The extension to July 15 is aimed at giving the state-owned railway company more time to finalise a consortium of partners willingly to invest in the carrier, the ministry said.

Ferrovie has been in talks for a month with U.S. carrier Delta over Alitalia and this week Lazio soccer club Chairman Claudio Lotito presented an expression of interest for the airline.

(Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte; writing by Francesca Landini; editing by Alexander Smith)