What's the ownership of the AB aircraft? Leased ? Any owned ?

After 39 years of operation without any loss of life or an aircraft Air Berlin will operate today its last flights. Tschüss & bye-bye!

Sad... flew with them as LTU and Air Berlin, Tristar, MD11, A330, always good friendly service both pointy end and cabin. Their First Comfort (Business) Class was great value for money. Many great flights from my 'continental years'.

Confirmed this evening to all EZYstaff, agreement to buy up to 25 Air Berlin aircraft. Reduced timetable to operate over winter 17/18 with full timetable up and running by start of summer 18 season.

Yesterday evening I chanced upon a 90 minute TV special on german regional channel RBB on the arrival of the final flight from MUC, AB6210 if I recall correctly, which actually landed one hour late, and subsequent programmes delays as a result. The arrival included a water arc from the fire service as the aircraft arrived on stand. Really quite touching. If may be available, if anyone is interested at rbb Mediathek: Der letzte Flug von Air Berlin | rbb Fernsehen

There does appear to have been a really close affinity between Berliners and the airline, due to their role in shipping package holiday passenger from West Berlin back in the dark days of partition.

Thanks for posting the link it was sad listening to the captain talking to the reporter at Tegal and the local TV station gave a fitting tschus to Air Berlin.

On YouTube there are some good videos uploaded of the final flights well worth watching and quite emotional

At least everyone involved had a dignified ending unlike the employees of Monarch.

You're welcome, wouldn't have know it was on RBB but for that I was idly channel hoping on my other satellite box finishing a drink before retiring to bed!

Agree with your comment about Monarch; although the German authorities are, probably rightly so, being slammed for the way in which they handled the sale of the business in such a way that LH benefited by getting what was in reality "first dibs" I do think the orderly shutdown of AB reflects well when set against the undignified end of Monarch, complete with the CAA's repatriation airline. It surely need not have ended like that, capitalism doesn't have to be that cruel as the Germans have demonstrated, and not just with the AB failure.

I did numerous trips STN/NUE with AB back in the early 2000s, their fares were very competitive, and their service top notch - which was probbaly part of their problem. Cheep fares generally equate is piss poor service, I suppose a bit the same as Monarch's issues.

Saw a A319 taxying out at BCN at about 18.30 yesterday (27th). That must have been one of the last flights.

some airberlin aircraft still fly the wet lease for Eurowings. They can't use the Airberlin registrated 33 A320/319 in Eurowings livery since they are bought from lufthansa and leased back. If they are used after the last flight 27.10 with airberlin staff on it it would induce the german "Betriebsübergang" which would in fact mean that Carsten Spohr has to continue running the airberlin Staff with their old contracts.

Niki in trouble
 

The EU has said no to Lufthansa buying Niki due to monopoly concerns on travel to/from airports in German speaking areas. Lufthansa will no longer fund niki and niki are now considering an application for bankruptcy / insolvency to the courts

Niki will cease flight operation on December 14 2017

Looks like Niki Lauda is interested in buying back the airline, but has said it would need a fresh start on the basis of insolvency proceeding.

If Niki did go under, wouldn't that mean administrators would end up begging LH to take over anyway, and likely for a lower price?

no LH could not buy it because the EU would not let them. someone might buy it but for an existing airline it might be cheaper and less complex to occupy the space through expansion. that's what I suspect will happen in the UK and Germany next summer.

EZY could have saved setting up their own AOC in hindsight and with Niki's links to TUI, I'm sure the new EZY CEO will know who to speak to!

Austrian Government now considering "bridging loan" for Niki.