He took further titles at theKLMOpen and Dunhill Links Championship and in-between those events played alongside McDowell in the European Ryder Cup team.
"The Air France-KLM alliance has a door wide open to Alitalia and the day that they will want to come through that door we will be delighted to welcome them, " Transport Secretary Dominique Bussereau told Reuters in Rome on Friday after meeting his Italian counterparts.