More than a dozen companies interested in Austrian Airlines

According to a Reuters report, fifteen companies are interested in purchasing Austrian Airlines, a Central European legacy carrier which Austrian officials are currently trying to sell to the private sector. The Austrian state currently owns a 43 percent stake in the carrier and it is expected that  these shares will be sold to a private firm before the end of the year. The state-owned stake is valued at around €250 million and both major airlines and private financial investors are reportedly among the 15 or so interested parties.

Lufthansa and Air France-KLM are known to both be interested in purchasing a stake, and it now appears as though British Airways may be considering a run for Austrian Airlines as well. Turkish Airlines, Air China and several smaller companies have reportedly also officially indicated their interest. Most analysts still believe that Lufthansa is probably the hands-down favourite, but there is a chance that some Austrian political leaders may begin to worry that the German flag carrier may try to cut back on Austrian’s Central European route network, in order to augment its own presence in the region.

Thank you to Reuters for the initial report.

www.aua.com