Lufthansa eyes sale of Luxair stake
LUXEMBOURG/BERLIN (Reuters) - Lufthansa is considering selling its 13 percent stake in Luxair and has been in touch with other shareholders, including the Luxembourg government, to discuss the matter.
Lufthansa, which has held a 13 percent stake in flag carrier Luxair since 1993, sounded out the possibility of a sale of its stake with the other shareholders as part of a regular portfolio review, a spokesman for the German airline said on Wednesday.
Luxembourg infrastructure minister Francois Bausch said in a public session of parliament he had received a letter from Lufthansa stating the company's intention to sell, confirming comments he made in an interview with paper Luxemburger Wort.
He declined to comment on what a sale would mean for Luxair, saying he would not discuss matters of a privately run company in public.
"There is currently no decision as to the next step," the Lufthansa spokesman said.
Luxembourg owns a 39 percent stake in Luxair, with Luxembourg's state savings bank holding almost 22 percent and private bank BIL holding just over 13 percent.
The remaining 13 percent is held by "LuxairGroup and others", according to the company's website.
(Reporting by Michele Sinner in Luxembourg and Victoria Bryan in Berlin; Editing by Mark Potter)
