Abu Dhabi’s fast-growing Etihad Airways did not bid for Greece’s Olympic Airlines, despite the Greek government listing it among the bidders in the selloff, a company spokesman said on Friday.
“There’s no involvement from Etihad Airways in the bidding process for that airline,” Iain Burns, spokesman for Etihad Airways, said when asked about the Olympic sale.
In December, the Greek government said Etihad presented a non-binding bid for Olympic’s airline assets together with London-based PCP Capital Partners, one of seven groups interested.
A spokesperson for Greece’s Development Ministry, which is handling the privatisation, declined to comment on Friday.
Interested parties had until midnight GMT on Friday to submit their bids for Olympic’s assets, which have been divided into three companies grouping airline activities, maintenance and ground handling.
The results are expected to be announced next week, officials said.
The government will then select a preferred bidder and interested parties will be given time to lodge any objections.
The other non-binding bidders announced by the government in December were Athens Airways-SkyOne, Chrysler Aviation, Eurocorp JV, Kuwait’s Fouad Al Ghanim Group-Gainjet, Klesch & Co. and budget carrier Sky Europe.
Greece has tried for years to sell Olympic, which loses around 2 million euros a day.
The collapse of the privatisation would be a setback to Greece’s conservative government and could put it on a collision course with Brussels, which shelved proceedings over illegal state aid when the sale was announced.
Olympic Airlines carried 6.2 million passengers in 2007 to 36 cities and islands in Greece and to 37 destinations in Europe, Asia, North America and Africa.
Founded by the late shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, Olympic has declined after decades in state hands, amassing debts and losing market share to private Greek Aegean Airlines.
Its unions oppose the privatisation and have repeatedly grounded planes in protest.
“We won’t allow the collapse of the company,” said Kleanthis Tratras, of the Olympic Airways technicians union. “We will use all means to cancel the sale.” (Reuters)
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