airberlin files for insolvency

airberlin has today filed to commence insolvency proceedings under self-administration at the local District Court (Amtsgericht) of Berlin-Charlottenburg, in order to continue with the restructuring process that is already underway.

The Federal German Government, Lufthansa and other partners are supporting airberlin in its restructuring efforts. The Federal Government is supporting airberlin with a bridging loan to maintain flight operations for the long-term.

This means:

• All flights operated by airberlin and NIKI will continue as planned
• The flight schedule remains valid
• Bookings remain valid
• All flights can still be booked

Negotiations with Lufthansa and other partners regarding the acquisition of business units of airberlin are far advanced and highly promising. These negotiations may be finalised shortly.

Thomas Winkelmann, CEO of airberlin: "We are working tirelessly to achieve the best possible outcome for the company, our customers and employees, given the situation."

The background of today's announcement is the notification by Etihad that it no longer intends to provide airberlin with financial support.