BRUSSELS – Bankrupt Belgian charter airline Sobelair was effectively grounded on Friday after the aviation authorities refused to renew its flying licence.

The airline was declared bankrupt on 19 January but had been allowed to continue flying until its licence expired on Thursday evening.

The official receivers currently administering Sobelair said the suspension of the flight licence should not hinder their efforts to find a buyer for the bankrupt firm.

Receiver Jos de Smet explained that it was understandable that the licence had been suspended as finding a suitable buyer could take time and in the interim Sobelair could not be expected to operate flights.

The receivers are talking with a number of possible buyers but they insisted on Friday that they had not received a banke’rs guarantee of EUR 2 million form Hungarian operator Euralair.

On Tuesday a Belgian TV station reported that Euralair had made the payment.

[Copyright Expatica News 2004]

Subject: Belgian news