FILE PHOTO – People stand in front of an empty Niki customer care desk at Palma de Mallorca airport, Spain, December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Clara Margais
December 22, 2017
BERLIN (Reuters) – The administrators of Niki have picked two strategic bidders for final-stage talks over the insolvent Austrian airline’s assets, one of the administrators said on Friday.
Two people familiar with the matter told Reuters that British Airways owner IAG <ICAG.L> was among them.
Former motor racing world champion Niki Lauda had said on Thursday that he had offered to buy Niki, a company he founded. A German newspaper had named tour operator Thomas Cook <TCG.L> and Tuifly, the airline of tour operator TUI <TUIT.L> among the remaining bidders.
A spokeswoman for Niki Lauda said on Friday she could not say whether Lauda was among the two remaining parties.
IAG declined to comment.
(Reporting by Klaus Lauer; Additional reporting by Kirsti Knolle and Paul Sandle; Writing by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Arno Schuetze)
