Germany's Lufthansa has offered €250 million to take on most of Alitalia's fleet of aircraft and half of its staff, a source close to the matter said on Tuesday.

Alitalia, which has made a profit only a few times in its 70-year history, was put under special administration earlier this year after staff rejected a plan to cut jobs and salaries.

Lufthansa is one of seven companies that submitted binding offers for Alitalia by October 16.

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