Lufthansa picks Carsten Spohr as new CEO: source

German airline Lufthansa has picked company veteran Carsten Spohr to succeed Chief Executive Christoph Franz when his contract runs out at the end of May, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Handelsblatt Online earlier cited sources close to the company as saying Lufthansa would announce the appointment later on Friday. Shares in Lufthansa rose 2.2 percent to 17.78 euros by 0910 GMT, making them the second-biggest gainer on a flat blue-chip DAX index . Germany's largest airline has been looking for a new CEO since September, when it was announced that Franz would leave at the end of May to become chairman at Swiss pharmaceuticals company Roche .