The future of Air Méditerranée (Lourdes/Tarbes) hangs in the balance after a Commercial Court in Tarbes, France postponed its final decision on the airline's prospects from January 18 to February 15.
France's Tourmag magazine reports the deferral was made after the only candidate to submit a proposal, failed to pay the mandatory deposit of EUR2.3 million (USD2.52 million) by February 1.
To secure approval, the candidate, which is composed of ex-AOM French Airlines (Paris Orly) management, will also have to reach a settlement with AerCap. The Dutch lessor owns the French leisure operator's fleet of A321-100/-200s and is a major creditor.
France's civil aviation authority (Direction Générale de L'aviation Civile - DGAC) is also closely monitoring the situation having renewed Air Méditerranée's operators licence through to February 15. In the event the court rejects the takeover offer, the DGAC will revoke the carrier's licence thereby forcing it to cease all operations.
Air Méditerranée has debts amounting to roughly EUR60 million (USD65.3 million) and has been in receivership since January 2015.
