Lufthansa would be open to new airline partnerships but only if they were profitable, the German carrier's chief executive Carsten Spohr said on Tuesday.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of an aviation summit in Washington, he said that for a partnership to be of interest it had to make money and please both sides.

Analysts have suggested Lufthansa should seek closer ties with Emirates, especially given its main European rivals IAG and Air France have co-operation deals with Qatar Airways and Etihad.

Spohr said, though, that Lufthansa was not looking at any passenger agreements with Emirates Airline.-Reuters