According to information provided by the court-appointed administrator, fourteen takeover bids were submitted on Monday. 9 September at noon in the file Aigle Azur. And as the new Secretary of State for Transport mentioned in an interview with Le Parisien this morning, Air France, Easyjet, Vueling, Lionel Guérin and the Dubreuil group have all shown an interest.
More specifically, the most important proposals include:
Air France-KLM
The group confirmed its interest on Monday. It would appear that Air France-KLM could inject 15 million euros and take over up to 70% of Aigle Azur's French employees, i.e. around 800 jobs. In particular, Air France would like to take over Aigle Azur's 12 to 14 daily slots at Orly; the Algeria network and flights on Beirutwhich could also be partly entrusted to Transavia Finally, the integration of Aigle Azur pilots, as Air France is facing a shortage of flight crews. On the other handAigle Azur's long-haul business would not interest Air France, which could therefore sell the traffic rights to a competitor.
The Dubreuil Group
In fact, one of the takeover bids concerning only long-haul routes came from the group Dubreuil. Owner ofAir Caraïbesthe group would like to take over " certain routes on the long-haul network and two A330-200 PW "according to an internal letter. According to specialists, Dubreuil is interested in connections to the Mali and the Brazil. The group is also investing 15 million euros and would keep only 106 Aigle Azur employees.
Gérard Houa
According to L'Express, Aigle Azur's shareholder, Gérard Houa is also said to be in the running. Currently a minority shareholder (20%) in Aigle Azur and proclaimed CEO of the company during the shareholder takeover a fortnight ago, the businessman has indicated that he wants to invest 23 million euros and preserve 87% of the current 1,150 jobs. The Group would be selling its two long-haul A330s.
Lionel Guérin and Philippe Micouleau
The former bosses of HOP!, Lionel Guérin and Philippe Micouleauhave guaranteed that they will preserve all jobs but would separate from the network long-haul. The tandem would benefit from the support of the pilots' union SNPL of Aigle Azur. On France Info, SNPL president Martin Surzur explained that the two Air France veterans are " the only buyers whose ambition is to maintain the integrity of Aigle Azur in the first instance, and then to develop it in the second phase ". According to him, Air France could become a minority shareholder.
Azul, Vueling, easyJet
According to France Info, Brazilian airline Azul also submitted a partial takeover bid on Monday. It was a partner of Aigle Azur, notably in the operation of the Paris- Paris route.Sao Paulo. Low-cost carriers Vueling and Easyjet have expressed an interest, but these are only declarations of intent. In mid-August, the Spanish low-cost carrier Vueling signed an agreement to take over the slots and network to Portugal. Easyjet has also expressed an interest in the takeover.
However, Air France has every chance of being the favourite in the race to take over Aigle Azur. Also speaking to France Info, Raphaël Caccia, General Secretary of the CFDT air transport union, believes that a partial takeover bid by Air France for short- and medium-haul flights, especially to Algeria, is a "...very real possibility". almost certain ". This would confirm the probable allocation of the long-haul slots to Air Caraïbes.
