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| - Top Lufthansa shareholder Heinz Hermann Thiele on Wednesday said he would back a state rescue plan for the airline, quashing fears that the German billionaire could torpedo the deal in a crucial vote. "I will vote for the agreement," Thiele told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper in an interview on the eve of an extraordinary general meeting where investors will vote on the rescue plan. Like other European airlines, Lufthansa has been brought to its knees by coronavirus containment measures that all but halted air travel for several months this year. The proposed nine-billion-euro ($10 billion) rescue deal would see the German state take a 20-percent stake in Lufthansa. Thiele, who holds 15.5 percent of Lufthansa's stock, had until now voiced scepticism about the deal and raised the prospect of using his sway to block the deal during the vote on Thursday. He has faced a storm of criticism in recent days with Lufthansa management, employees and unions all warning that the company could be forced to file for bankruptcy if the deal wasn't taken, risking thousands of jobs. But in the interview with the Frankfurt newspaper, Thiele said he had been convinced an insolvency had to be avoided even if he still had doubts about the deal. "It is in the interest of all Lufthansa employees that management can quickly begin talks about the necessary restructuring," he said. Even with the state bailout, Lufthansa has said it will have to slash some 22,000 full-time jobs as travel demand is expected to stay below pre-pandemic levels for years. mfp/dl
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