German investor Hans Rudolf Woehrl has offered 500 million euros for the struggling carrier Air Berlin, with his company Intro announcing that they would pay a tenth of the amount immediately, and the remainder later, “depending on the results.”
“We are working intensively to realize this offer, not only with the help of experts but also with suggestions and advice from employees, passengers, and business partners of Air Berlin,” Woehrl stated on Sunday via Facebook. The public became acquainted with him in 2003 when he purchased the airline Deutsche BA from British Airways for a symbolic one euro and later sold it to Air Berlin.
His company Intro on Sunday offered an immediate payment of 50 million euros for the acquisition of the struggling company, while, as stated, the remaining 450 million would be paid later, “depending on the results.” Intro wants the entire Air Berlin, not just individual parts of it, Woehrl emphasized, inviting other potential buyers, such as Lufthansa, Condor, TUI, Germania, and former Formula 1 driver Niki Lauda, to join his offer. He added, however, that his company could, if necessary, also purchase the complete assets of Air Berlin, including 140 leased aircraft and landing and take-off permits at German airports.
