Airlines body eyes bankruptcy law review to reduce stranded passengers

After some high-profile airline insolvencies in Europe last year, an industry trade body said countries should review bankruptcy laws to reduce the number of stranded passengers, but rejected the idea of a rescue fund to repatriate customers. Monarch and Air Berlin both went bust last year, but the process was very different. Air Berlin was able to keep flying for just over 2 months thanks to a govt bridge loan while it sought buyers for its operations, but Monarch's right to fly was withdrawn immediately, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and staff abruptly out of work. IATA said there should be a "reasonable timeframe" within which airlines could continue operating after entering insolvency to allow more passengers to complete their journeys. <br/>