Lufthansa and Easyjet are among the carriers who have placed bids for parts of troubled Air Berlin as it looks for investors.
Air Berlin filed for bankruptcy in August following withdrawal of investment from Etihad. The German government loaned the company money to keep its planes flying while it looked for potential buyers.
Today’s deadline saw rival Lufthansa place a bid for part of the carrier, although it declined to provide further details. Reuters reports a source has said the airline offered to buy up to 90 planes, including the crewed aircraft it already leases.
Meanwhile, media reports say Easyjet has bid for up to 40 planes and Condor, part of the Thomas Cook group, would place a joint bid with former Formula One world champion Niki Lauda to buy back Niki along with 17 other aircraft.
The final decision on buyers has been delayed until September 25, with a German federal election taking place on the 24th.
German union Verdi has criticised the delay, saying in a statement that postponing the decision “is above all at the expense of the employees, who want a decision on their jobs and future”.
A number of other investors expressed interest in parts of Air Berlin, including logistics firm Zeitfracht, aviation investor Hans Rudolf Woehrl and Chinese Linkglobal Logistics.