German govt decision on Air Berlin support to take weeks, months

The German Economy Ministry Monday said it would take time for the federal govt and two state govts to evaluate Air Berlin's request for state loan guarantees. "The process is underway. Now the formal paperwork must be submitted," a spokeswoman said. "The review will take several weeks and months. It depends on how quickly the documents are submitted, and how comprehensive they are." The German federal govt stepped in Friday, a day after Air Berlin said it had asked the states of Berlin and North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW) to consider loan guarantees. It said any support would be contingent on a sustainable business model for the struggling airline. <br/>