Air Berlin
Germany · AIR BERLIN · Active
Airline Identity
History
Air Berlin was founded in 1978 as Air Berlin USA, a US-registered charter operator set up to fly into then-divided West Berlin, beginning Mediterranean holiday charter flights in 1979. After German reunification it restructured as a German company in the early 1990s and later shifted toward scheduled, semi-low-cost flying, expanding through acquisitions such as LTU (2007) and a stake in Austria's Niki. It joined the oneworld alliance in 2012 and became Germany's second-largest airline after Lufthansa, which itself later held a minority stake in the carrier.
Current Operations
Air Berlin no longer operates. Weighed down by years of heavy losses, it entered insolvency proceedings on 15 August 2017 after Etihad Airways, its largest shareholder, withdrew further financial support, and it flew its final flight (Munich–Berlin) on 27 October 2017. Much of its fleet, slots and staff were absorbed mainly by Lufthansa/Eurowings and easyJet; the Niki subsidiary was later folded into what became Laudamotion. The Air Berlin trademark was sold in 2023, with the buyer stating no plans to relaunch flight operations.
Last verified 2026-08-22· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.