Austrian airline Niki has filed for bankruptcy protection after German carrier Lufthansa pulled out of its plan to buy the former Air Berlin subsidiary due to the European Union’s antitrust concerns.
On Wednesday, a Berlin court announced that Niki had applied to start insolvency proceedings, with the Austrian airline aiming to manage the process independently. Although Air Berlin, Niki’s parent company, had already filed for insolvency back in August, Niki, which operates a fleet of 21 Airbus aircraft, wasn’t initially included in those proceedings.
Niki’s move followed Lufthansa’s earlier announcement that it was abandoning its bid to acquire Niki, citing ongoing objections from EU antitrust regulators regarding a potential merger of the two airlines.
In a statement, Lufthansa said it informed Air Berlin and its insolvency managers that it would continue its planned transaction but without purchasing Niki.
According to Niki’s website, several airlines are exploring ways to return passengers on standby to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland for a small fee. However, TUIfly has opted not to be part of this solution.
Eurowings has set up a rescue service for passengers impacted by Niki flight cancellations between December 14 and December 31, 2017. Eurowings is offering a 50% refund for affected passengers who purchase Eurowings flights.
Source: Niki