Investors wishing to take over some or all of Air Belgium's activities have until Friday 15 November to make their bids, the Belgian airline announced on Wednesday.
The aim is to "guarantee solid and irrevocable bids," added the airline, which is in the process of transferring its activities.
The deadline for interested investors to submit takeover bids was extended several times in recent weeks since the end, in mid-September, of the judicial reorganisation procedure (PRJ) in which Air Belgium found itself.
At the same time, the company had asked to launch a procedure to transfer its activities to interested investors, a procedure that has a maximum duration of four months.
The extension to 15 November - which took place at the request of the candidates, according to the Brabant carrier - "is intended to guarantee solid, irrevocable offers and reflects the serious interest of potential buyers in view of the complexity of the airline sector."
Several investors have expressed an interest in taking over part of the business.
Mr. Bernard Vanham, the practitioner appointed by the Nivelles Company Court to manage the liquidation of Air Belgium, has been tasked with collating the bids presented and submitting a report. A hearing is scheduled for 5 December to validate his report.
In September 2023, Air Belgium announced the end of its own passenger flights - to South Africa and Mauritius -, which were "chronically unprofitable." This left around 11,000 passengers out in the cold, hoping to be reimbursed for the tickets they purchased.
Since then, the carrier, which employs between 400 and 500 people, has continued to develop its ACMI (Aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance) activities, i.e. chartering aircraft for other airlines, whether for freight or passengers.
It also ran charter flights for specific customers, to carry passengers or cargo. However, it now seems that only the cargo business is continuing.
