Berlusconi vows to block Alitalia deal

FORMER Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi — who is running for office again in this year’s general election — has vowed to block Air France-KLM from buying Italian airline Alitalia.

Last week, Alitalia agreed to a smaller-than-expected takeover offer of €138m from Air France-KLM in the face of growing financial pressure.

Mr Berlusconi said, if elected next month, he would reveal a counter-offer for the airline backed by Italian-based investors.