Brexit twist in Air Berlin creditors' claims

UK's Virgin Atlantic retires last A330-200

Virgin Atlantic (VS, London Heathrow) has announced it retired its last A330-200, G-VLNM (msn 322), on May 12, 2022, as part of its transition to a new-generation fleet of A330-900s, B787-9s, and A350-1000s.

The British carrier operated four A330-200s, inducted in 2018, the ch-aviation fleets history module shows. All four were retired from scheduled revenue operations in March 2020, when the first global wave of the COVID-19 pandemic grounded the airline. They then continued to operate ferry and test flights around the United Kingdom only to eventually be put into storage or part-out. G-VMNK (msn 403) was ferried to Düsseldorf on August 19, 2020, G-VMIK (msn 432) to Knock on September 17, 2021, G-VWND (msn 476) also to Knock on February 14, 2022, and G-VLNM was the last to leave the fleet when it was ferried to Lourdes/Tarbes on May 12, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows.

The aircraft were added by Virgin Atlantic as second-hand units following the collapse of Air Berlin (AB, Berlin Tegel) and...

CargoLogic Germany enters insolvency proceedings

CargoLogic Germany (GCL, Leipzig/Halle) applied for insolvency restructuring on May 10, nearly two months after it was banned from operating in German airspace due to its alleged links to Russian Volga-Dnepr Group.

The District Court of Leipzig has appointed Lucas Flöther as the provisional administrator. He has ample experience with distressed airlines, having overseen the insolvencies of Air Berlin, Niki (Austria), Condor, and SundAir.

"We are checking whether it is possible to resume flight operations as quickly as possible, taking into account the sanctions. German insolvency law offers suitable options here," Flöther said in a statement to the German media.

A restart would most likely require new investors, as CargoLogic Germany's current ownership is the reason for its insolvency. The German civil aviation authority (Luftfahrt Bundesamt - LBA) banned the carrier from operating in the country's airspace on March 11, 2022, under the framework of sanctions targeting the Russian aviation industry. The decision effectively grounded the airline, which lost all revenue while still facing leases and staff costs...

Etihad Airways wins UK court battle against Air Berlin

Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi Int'l) has won a legal battle in the United Kingdom in which Air Berlin's insolvency administrator was claiming EUR500 million euros (USD543 million) in damages against its debt-laden former UAE shareholder.

In a decision on February 15, 2022, the UK Supreme Court refused permission to appeal to Air Berlin insolvency administrator Lucas Flöther, saying his application did not raise an arguable point of law.

Consequently, Flöther was no longer demanding compensation from Etihad, reported German newspaper Berliner Morgenpost, quoting an announcement made by his spokesperson on April 11. Flöther did not see sufficient prospects of success for his lawsuit in the UK, the report said.

Flöther first sought recourse in German courts, but the Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof – BGH) in May 2012 also dismissed his appeal.

Etihad Airways in January 2019 had brought its own action before the High Court of Justice in London, seeking relief from the administrator's claims for damages.

The UAE carrier had acquired 29.1% shareholding in Air Berlin...

Air Seychelles in tentative deal with creditors, bondholders