Photo: DPAThe chief of Germany's largest airline Lufthansa has said he hopes to buy up to 78 planes from bankrupt Air Berlin, dismissing fears the insolvency would grant him a near-monopoly over the skies. Top priority was "stabilising" the status of some 38 aircraft Lufthansa already "wet-leases" - including their crews - from the smaller firm, Lufthansa chief Carsten Spohr told journalists in Frankfurt on Wednesday evening. "We expect Air Berlin to exit the market" rather than be revived whole as hoped for by some interested investors, Spohr added. Even if Lufthansa were to buy all of Air Berlin, "that's still less than what one airline has in Ireland. "Air Berlin will not be the last step," he said.

Source: The Local September 21, 2017 11:48 UTC