Air Berlin unit Niki denies has unpaid bills to tour operator

Austrian airline Niki said Wednesday it had paid all bills owed to a tour operator and it therefore expected to avert bankruptcy proceedings which have hit parent Air Berlin. Law firm Kosch & Partner said earlier it had applied for insolvency proceedings against Niki on behalf of an Austrian tour operator which said it was owed money by Niki. The law firm declined to identify the tour operator. “We have reviewed the relevant post, and the claim has been settled,” Niki said. “We thus assume that the proceedings can be closed.” The Korneuburg regional court said it was examining the case. A company just paying a bill is not necessarily enough to convince a judge of its financial health, said Anton Klikovitz, an insolvency expert at creditor protection association Kreditschutzverband 1870. “The court has to examine the overall financial situation,” Klikovitz said. “The examination’s purpose is to find out whether there is a bankruptcy situation or not.” <br/>