BERLIN, June 18 (Reuters) - Germany wants to exit its stake in flagship carrier Lufthansa as soon as possible, Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer said on Friday.

"Lufthansa must not be under state influence forever ... And we also want to minimize the influence of the state and we want the success path to mean that the state goes out again as soon as possible," he told an aviation conference.

Lufthansa was pushed to the brink by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, when travel restrictions led to a collapse in air travel, forcing it to take 9 billion euros ($11 billion) in aid from Germany and its other home countries. ($1 = 0.8394 euros) (Reporting by Ilona Wissenbach and Klaus Lauer Writing by Caroline Copley Editing by Riham Alkousaa)