FRANKFURT: Air Berlin’s creditors have picked German flagship carrier Lufthansa and Britain’s easyJet as possible buyers for the insolvent carrier’s aviation business and will negotiate with them for the next three weeks.
“Authority was granted to conclude one or more agreements with one or more of these bidders,” Air Berlin said in a statement late on Thursday.
Talks over its other Air Berlin assets, such as its aircraft maintenance unit, will continue with other bidders, it said.
Air Berlin, which has about 8,000 employees and operates 144 mostly leased planes, filed for insolvency in August after major shareholder Etihad pulled the plug on funding.
Two sources familiar with the matter had told Reuters on Thursday that Lufthansa was set to pick up a large part of the carrier.
Lufthansa’s CEO said earlier that the carrier wanted to secure the 38 crewed planes it leases from Air Berlin, and was interested in a further 20-40 short-haul planes.
Air Berlin said negotiations with Lufthansa and easyJet would continue until October 12, which means Air Berlin’s board may not make a final decision on September 25 as had been expected.
The news comes ahead of a national election on Sunday in which Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to win a fourth term.
At a rally in the western city of Neuss, where dozens of Air Berlin workers wearing fluorescent yellow crew jackets joined Merkel supporters, the chancellor said: “There are pilots from Air Berlin that we of course wish all the best to, like all people who have a job and would like to keep it.”
The prospect of getting access to Air Berlin’s airport slots, planes and crews had drawn interest from those airlines and other investors, including former Formula One driver Niki Lauda, jointly with Thomas Cook’s German airline Condor, and aviation entrepreneur Hans Rudolf Woehrl.
Also, two people familiar with the matter had told Reuters earlier this week that British Airways owner IAG had joined the field of bidders for parts or all of Air Berlin.
Bidders had been especially interested in Air Berlin subsidiary Niki, which operates short-haul flights from Germany and Austria to tourist hot spots.
The deadline for bids for its maintenance unit, which has about 850 employees, has been extended to Oct. 6, Air Berlin said.
Lufthansa declined to comment further on Thursday evening. EasyJet declined to comment and Condor was not immediately available for comment.
Air Berlin to hold carve-up talks with Lufthansa, easyJet
Air Berlin to hold carve-up talks with Lufthansa, easyJet
Closing Bell: Saudi main index rises to 10,894
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index extended its upward trend for a third consecutive day this week, gaining 148.18 points, or 1.38 percent, to close at 10,893.63 on Tuesday.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index stood at SR6.05 billion ($1.61 billion), with 144 listed stocks advancing and 107 declining.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu also rose by 81.35 points to close at 23,668.29.
The MSCI Tadawul Index edged up 1.71 percent to 1,460.89.
The best-performing stock on the main market was Zahrat Al Waha for Trading Co., with its share price advancing 10 percent to SR2.75.
Shares of CHUBB Arabia Cooperative Insurance Co. increased 8.27 percent to SR23.04, while Abdullah Saad Mohammed Abo Moati for Bookstores Co. saw its stock climb 6.17 percent to SR50.60.
Conversely, the share price of Naseej International Trading Co. declined 9.90 percent to SR31.48.
On the announcements front, Arabian Drilling Co. said it secured three contract extensions for land rigs with energy giant Saudi Aramco, totaling SR1.4 billion and adding 25 active rig years to its backlog.
In a Tadawul statement, the company said one rig is currently operational, the second will begin operations by the end of January, and the third — currently suspended — is expected to resume operations in 2026.
Since November 2025, Arabian Drilling has secured seven contract extensions amounting to SR3.4 billion, representing 55 committed rig years.
The three contracts have durations of 10 years, 10 years, and five years, respectively.
“Securing a total of SR1.4 billion in new contracts and expanding our backlog by 25 rig-years demonstrates both the trust our clients place in us and our ability to consistently deliver quality and reliability,” said Ghassan Mirdad, CEO of Arabian Drilling, in a statement.
Shares of Arabian Drilling Co. rose 3.15 percent to SR104.70.
Separately, Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies Co. said it signed a 36-month contract valued at SR43.35 million with National Water Co. to operate and maintain water networks, pumping stations, wells, reservoirs, and related facilities in Tabuk.
In October, Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies Co. announced it had been awarded the contract by NWC.
In a Tadawul statement, the company said the financial impact of the deal began in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The share price of Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies Co. declined 0.49 percent to SR120.70.
