Embattled Italian flag carrier Alitalia is hoping to hear of rescue plans from three possible bidders by Thursday.
Air France-KLM, Lufthansa and Italy's Air One are lining up to save the airline, which is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.
Alitalia's board will meet on Thursday - the deadline for offers - before announcing the candidates.
The Italian government put its 49.9% stake in the airline last year and wants to be a position to name the new partner by Christmas Day.
The privatisation process has been fraught with delays and the two foreign bidders have kept quiet about their intentions.
Analysts believe this tactic has been employed to take advantage of Alitalia's weakness to wrest concessions from its largest stakeholder.
Today, a spokesman for Lufthansa said the German carrier had not yet reached a final decision while Air France-KLM was equally coy about its plans for Alitalia, which operates under half of Italy's domestic routes.
