BERLIN, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Contrary to earlier media speculation, the creditors of Germany's second largest carrier Air Berlin have stalled in their decision to partition the insolvent company for sale on Wednesday.
People with knowledge of the matter said that a more detailed offer made by Lufthansa to purchase parts of Air Berlin was not yet accepted.
The committee of creditors also ruled out an immediate partial sale of Air Berlin's subsidiary Austrian Airline Niki during a meeting in Berlin.
Unlike its mother corporation, Niki is not insolvent and is considered to be one of Air Berlin's most prized assets due to its low costs and modern fleet.
Lufthansa, which already leases 38 of Air Berlin's 140 planes, said earlier that it was in advanced talks to buy parts of Air Berlin.
Carriers such as Easyjet, Condor and Tuifly have also expressed interest in an acquisition of at least part of Air Berlin's business.
German entrepreneur Hans Rudolf Woerhl also announced his intention to purchase Air Berlin as a whole. However, Woerhl later claimed that his proposal to buy Air Berlin was rejected by the German government, which does not believe that Air Berlin can survive as a corporate entity. The Nuernberg-based businessman has accused officials of a lack of transparency in insolvency procedures which allegedly benefits Lufthansa.
Irish budget airline Ryanair has voiced similar concerns, describing Air Berlin's anticipated sale to Lufthansa as a conspiracy in which the German government is complicit.
Berlin has granted the insolvent carrier an emergency loan of 150 million euros (176 million U.S. dollars) to ensure its continued operation for three months.
German politicians were creating a "monster" rather than a national champion with their state aid, Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary warned in the newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" on Wednesday. Nevertheless, he added that Ryanair would still consider bidding for Air Berlin in a fairly organized tender.
Any final merger to result from Air Berlin's collapse is subject to approval from European competition authorities.
Joining the debate over the insolvent airline's fate on Wednesday, German trade union Verdi urged Air Berlin's creditors not to negate the interests of the firm's more than 8,000 employees.
The urgent priority now is to save jobs, Verdi director Christine Behle said in a statement. Enditem
A single purchase
