British Airways may seek relationship with Alitalia

LONDON, Oct 1 (Reuters) - British Airways may seek a commercial relationship with Alitalia if the rescue of the Italian carrier proves a success, a source familiar with the British company said on Wednesday.

'BA is monitoring developments and might be interested in some sort of strategic commercial relationship,' the source told Reuters, adding that an alliance was a possibility.

A BA spokeswoman declined to comment on the potential for a future relationship, but said the group was not currently interested in taking on parts of Alitalia.

'We have no plans to invest in the airline,' she said.

(Reporting by John Bowker) Keywords: BRITISHAIRWAYS ALITALIA/ [e-mail] cmr COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Financial News Limited 2008. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Thomson Financial News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Financial News.