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The pilots of flight AB7001 from Miami with 223 passengers on
board made a low pass over the airport after aborting a landing
on Oct. 16, and videos of the move went viral on social media.
One of the pilots told a TV broadcaster he wanted to make a
farewell statement.
Pilots are trained in "go-around" procedures for aborted
landings, but the left turn over the airport performed by the
Air Berlin crew was unusual and so German aviation authorities
investigated the incident.
After examining radar data and voice recordings, the BAF federal
regulatory agency for air traffic control determined that the
pilots had asked for permission from the airport tower to carry
out the left turn in plenty of time.
"The BAF came to the conclusion that the relevant permissions
had been given and from the point of view of the air traffic
controllers, all the relevant safety conditions were met," the
federal regulatory agency said.
Air Berlin filed for insolvency in August after years of losses,
carrying out its final flights in October. Some of its
operations in Berlin have gone to easyJet <EZJ.L>, while
Lufthansa <LHAG.DE> is awaiting permission to take over its
regional unit LGW.
Administrators are seeking a new buyer for its Niki holiday
airline business after Lufthansa scrapped a deal following
competition concerns.
(Reporting by Victoria Bryan, editing by David Evans)
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