Air Méditerranée goes into liquidation

French low-cost carrier (LCC) Air Méditerranée has gone into liquidation, after no new buyers materialized to save it.
The airline, based at Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport in southwest France, was placed in administration in January 2015 after several years of financial losses, in the hope that a purchaser would emerge.
Tarbes Commercial Court set a deadline of Feb. 15 for potential buyers to lodge bids, but none appeared. It is understood there were two possible buyers, a French investment company and an Algerian businessman, but neither came forward with an offer.
A short message on the airline’s website said the carrier had been placed in liquidation and that that refunds to passengers for future flights would be made as soon as possible. “Thank you for your trust,” it concluded.
According to French media reports, the president of the Commercial Court, Jean Baseilhac, said everything possible had been done to extend the deadline for bids and that it was “very unfortunate” that none had been received.
Air Méditeranée began operations in 1997 and operated a small fleet of Airbus A321s and Boeing 737-500s on charter and scheduled routes from Paris Charles De Gaulle and several southern French airports to Mediterranean and West African destinations.
According to the French media, it had suffered both from the growth of LCCs and the Arab Spring unrest, which reduced tourist flows to several of its North African destinations.
A Greek-registered subsidiary carrier, Hermes Airlines, is reportedly unaffected by the failure of the parent company.
ATW – Air Transport World