By Klaus Lauer and Maria Sheahan
BERLIN (Reuters) - IAG, the owner of British Airways, is one of the four bidders chosen for final stage talks over the assets of insolvent Austrian airline Niki, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The administrators running the process aim to agree a deal with one of the four parties by the end of next week, one of the administrators said on Friday. They did not confirm the identity of the bidders.
Niki, founded by former Formula One world champion Niki Lauda in 2003, was part of collapsed Air Berlin.
Lauda said on Thursday that he had offered to buy Niki. A spokeswoman for the Austrian said on Friday she could not say whether he was among the four remaining bidders.
Niki filed for insolvency last week after Germany's Lufthansa backed out of a deal to buy its assets on competition concerns, grounding the fleet and stranding thousands of passengers.
The administrators have been racing to find an alternative buyer for its assets before it loses its takeoff and landing slots, its most attractive asset.
Six parties submitted offers by a Thursday deadline, five of which were binding, Niki administrator Lucas Floether said in a statement on Friday, without providing details.
"The bidders are very interested, and I am confident that it will be possible to save large parts of the business and many jobs in Austria and Germany," he said.
Both of the bidders picked for further talks have indicated that they are prepared to provide Niki with funding to keep its doors open as soon as a deal is agreed, he said.
A German newspaper had also named tour operator Thomas Cook and Tuifly, the airline of tour operator TUI, among the remaining bidders.
Other interested parties include Swiss carrier PrivatAir.
IAG and Thomas Cook declined to comment. TUI and PrivatAir were not available for immediate comment.
If Niki's administrators fail to agree a deal for Niki's assets by the end of December, the carrier may lose its operating licence and its runway slots, but Floether said on Friday that Austrian regulators may give the parties a few extra days if an agreement is struck by the end of next week.
(Additional reporting by Kirsti Knolle in Vienna, Paul Sandle in London and Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi in Zurich; Editing by Jason Neely and Keith Weir)
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