Virgin "in Etihad pair-up talks" over BMI
Airline giants Virgin Atlantic and Etihad have joined the race to bid for Derby-based BMI, reports have suggested.
BMI has already attracted the attention of BA parent International Airlines Group (IAG), which told Insider earlier this year that it was interested in striking a deal. Last week, reports stated that IAG entered a bid to buy BMI, but the airline has so far refused to comment.
Now Virgin and Etihad have reportedly conducted discussions to create a joint bid to purchase the loss-making arm of German-owned airline Lufthansa.
According to reports in the Financial Times, it is thought that Middle Eastern airline Etihad and Virgin have discussed entering a possible partnership should the latter make a bid for BMI.
BMI's sought-after slots at Heathrow Airport are said to be the main reason behind the bidding war for the company, which made losses of €120m for the first six months of 2010.
