Controlling investor Etihad Airways, which holds a 49 percent stake, is struggling to relaunch the loss-making carrier since investing 560 million euros ($585 million) as part of a wider 1.8 billion euro rescue deal in 2014.

Alitalia is losing half a million euros a day and is far from returning to profitability by next year, as pledged by Etihad two years ago.

Italian shareholders, including Italy's two biggest banks UniCredit (>> UniCredit SpA) and Intesa Sanpaolo (>> Intesa Sanpaolo SpA), hold a combined 51 percent share.

(Reporting by Alberto Sisto, writing by Giulia Segreti, editing by Steve Scherer)

Stocks treated in this article : Intesa Sanpaolo SpA, UniCredit SpA