SkyEurope files for bankruptcy following breakdown of bridge financing facility

SkyEurope stated (01-Sep-2009) its bridge financing facility, an attempted remedy to the carrier's liquidity shortfall, was not funded at the last moment, prompting the carrier to file for bankruptcy and suspend operations. Following this development, SkyEurope's trustee, appointed by the Slovak court to oversee the restructuring process, assessed that the company did not have sufficient funds for sustaining operations. This has come about after recent actions of suppliers and reduced passenger bookings and traffic revenue. [more - SkyEurope]

Meanwhile, carriers operating overlapping routes have announced the following deals for affected passengers:

• European Low Fares Airlines Association (ELFAA) member airlines: To offer an emergency rescue package for passengers affected. ELFAA airlines that have overlapping routes with SkyEurope are easyJet, Norwegian, Ryanair and Wizz Air; [more - ELFAA]
• Wizz Air: Special rescue fare of EUR30 inclusive, for passengers holding a SkyEurope booking for travel between 01-Sep-2009 and 26-Mar-2010; [more - Wizz Air]
• Ryanair: EUR25 inclusive rescue fare, covering services from Bratislava to Alicante, Barcelona (Girona), Brussels (Charleroi), Rome (Ciampino), Liverpool and London (Stansted). The fare can be booked until 20-Sep-2009 for travel until 17-Dec-2009;[more - Ryanair]
• easyJet: Special price of EUR40 for services from London Luton to Vienna. [more - easyJet]
• Czech Airlines: Extended its offer for SkyEurope passengers, with a EUR50 fare, with the option available for tickets purchased up until 31-Aug-2009. Passengers can use Czech Airlines flights to the following destinations: Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Brussels, Budapest, Cologne/Bonn, Copenhagen, Frankfurt am Main, Heraklion (Crete), Larnaca, London-Heathrow, Manchester, Milan, Oslo, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rome, Split, Stockholm, Thessalonica and Venice; [more - Czech Airlines]
• Bulgaria Air: Offering a EUR100 fare on Sofia-Vienna services;
• Malév: EUR99 fare on services to Bratislava, Košice, Vienna or Prague [more - Malev]