The Italian state will not put any more money into the near-bankrupt national airline Alitalia amid attempts to rescue the debt-ridden group, a government official said on Monday.

"Naturally, it is not possible for the Italian government to put more money (into Alitalia). We know that," Roberto Castelli, a junior infrastructure minister, told AFP at a meeting of EU transport ministers in western France.

Alitalia said Friday it had asked to be declared bankrupt and placed under special administration, the first step in a rescue plan that will see the struggling Italian flag carrier relaunched.

Under the plan, 16 investors have pledged to support the new company, including top names in Italian industry and finance, with a total investment likely to be worth around one billion euros (1.5 billion dollars), according to reports.

The consortium was due on to announce its rescue plan formally on Monday, newspapers reported.

Meanwhile, "we are waiting to see if the European Commission comes back with any observations," Castelli said.

"We are thinking not so much of the transport commissioner ... as the commissioner in charge of competition (regulation). Perhaps there will be some problems in that respect. We hope not," he said.

The company, in which the Italian state has a 49.9 percent stake, has been surviving on a loan of 300 million euros made in late April from public funds after the collapse of takeover talks with Air France-KLM.