Lufthansa is negotiating a 10 billion euro ($10.98 billion) bailout that would result in Germany taking a 25.1% stake in the airline, weekly paper Der Spiegel said on Friday.
Ciara Lee reports
Germany to take 25.1% stake in Lufthansa - Der Spiegel
A bailout could be within touching distance for Lufthansa.
Newspaper Der Spiegel reported Friday (May 1) that the airline is negotiating an 11 billion-dollar rescue package, which will result in Germany taking a 25.1% stake.
Of that total, the paper said about 6 billion dollars would be in the form of non-voting capital.
A further 3.8 billion dollars in loans would be provided by state bank KFW.
It added that Belgium, Austria and Switzerland might contribute towards the bailout.
Lufthansa declined to comment but a government source told Reuters that negotiations were ongoing.
Germany's Finance Minister, meanwhile, told another newspaper that taxpayers can count on the government not to conduct the talks naively.
On Thursday, the union representing Lufthansa pilots confirmed that they are ready to sacrifice up to 45% of their salaries for more than two years to help cut costs.
Strict travel restrictions have brought flights to a near-halt across the world and there is no sign yet when they can restart.
That's left airlines begging governments for rescue packages.
The International Air Transport Association this month estimated that revenue losses for the industry have risen to $314 billion.