German carrier Lufthansa hopes to win EU approval Thursday to snap up a slice of bankrupt Air Berlin's operations, after competition concerns forced it to scale back its bid for the homegrown rival.

Responding to signals that the European Commission was likely to veto its ambitious plans, the German behemoth last week ditched its bid to buy Air Berlin's Austrian unit Niki, focusing instead on the acquisition of the failed airline's smaller LGW subsidiary.

The more modest offer now on the table would see Lufthansa acquire the operations of LGW, a regional carrier employing some 500 people.

That includes taking over the roughly 30 planes flown by LGW but leased from other companies, a source familiar with the bid has told AFP.