Prior to the annual General meeting: Lufthansa-a major shareholder Thiele, the war fills Fund

Lufthansa-a major shareholder Heinz Hermann Thiele has worried before the crucial extraordinary General meeting for the state entry of fresh money. The controlled by him and KB Holding announced on Thursday evening to sell eight million shares of Knorr-Bremse. The output of the transaction should serve to support the other private Investments by Thiele, - stated in the message. In addition, Thiele has sought a report in the newspaper according to the interview with the Federal government. In an Interview with the F. A. Z. the billionaire had criticized the planned state entry at Europe's largest airline.

Rüdiger Köhn

economy correspondent, based in Munich, Germany.

it Should come to a direct conversation between the Lufthansa-an anchor shareholder and by the Federal government, so this is going to be according to information from the F. A. Z. in the next week, so a few days before the extraordinary General meeting of the airline on Thursday. The same is heard, that the 79-year-old man, one of the richest German, remains interested in a constructive solution.

In an Interview with F. A. Z., he stressed, nothing to want to block. A new solution could, however, result in the virtually swept the annual General meeting could be cancelled at short notice. A compromise solution would very probably mean that the only item on the agenda is the entry of the Federal government in the case of Lufthansa, null and void.

What are the Thiele with the money?

it remains Questionable, what is Thiele's going to do with the proceeds, estimated at 750 million euros from the sale of a package of 5% of the shares in his company, Knorr-Bremse AG, a supplier for railway and commercial vehicle industry. The shares it has issued except for over-the-counter to institutional investors. So he reduced its stake from 75 percent to 70 percent. Although signals are heard, that this process, allegedly, has nothing to do with his current involvement in the Lufthansa. Doubts are still attached, if only due to the temporal proximity.

on Tuesday reported an increase of Lufthansa's stake from 10 percent to 15 percent Thiele at a cost of about 250 million euros. With the proceeds from the Knorr-Bremse-share package he could expand so readily share – not only via the stock exchange, and through the direct acquisition of other Lufthansa shareholders, as he has done so far.