TUI said to weigh resurrecting Air Berlin leisure carrier

TUI AG is considering resurrecting efforts to form a joint venture with Air Berlin and Etihad Aviation Group by taking a bigger role in the endeavour than originally planned, according to people familiar with the situation. TUI is studying whether to take a majority stake or even full ownership of the proposed leisure airline -- which was intended to combine assets from Air Berlin’s Niki and TUI’s TUIfly -- said the people, who asked not to be identified. However, TUI’s reluctance to add German capacity stands in the way of a deal, said one of the people. The original project, which collapsed a month ago when Etihad pulled out, was aimed at letting German tour operator TUI revive its unprofitable TUIfly airline while allowing loss-burdened Air Berlin to offload its Niki leisure brand. <br/>