A Commercial Court in Tarbes, France has ordered the liquidation of Air Méditerranée (Lourdes/Tarbes) after no suitable buyer for the locally-based airline was found. With debts amounting to roughly EUR60 million (USD65.3 million), the scheduled carrier has been in receivership since January 2015.
While two potential buyers had appeared in the form of Ali Haddad, an Algerian national who heads an Algerian construction conglomerate - ETRHB Haddad - and another consisting of ex-AOM French Airlines (Paris Orly) management, neither had committed to any deal as of the February 15 deadline. As such, during Monday's hearing, the judge ruled the airline to be liquidated with JP Abbadie appointed the court's overseer.
As previously reported, France's civil aviation authority (Direction Générale de L'aviation Civile - DGAC) has closely monitored events and reportedly only renewed Air Méditerranée's operators licence through to February 15.
Air Méditerranée operated five A321-200s and one B737-500 on scheduled passenger flights throughout France as well as to Greece, Spain, Lebanon, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Senegal. Some of its aircraft have already been ferried to Shannon and Lourdes/Tarbes for return to their respective lessors.
The carrier's Greek ACMI/charter subsidiary Hermes Airlines (Athens) continues to operate two A320-200s (one in service for Daallo Airlines (Djibouti)), two A321-100/-200s (one with Air Moldova (MLD, Chisinau International) and one with Daallo Airlines, grounded following the recent bombing), one B737-300, and one B737-500 (which was wet-leased to Air Méditerranée but which has now been flown to Lourdes/Tarbes).
