FRANKFURT - Lufthansa is in talks over securing billions of euros of state aid, including a possible equity stake, people close to the matter said as the German airline has seen more than 90% of its fleet grounded due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Lufthansa is working with investment banks as advisors in its talks with the German government, the people said.

The carrier is discussing securing loans as well as equity from the government to cope with the impact of the government order to all but halt its operations, the people said, adding that talk was about a volume of several billion euros.

"We are in close contact with the federal government to secure our liquidity", a Lufthansa spokesman said, but declined to comment on the details.

A spokesman for the Economy Ministry declined to comment.

(Additional reporting by Klaus Lauer in Berlin Editing by Michelle Martin) ((arno.schuetze@thomsonreuters.com; +49.69.7565.1197; Reuters Messaging: arno.schuetze.reuters.com@reuters.net))