Parties interested in airberlin 'sufficiently large to offer airberlin a secure future': CEO

airberlin CEO Thomas Winkelmann commented on parties interested in acquiring parts of the carrier, stating all three potential investors are "reputable in terms of their finances, sufficiently large to offer airberlin a secure future and are interested in keeping Germany as a base of operation" (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung/Reuters/focus.de/Bloomberg, 17-Aug-2017). Mr Winkelmann reportedly stated discussions include assets of NIKI. As previously reported by CAPA, Lufthansa confirmed acquisition discussions with airberlin, Thomas Cook Group said it is "standing ready to play an active role in the future" of airberlin, while easyJet is reportedly interested. TUI Group is another reportedly interested party. Mr Winkelmann said the airberlin Group is aiming for an agreement with two investors by the end of Sep-2017.