Lufthansa has started discussions on a possible move to buy ‘all or part’ of Spanish airline Iberia, French economic daily La Tribune reported. Although Iberia has denied the report according to Dow Jones news wire.

Without citing its sources, La Tribune said Lufthansa had opened discussions—but not negotiations—on a possible move to buy a key stake in Iberia, which is currently 10 pct owned by British Airways PLC.

Such a move could create an airline that would carry 100 mln passengers per year, compared to the 70 mln carried annually by another European merged giant, Air France-KLM.

Iberia’s finance director Enrique Dupuy had already raised the possibility of a tie-up with Lufthansa or Air France-KLM in a newspaper interview in November 2006.
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