Air Littoral, one of the three French regional airlines sold by SAirlines this summer, has filed a lawsuit in Switzerland to recover funds owed to it by the bankrupt Swiss group. Meanwhile, the French airline continues its own restructuring process and seeks to increase capital to offset an estimated 10- to 15-percent loss in traffic by the end of this year.
The French regional airline claims SAir owes it FFr850 million ($116.4 million) under a June 30 agreement in which the troubled owner of Swissair divested itself of Air Littoral, AOM and Air Liberté. Air Littoral claims it is entitled to a similar sum for various other items, including a charter commitment for two ATR 42s. Air Littoral president Marc Rochet, who headed the consortium that bought the airline, said he also seeks help from the French government to overcome the “indirect consequences” caused by Swissair’s nonpayment and the direct consequences of September 11.
