Airberlin has asked the governments of Berlin and North-Rhine Westphalia for a guarantee application. ATW understands this is an initial requirement to ask the state governments to guarantee its debts. The carrier must present a viable concept for the future of the company.
“We placed a pre-requirement to these governments to prove a [possible] application [for state-aid],” an airberlin spokesman in Berlin told ATW. “This is now placed with the governments. We have done this from a fundamental consideration point of view regarding the further development of the new airberlin. This pre-requirement is part of a predictive operation management,” he said.  
He added the move should be an important sign to airberlin’s 7,500 employees and its passengers that the German carrier is safeguarding operations.