Lufthansa Meeting Set to Tackle State Bailout

May 5, 2020
Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr is expected to tell the gathering that "the future of Lufthansa will be decided in the coming days," according to remarks released ahead of the meeting.

Berlin (dpa) - German airline Lufthansa, facing perhaps its biggest financial crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic, is holding a general meeting on Tuesday in the hope of deciding on a huge state bailout.

Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr is expected to tell the gathering that "the future of Lufthansa will be decided in the coming days," according to remarks released ahead of the meeting.

The state aid under negotiation is said to amount to about 10 billion euros (10.9 billion dollars).

In the ongoing talks on how to save the carrier, which has grounded most of its planes, Lufthansa is resisting suggestions that the German state should take a stake in the firm, along with seats on the supervisory board.

Lufthansa is aiming for the state to be a sleeping partner, meaning its role in the firm would be limited.

"It was not our fault that we are in this crisis," Spohr is expected to tell the shareholders. "Now we need state support. But we do not need any state management."

Lufthansa and two unions in the aviation sector last week appealed to the federal government to help Europe's largest airline in the face of passenger numbers which have collapsed due to worldwide travel restrictions.

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