Lufthansa in contact with Norwegian as airlines size up deals

Lufthansa is in contact with Norwegian Air Shuttle, which is also the subject of bid interest from BA owner IAG, as the German airline looks to get involved in an expected wave of deals in the sector, its CEO told a newspaper. Shares in Norwegian Air jumped more than 10% on Monday following the comments by Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr to Germany’s Sueddeutsche Zeitung. “In Europe, everyone is talking to everyone. There’s a new wave of consolidation approaching. That means we are also in contact with Norwegian,” Spohr was quoted as saying. Asked whether Norwegian would fit with the Lufthansa group, Spohr said: “Takeovers are always a question of strategic value, the price and anti-trust. There are no easy answers.” Norwegian reiterated on Monday that it had been approached by potential buyers and investors following an announcement in April that IAG had taken a 4.6% stake in the carrier. Its CE Bjoern Kjos confirmed to Norwegian public broadcaster NRK later on Monday that Lufthansa has been in touch with Norwegian Air’s advisors, and he had personally exchanged text messages with Lufthansa’s boss. Kjos declined to comment on the contact, adding that he personally thought that it was “a bit too early” to sell the company. “There are no negotiations or in-depth talks and it is open whether anything will come of it,” said a source with knowledge of the contact between Lufthansa and Norwegian. Strategically speaking, Norwegian would fit well with Eurowings, Lufthansa’s low-cost brand, the source added.<br/>