MILAN — Italy’s state railway has confirmed it is in talks with Delta Air Lines and EasyJet as possible industrial partners in relaunching the troubled Alitalia *******.

The state railway was given a lead role in taking over Alitalia, which struggled amid competition from low-cost carriers and has failed to come up with a sustainable plan to establish Italy’s flagship ******* as a long-haul player.

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte’s office said in a separate statement on Wednesday that it is ready to participate in establishing a new company to run Alitalia as long as the new business plan is sustainable and follows European guidelines.

Italy’s government has been shopping around Alitalia’s assets since the ******* declared its latest bankruptcy two years ago.