OREANDA-NEWS. Deutsche Lufthansa AG announces today that it has agreed to sell 86 per cent of its shareholding and loan note interests in The Airline Group Limited (“Airline Group”), which is a 41.9 per cent shareholder in UK Air Traffic controller NATS Holdings Limited (“NATS”), to the British pension fund Universities Superannuation Scheme Limited, acting as sole corporate trustee of Universities Superannuation Scheme (“USS”). As a result of the sale, the Lufthansa Group’s stake in Airline Group falls from 14.5 to two per cent. The share sale will generate income of approx. EUR 45 million for the Lufthansa Group. The transaction is expected to complete during the first quarter of calendar year 2014 and is subject to the approval of the European Commission.

With this move, the Lufthansa Group is systematically continuing to actively manage its equity investments.

In addition to Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Thomas Cook Group plc, TUI Travel PLC and Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited have also agreed to sell the majority of their stakes in Airline Group on the same terms and at the same time as Lufthansa. The combined shareholding being sold to USS represents a non-controlling stake of 49.9 per cent, with each seller retaining a small proportion of their holding.