FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Alitalia airplanes are pictured at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy, March 30, 2019. REUTERS/Alberto Lingria

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's Atlantia ATL.MI is still interested in supporting the relaunch, and not the rescue, of ailing carrier Alitalia [CAITLA.UL], the chairman of the infrastructure group said in an interview on Friday.

"The government asked to draw up an actual relaunch plan and not one to rescue Alitalia, and that is what we are interested in.. With Delta DAL.N not available to manage the airline it was unthinkable to launch a true industrial plan," Fabio Cerchiai told daily Il Messaggero.

Alitalia, which has been run by administrators since May 2017 is expected to run out of money at the end of this year.

Italian state-owner rail group Ferrovie IPO-FERRO.MI and Atlantia discussed a joint investment in Alitalia for months with U.S. carrier Delta and with Germany's Lufthansa LHAG.DE but the plan ran into trouble when Ferrovie said conditions were not in place to set up the consortium..