Lufthansa confirms Swiss takeover

IN THE biggest airline deal since the Air France/KLM merger, Lufthansa will take over Swiss International Air Lines in a deal worth up to EUR310 million (R2.4bn). “The aim is a full takeover of Swiss,” the companies said in a statement. According to Reuters, Lufthansa plans to keep the Swiss brand and maintain Zurich Airport as an international hub. “Swiss will remain Swiss even with Lufthansa,” Wolfgang Mayrhuber, Lufthansa’s chief executive, said. Reuters quoted recent opinion polls in Switzerland showing that the majority of Swiss people and parliamentarians backed Lufthansa’s plan, despite some misgivings in the popular press about selling out the national flag carrier to their northern neighbors.