Sudden strike by Air Berlin pilots. At least 70 flights of the second largest German airline after Lufthansa were canceled on the morning of Tuesday 12 September in protest against Etihad. The Abu Dhabi giant, Air Berlin's largest shareholder, withdrew financial support from the low-cost carrier, throwing it into crisis. According to Bild, the negotiations for the transfer of approximately 1.200 Air Berlin employees to the possible buyer would have stalled. Hence the protest.
The inconvenience has already affected 70 passengers, even if the final balance will only be possible at the end of the day. Several important internal connections have been missed, such as those to and from Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg as well as Munich, Palma de Mallorca, Zurich, Stockholm and Vienna.
To keep planes flying and ensure the return of German travelers on holiday, the German government guaranteed a 15 million bridging loan on 150 August. At the beginning of September, the operation received the OK from the EU Antitrust. But the CEO of Ryanair, Michael O'Leary, has denounced an alleged agreement between Lufthansa and the German government for the sale of Air Berlin.
According to what the CEO of Air Berlin said in an interview with Bild am Sonntag, there would be "over 10" subjects interested in the purchase, "including many airlines".
