hopes for jobs as air berlin picks lufthansa easyjet bids
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today
Egypt Today, egypt today
Last Updated : GMT 09:07:40
Egypt Today, egypt today

For the future of its 8000 employees & 140 aircraft

Hopes for jobs as Air Berlin picks Lufthansa, EasyJet bids

Egypt Today, egypt today

Egypt Today, egypt today Hopes for jobs as Air Berlin picks Lufthansa, EasyJet bids

Insolvent Air Berlin confirmed Monday
Berlin - Egypt Today

Insolvent Air Berlin confirmed Monday it was negotiating with German airline giant Lufthansa and Britain's EasyJet to sell off parts of its business, offering hope for the future of its 8,000 employees and 140 aircraft.
"Negotiations with Lufthansa AG and the British airline EasyJet will now continue until 12 October," the firm said in a statement following a board meeting.
Technical details around winding up the carrier to be thrashed out in the coming weeks and any final deal will need to be approved by European regulators.
EasyJet is interested only in parts of the passenger airline, while Lufthansa's bid includes subsidiary LGW and Austrian airline Niki as well as parts of Air Berlin.
At stake are the carrier's 140 leased aircraft -- including those wholly owned by Niki -- coveted landing and takeoff slots at German airports, some prime Berlin real estate and the livelihoods of thousands of employees.
"We are on the way to achieving good job prospects for around 80 percent of our colleagues with our bidders," Air Berlin chief executive Thomas Winkelmann said.
The company has some 8,600 employees, including part-time workers, according to DPA news agency.
Air Berlin suffered recently as huge numbers of pilots called in sick in a protest action sparked by the uncertainty over looming job losses.
At the time, Winkelmann said the wildcat strike posed an "existential threat" to Air Berlin.
"Stable flight operations in the coming days and weeks are essential for success" in the sell-off negotiations, administrator Frank Kebekus said Monday.
Air Berlin triggered bankruptcy proceedings in mid-August after losing a cash lifeline from its biggest shareholder Etihad Airways, giving potential buyers a month to make their offers.
In the race to strip down Air Berlin, Lufthansa reportedly beat out IAG -- owner of Iberia and British Airways -- and three bids of between 500 million and 600 million euros ($600 million and $715 million) apiece from private investors.
Despite media reports to the contrary, there was no sign Monday that German competitor Condor was still in the bidding process.
Irish low-cost airline Ryanair stayed out of the bidding as its outspoken chief Michael O'Leary denounced a German "stitch-up" designed to favour Lufthansa's expansion of its low-cost subsidiary Eurowings.
- 'Absurd' -
"Rumours that politics had influenced the selection of investors are... completely absurd," insolvency administrator Lucas Floether said in the statement.
The German government, which extended a 150-million-euro bridging loan to Air Berlin to keep its aircraft aloft, ruled out any one competitor taking over the carrier whole for competition reasons.
Neither details of the bids from Lufthansa and EasyJet nor the amounts of their offers have been made public.
But the airline said "there is a good chance" that the government's loan can be repaid to public investment bank KfW.
German newspaper Bild and Berlin tabloid B.Z. reported at the weekend that creditors expected the sale of Air Berlin assets to bring in 250-350 million euros.
Lufthansa chief Carsten Spohr told journalists last week that the carrier was interested in buying up to 78 Air Berlin planes.
- Long-hauls to be scrapped -
Lufthansa has signalled it could hire up to 3,000 people to go with its new planes, possibly including some from Air Berlin's ranks.
As European low-cost airlines engage in dogfights for control of the skies, trade union Verdi fears that some buyers plan to use their own staff to profit from Air Berlin's aircraft and landing slots, rather than offering existing employees opportunities.
Verdi's Christine Behle said last week the union expected the successful bidders to "take on responsibility for Air Berlin's employees and offer them good opportunities for the future".
But the clock is ticking.
Despite the government's cash infusion, Air Berlin is running on fumes. It has already been forced to slash most long-haul flights and plans to end the service all together by October 15.
Some domestic flights are also being cancelled from the end of the month.
Air Berlin, which transported 36 million passengers in 2016, has assured anxious travellers it will operate its other flights as scheduled until bankruptcy proceedings are completed.
Passengers who bought plane tickets after August 15 can be reimbursed for their reservations.

egypttoday
egypttoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

hopes for jobs as air berlin picks lufthansa easyjet bids hopes for jobs as air berlin picks lufthansa easyjet bids



GMT 03:33 2016 Saturday ,24 September

Diesel Black Gold fashion show during Milan Fashion Week

GMT 11:12 2018 Wednesday ,03 October

Osaka saunters into China Open third round

GMT 03:18 2017 Tuesday ,10 January

Home Centre decides to go in for a fresh look

GMT 14:44 2017 Saturday ,06 May

Pharmaceutical industry

GMT 22:32 2016 Wednesday ,24 February

'Deadpool' upends competition at North America box office

GMT 06:44 2017 Friday ,17 March

Bowling, table tennis achievements lauded

GMT 18:11 2017 Saturday ,04 March

Violence claims lives of 18 people across Syria

GMT 11:50 2017 Tuesday ,03 October

Bahrain weather forecast

GMT 12:18 2016 Friday ,30 September

To the importance of Oscar Wilde

GMT 09:53 2012 Friday ,25 May

Amr Yousef heads to Kenya \'Al Montaqem\'

GMT 09:25 2017 Saturday ,07 October

Spain rejects mediation calls as Catalans plan

GMT 22:41 2017 Friday ,02 June

Actress Suzanne Najm Al Din received

GMT 23:52 2017 Tuesday ,03 January

Syrian peace process struggles as rebels

GMT 12:59 2011 Friday ,15 July

Tasting lump of ice with fruit frozen inside

GMT 16:50 2011 Wednesday ,31 August

Justice sues to stop AT&T, t-mobile merger

GMT 21:14 2012 Tuesday ,28 August

Hyundai Veloster turbo SE

GMT 11:50 2011 Friday ,08 July

Russia\'s VTB bank secures record $3.1 bn loan

GMT 07:01 2017 Tuesday ,26 December

Lorde cancels Israel show after pressure

GMT 00:12 2013 Wednesday ,18 September

Damascus clubbers dance on in bid to forget war

GMT 10:55 2011 Tuesday ,15 November

TRA participates in UNESCO General Conference

GMT 18:26 2014 Tuesday ,27 May

Samsung to introduce standalone smart watch

GMT 15:24 2016 Sunday ,07 August

Stranded kayaker rescued after crocodile attack
 
 Egypt Today Facebook,egypt today facebook  Egypt Today Twitter,egypt today twitter Egypt Today Rss,egypt today rss  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube  Egypt Today Youtube,egypt today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday egypttoday egypttoday
egypttoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
egypttoday, Egypttoday, Egypttoday