VALLETTA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- A deal that would have seen Italian airline company Alitalia buy 49 percent of the shares of AirMalta has fallen through, Maltese tourism minister Edward Zammit Lewis confirmed on Friday.
In a meeting with union representatives, minister Zammit Lewis stated there had been interest from other strategic partners, but did not elaborate further.
The minister reassured concerned parties that AirMalta was not for sale and would continue operating as usual.
In a joint statement, the two airline companies stated that the timing at present was not ideal for the partnership but would continue to closely collaborate on other ventures.
