Air Berlin to set up an airline in Turkey

Air Berlin is determined to start a new phase and plans to launch a project in Turkey. According to the magazine FVW, the German company plans to create a new company in the country in cooperation with its main shareholder, Ali Sabanci, head of Pegasus Airlines Turkey, which has a 16.5% stake in German airline.

The plan is that the new company will begin operations in November with two aircraft. The fleet could be expanded in the summer of 2012. Air Pegasus facilities, a national company based in Izmir, could be used as the basis for Air Berlin. The new company would benefit from lower operating costs over the competition.

Regarding the succession as CEO Joachim Hunold-a post which has been occupied on an interim basis by Hartmut Mehdorn, this weekend have played in German newspapers the names of several candidates to replace him. Two of them are the head of Condor, Ralf Teckentrup and former chief marketing officer for Lufthansa, Thierry Antinori. Meanwhile, Mehdorn is obliged to submit immediately a new coherent strategy after the losses have led to the resignation of Hunold.

The restructuring of the company happens to have eight aircraft out of service this winter. The airports most affected will be those of Düsseldorf, Cologne, Bonn, Hannover and Karlsruhe.