Air Berlin assets to go to more than one buyer - German government official

BERLIN (Reuters) - A senior German government official was quoted as saying on Thursday that the assets of insolvent Air Berlin could not be bought by any one competitor due to regulatory reasons. "It is quite clear that there won't be a takeover of Air Berlin by a single airline," Deputy Economy Minister Matthias Machnig told German media group Funke. "This is necessary and correct for antitrust and competitive reasons," he added. Media reports said on Thursday that Germany's Lufthansa is in talks to buy a majority of Air Berlin's assets such as airport slots, with the backing of Berlin, which is pushing for a national aviation champion. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Maria Sheahan)