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(Recasts with reaction from TUIfly)
BERLIN, Sept 23 (Reuters) - TUIfly has denied suggestionsthat the German airline is planning to link up with Britain'seasyJet but declined to comment directly on a reportthat another European airline was interested in buying theairline.
A German magazine report said on Thursday that easyJet wasclose to taking a stake in TUIfly, part of travel and tourismgroup TUI, as a way to secure flying rights within theEuropean Union should Britain leave the EU and not agree accessto the bloc's single aviation market.
But a TUIFly board member representing the labour force saidon Friday a second European carrier could be interested inbuying the airline, part of travel and tourism group TUI.
"There's another European airline to whom TUIfly could besold," Martin Locher, a TUIfly pilot and supervisory boardmember told Reuters on Friday.
He declined to name the airline, but said it was a non-EUcarrier. He also said it was not clear if talks with easyJetwere continuing.
In response TUIfly management said in a letter to employees, "A partnership or easyJet taking a stake in TUIfly is notbeing prepared, nor is this planned".
EasyJet declined to comment while a TUI spokesman declinedto comment directly on the second European airline.
TUIfly has 41 planes, 14 of which are currently operated byloss-making Air Berlin. Sources have told Reuters thatLufthansa and Air Berlin are in talks overLufthansa renting around 40 Air Berlin planes and crews for useby its Eurowings subsidiary, with a decision expected next week.
"Given the difficult financial situation at Air Berlin, weare regularly in contact with Air Berlin, plus with otherairlines and partners and exploring opportunities forcooperation," TUIfly added.
Both Locher and Andreas Barczewski, a member of the TUIGroup and TUIfly supervisory boards, said any sale of TUIflyagainst the wishes of employees and unions would be resisted.
Management at TUI is reshaping the travel group, which wascreated in 2014 by the merger of London-listed TUI Travel andGerman majority owner TUI AG and is focusing on its touroperations, hotels and cruises.
Along with TUIfly, the TUI Group also includes airlinesThomson Airways, TUIfly Nordic, ArkeFly and JetairFly. TUI hassaid it is targeting 50 million euros ($56 million) inoperational improvements at its airlines by the 2018/19financial year.
Chief Executive Fritz Joussen said in August TUI was seeingpressure at the German airline due to overcapacity in themarket.
($1 = 0.8914 euros) (Reporting by Peter Maushagen; Additional reporting by VictoriaBryan, Arno Schuetze and Sarah Young; editing by Susan Thomas,Greg Mahlich)
