asked about rumours it might take a 15 percent stake.
Spinetta said Air France-KLM was ready to invest in a restructured Alitalia, but only if "it has the certainty that the investment will be profitable in a reasonable period of time".
Air France-KLM abandoned a takeover of Alitalia earlier this year amid union opposition and criticism on the campaign trail from Silvio Berlusconi, who became prime minister in the subsequent election.
Since taking office in May, billionaire media mogul Berlusconi has rallied a group of Italian investors to buy the bankrupt Italian flag carrier's profitable assets.
The government-sponsored rescue effort, which still needs union approval, aims to relaunch Alitalia as a smaller, leaner airline.
