AAP
MELBOURNE, Feb 22 AAP|Published: Friday February 22, 6:08 PM
. .Ansett's legal team will be working non-stop this weekend to finalise lease transferrals and documents vital to the airline's sale deal due before the Federal Court on Monday.
The court application to approve the terms of sale and to confirm all conditions had been met has been deferred twice already as the pile of documents relating to airports, aircraft and information technology leases awaited the attention of 120 lawyers assigned to the team.
"We think we will get there," Ansett solicitor Leon Zwier said late this afternoon as the outstanding leases waited for final documentation before being signed off.
There was room for one more adjournment, but Tuesday was the absolute limit if everything was to be in place for a February 28 sale, Mr Zwier said.
The number of untied ends was questioned by unions this week as administrators sought the first adjournment at the Federal Court in Melbourne.
"(Ansett barrister Simon) Whelan has expressed himself very cryptically. We don't understand why the matter couldn't proceed today (and) we don't understand why it can't proceed on Friday," ACTU advocate Jonathon Beach told Federal Court judge Justice Susan Kenny on Tuesday.
The court was told Ansett's administrators had placed the original sale agreement in a "sealed envelope" as they negotiated a "more definitive agreement" with lawyers representing the Tesna syndicate headed by Solomon Lew and Lindsay Fox.
Airport representatives said all negotiations relating to airport lease transferrals appeared to be heading to a timely conclusion as documents requested by airport management back in December were finally released by Tesna.
Leases for Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth airports are expected to be transferred in time for the sale but only the Sydney airport lease was vital to the sale contract, according to administrator Mark Mentha.
An agreement in principle for this vital lease was reached with the Sydney Airports Corporation Limited (SACL) a week ago today.
SACL officials said at the time the document would be signed off early this week.
This evening it appeared to be still "a work in progress".
Administrators Mr Mentha and Mark Korda have blamed third parties for the delay to the sale process. But parties waiting for lease transferrals all claim their requests to get negotiations started early were ignored.
"It's a much bigger job than they expected," SACL representative Peter Gibbs said.
Despite the last-minute deals and documents still to be completed, all parties believe the February 28 sale deadline will be met and Ansett planes will hit the skies next Friday as part of the new Tesna operation.
By Jane Williams
. .AAP