Airberlin Board stands firmly behind Hartmut Mehdorn

airberlin Chairman Dr. Hans-Joachim Körber today affirmed that airberlin\'s senior management enjoys the Board\'s full support: \"The entire Board stands firmly behind Hartmut Mehdorn and the airberlin management team.\" At the same time he confirmed that an executive search process is currently being conducted, but that this is due to the fact that Hartmut Mehdorn\'s contract will expire in 2013. airberlin is Germany’s second largest airline. The company has a workforce of 9,300 employees. Each year airberlin receives over 10 awards for service and quality. The fleet comprises 152 aircraft with an average age of five years, making it one of the most modern fleets in Europe. The airline\'s state-of-the-art jets are highly fuel-efficient, which contributes towards a long-term reduction in pollution emissions from aircraft. As one of the major European airlines, airberlin flies to 170 destinations in 40 countries. In 2011, over 35 million passengers were transported. In December 2011 airberlin entered into a strategic partnership with Etihad Airways. Since 20th March 2012 airberlin has been a full member of the global airline alliance oneworld®. airberlin operates codeshare flights with oneworld members American Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and Japan Airlines.