Rescue of XL Airways still possible -French junior transport minister

PARIS (Reuters) - A rescue of French budget airline XL Airways remains possible, junior transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said on Tuesday.

"It is still possible to save XL Airways," Djebbari told France 2 television.

Over the weekend, XL Airways called on Air France <AIRF.PA> - in which the French government owns a stake - to discuss a rescue deal to avert the collapse of the budget carrier that halted ticket sales and payments last week.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)