The Sale of Air Berlin Assets Continues

UK low-cost carrier easyJet has acquired a part of insolvent airberlin’s operations at Berlin/Tegel Airport for €40m in what is a major boost to its operations in Germany.  The deal includes easyJet taking over the leases of up to 25 Airbus A320s from the former German carrier’s fleet as well as an unspecified number of slot pairs.  Air Berlin Plc filed for bankruptcy in August after its main shareholder, Etihad Airways, withdrew financial support.  The deal is subject to regulatory approval which easyJet hopes to receive in December.

The company says the move is consistent with its strategy of purposeful investment in strong number one positions at Europe’s leading airports – or second to a legacy incumbent.  In addition, it has launched a recruitment campaign to attract around 1,000 of airberlin’s former pilots and cabin crews to join it over the coming months.  Those selected will be trained on easyJet’s safety and operating procedures before going operational.

The UK carrier plans to release more details of its plans for new routes and services from Berlin/Tegel, which will be additional to its existing schedules at Berlin/Schönefeld.  In the meantime, it intends to reduce its timetable at Tegel during the winter season, but will operate a full schedule from next summer.