French airline Aigle Azur to cease activities after court rejects rescue bids

French budget airline Aigle Azur will cease all activities on Friday at midnight after a commercial court rejected financial rescue offers, the French government said in a statement. Privately held Aigle Azur was put under bankruptcy protection on Sept. 2 and halted operations days later, leaving 19,000 passengers stranded. French junior transport minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said in a statement that the government will help Aigle Azur’s 1,150 staff find new jobs as quickly as possible.<br/>