Virgin Atlantic Airways refuses to rule out a possible bid for British Midland International, should Lufthansa decide to sell its loss-making subsidiary.
In September, Lufthansa announced it had appointed global financial services company Morgan Stanley to look into a potential sale of BMI.
Edmond Rose, director commercial and revenue planning at Virgin Atlantic, told Flightglobal's Airline Business Daily at the World Route Development Forum in Berlin that the carrier has "a close interest in the future of BMI", a phrase he repeated when pressed on whether this could extend to a potential bid.
International Airlines Group, the parent company of Virgin's arch rival British Airways, has also reiterated its interest in BMI.
IAG has made no secret of its desire to obtain BMI's more than 10% share of London Heathrow's highly sought-after slots.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
