Clap end for Air Berlin. In less than three weeks, the 144 aircraft of the German company created in the 70’s will be nailed to the ground, as was the case last week in the Uk with the bankruptcy of Monarch Airlines.
Candidates for the recovery
In bankruptcy since August 15 after the decision of its major shareholder Etihad Airways to stop back in the pot, the company announced this Monday that it is likely to stop flying its aircraft by 28 October, despite the offers of recovery of several candidates, including Lufthansa, IAG, Easyjet…., all currently in the study. This deadline corresponds to the review by the court of Berlin-Charlottenburg the application for opening of insolvency proceedings requested on August 15 by Air Berlin. According to the legislation in force and “in the current state of knowledge”, the opening of this procedure will result in an obligation to nail it to the ground its planes “to the latest from the 28th of October,” says the company. The austrian, Niki and LGW, subsidiaries Air Berlin not affected by the insolvency proceedings, can they, continue to ensure their flights.
Lufthansa and Easyjet in proprietary trading
Lufthansa and britain’s Easyjet are in exclusive talks until Thursday to take over part of the business activity of the company in berlin, whose aircraft are kept in the air thanks to an emergency loan granted by the German State. If these discussions are successful, it will still wait for the green light from the competition authorities of the european Union, which could take “weeks or months”, says Air Berlin.
“After the signing of the contracts (recovery, editor’s NOTE), the company shall terminate step-by-step to its activities,” explained Air Berlin in a press release. This means that flights with Air Berlin will continue for the account of its buyers, via contracts of hire with services that allows the buyer to lease aircraft with crew for use on their own lines.
Social
The company also announced to have begun Monday, to negotiate a social plan with staff representatives.
“The buyers are likely parts of Air Berlin have planned to hire a significant number of new employees”, stresses the company, while recognizing that all of its employees “would not find employment with the acquirers”.
Air Berlin therefore advised to its 8,000 employees to make an active search for a job and returns to two scholarships to the job held in the week, as well as to the many vacant places within the administrative services of the regional government of Berlin.
According to a trade union that AFP obtained on Saturday, about 1,400 members of the ground staff and administrative services may receive very shortly a letter of dismissal.
The German Lufthansa has announced plans to hire up to 3,000 people for the expansion of his company’s low-cost Eurowings, which are intended for the aircraft Air Berlin sought-after. Eurowings plans to certainly a fast-track procedure for recruiting the employees of its competitor on the verge of collapse, but does not guarantee employment, the crews of all the companies that may apply.
The british Easyjet has not, to him, given no information on her plans for the employees of Air Berlin.
