BRITISH LOW-COST carrier easyJet has acquired part of insolvent airberlin’s operations at Berlin/Tegel, delivering a major boost to its operations in Germany. The €40m deal sees the London/Lutonbased carrier 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. Airberlin filed for bankruptcy in August after its main shareholder, Abu Dhabibased Etihad Airways, withdrew financial support.
The deal remains subject to regulatory approval, which easyJet expects to receive during December.
EasyJet said 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”. It has also launched a recruitment campaign to attract around 1,000 of airberlin’s former pilots and cabin crew.