Easyjet has confirmed its has submitted a proposal to acquire parts of Air Berlin’s short-haul business.
The German carrier filed for insolvency last month, but a government loan has enabled it to continue to fly at least some of its scheduled services.
In a statement Easyjet said:
“Easyjet has this afternoon submitted a proposal to the overseers of Air Berlin’s insolvency to acquire parts of its short haul business.
“The proposal is consistent with Easyjet’s focused, city-based strategy in Germany. However, given a number of uncertainties associated with Air Berlin, there is no certainty at this stage that any transaction will proceed.
“Easyjet will provide a further update in due course if and when appropriate.”
There had been speculation that Ryanair would make a bid for Air Berlin, but an article in today’s Guardian reports that CEO Michael O’Leary “said he had no interest in making a bid, repeating previous accusations that it was a stitch-up designed to make Lufthansa stronger”.
The report also states that Ryanair is preparing to make a binding takeover bid for Italy’s bankrupt airline Alitalia.
