Lufthansa CE talks future of Air Berlin with Abu Dhabi

Lufthansa has held talks with the Abu Dhabi govt about the future of loss-making Air Berlin, its CE said Friday, although debt and other obstacles to a takeover of its smaller rival remain. Lufthansa CE Carsten Spohr travelled to Abu Dhabi this week as part of a business delegation accompanying German chancellor Angela Merkel. Spohr said the Abu Dhabi govt was aware that Air Berlin's debt, costs and anti-trust issues remain obstacles to Lufthansa taking over the rest of the struggling airline. Air Berlin, 29%-owned by Etihad, already leases 38 planes and crews to Lufthansa. "The debt problem can only be resolved by the govt of Abu Dhabi," Spohr said. Last week, Air Berlin reported a record loss of E782m for 2016. <br/>