Air Berlin Sees ‘Good Job Prospects’ For Staff

Air Berlin confirmed it is negotiating with Lufthansa and easyJet for the sale of the company, saying job prospects for staff are good.

The Lufthansa offer is for German regional unit LGW, Austrian leisure airline Niki, and some aircraft. easyJet is bidding for part of the Air Berlin fleet, including crew. The parties have agreed to keep the purchase price confidential.

Air Berlin said that if the negotiations, which continue until October 12, are successful it will improve the job prospects for several thousand of its current employees.

“We are on the way to achieving good job prospects for around 80 percent of our colleagues with our bidders,” chief executive Thomas Winkelmann said.

The insolvent company continues to operate through a German government loan of EUR€150 million (USD$178 million). It says that if the bids are accepted and agreement reached, there is a good chance the loan can be repaid.

Administrator Frank Kebekus introduced a note of caution saying “We have not yet achieved the aim of the negotiations. Stable flight operations in the coming days and weeks are essential for success. Anything else will endanger the negotiations.” That was in reference to some pilots who called in sick last week, in a move that Winkelmann said was like “playing with fire”.

Air Berlin is winding back its long-haul schedule as aircraft lessors take back the Airbus A330s used on the routes. Some German domestic flights will also be pared back, with Munich-Hamburg, and Munich-Cologne/Bonn services ending on September 29.