Spanair files for voluntary bankruptcy

Spanish carrier Spanair filed for voluntary bankruptcy Monday, officials said, three days after abruptly stopping all flights and stranding tens of thousands of passengers.

The airline declared liabilities of more than 300 million euros ($393 million) in a filing to be heard by a Barcelona commercial court, the High Court of Catalonia said in a statement.

Spanair is expected to lodge a labour force adjustment plan affecting all or some of its 2,400 staff, a union official told AFP news agency. Companies must lodge such plans before laying off employees.

A total 4,000 jobs are estimated to depend on the airline when including contractors.

At least 37,000 passengers' flights had so far been affected by Spanair's decision to ground all operations late Friday, a Spanair spokesman said Monday.

It is the third Spanish airline to go under during the past five years after Air Madrid in 2006 and Air Comet in 2009.