Another regional airline nears collapse as Bosnia-Herzegovina's BH Airlines has been grounded and faces possible bankruptcy over an outstanding bank debt, Enver Bijedic, the minister for transport and communications for Bosnia's autonomous Federation told Reuters

The Sarajevo-based carrier is solely owned by the Bosnian Federation after Turkish Airlines pulled out of a joint venture in June last year and handed its 49% stake over to the government.

Bijedic told Reuters that flights had been halted due to claims of some 7 million Bosnian marka ($4.6 million) by the Bosnian arm of Austria's Hypo Alpe Adria Bank. Last month the bank froze the airline's accounts over an unpaid 5.5 million marka leasing loan for two ATR 72 aircraft and a 1.5 million marka rehabilitation loan. Bijedic said BH Airlines had deposited collateral of roughly the same amount with the bank.

Source: bne