Whereas the company, in bankruptcy, halved the frequency of its Nice-Paris shuttle, the British low cost company is highly interested to take up the slots in Orly.
The first measure which followed the bankruptcy of Air Liberté-AOM on Friday (see article "Air Liberté-AOM declared bankruptcy") was not part of the priorities : a noticeable decrease of flights on the Nice-Paris Orly. Thus, since today, the number of daily flights was halved, from 24 to 12. The “shuttle” frequency halved. The aim? Obviously to stay as long as possible, as declared Pierre Tonna, a official of Air Liberté on the international airport of Nice Côte d'Azur.
A third of the 225,000 slots of Orly
According to Alain Blanc Brude, representative of Taitbout Antibes BV at the supervision council of AOM-Air Liberté, the two companies have enough to survive, without external funds, until July 10th.” After, they will have to find rescuers or it will be the end, with the liquidation. The bankruptcy had however an advantage: to make the potential rescuers appear.
Indeed, Air-Liberté-AOM don’t lack of assets. If their planes are nearly all rented, however, they own a third of the 225,000 slots on the platform of Orly. A real treasure. EasyJet, which is one of the potential rescuers together with Nouvelles Frontières, is interested in these slots. The British low cost company has then announced on Friday its interest to take up some of the assets of Air Liberté-AOM. This interest made the security of Swissair to recover of 3.85% at Zurich Stock Exchange, security which was in trouble for more than a month.
EasyJet for Paris-Nice ?
The company, managed by Stelios Haji-Ioannou, didn’t hide its wish to set up in Orly and to strongly establish with about a hundred daily flights in France and in Europe. EasyJet is already strongly established in Nice (Nice-London, Nice-Geneva, Nice-Amsterdam, etc). In its plans on the short or long term, it aims to open a Paris-Nice shuttle. The sales in parts of Air-Liberté-AOM should allow them to own the precious slots of Orly quite soon (the most difficult to find) and to establish on the Nice-Paris shuttle, the first European airline in terms of passengers (more than 1.2 million passengers for AOM-Air Liberté). It is a project to follow.
Concerning the Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce, administrator of the airport, it reasserted its opinion in a press release published on the website of the airport. It is then noted that the bankruptcy doesn’t put into challenge the opinions expressed many times. That is to say:
-1. In case of a partial or total reduction of activities of Air-Liberté/AOM for Paris-Province flights (included Paris-Nice), measures have to be taken so that the slots available at the Airports of Orly and Roissy, remain reserved for the only Paris-Province flights.
-2. It is recommended that a real competition is maintained on the important destinations between Paris and the Province.