Frankfurt - Amid a struggle in Rome to avert the collapse of Italian airline Alitalia, Lufthansa has resumed talks with Italy's government, the German airline said Friday.

Lufthansa chief executive Wolfgang Mayrhuber had travelled to Italy at the government's invitation and would also meet trade union leaders, a spokeswoman for Lufthansa said in Frankfurt.

She said she could not disclose what was discussed or who else Mayrhuber would meet.

Lufthansa, which this week moved to take over Belgian flag carrier Brussels Airlines, has frequently been seen as a potential saviour for stumbling Alitalia, but has said in the past it is not interested.

Instead the German airline has been buying planes to expand its operations out of Milan.

On Thursday, Italy's main labour union confederation, the CGIL, approved an agreement on a takeover of Alitalia, which operates 173 aircraft, by a consortium of private investors.

Alitalia "will ask and obtain" the renewal of its operating licence which Italy's flight regulator had threatened to revoke, Economic Development Minister, Claudio Scajola, said following Thursday's meeting.

Earlier this year, Air France-KLM withdrew a bid for Alitalia amid a squabble with unions. It is estimated that Alitalia is losing around 2 million euros (2.9 million dollars) a day.