DUTCH planemaker Fokker yesterday dampened hopes of an imminent rescue as fellow Dutch group Stork NV indicated that it might Purchase parts of the ailing group if efforts to save it in one piece failed.
Fokker said it did not expect Canada's Bombardier or South Korean giant Samsung Aerospace to decide whether to buy the loss making firm before tomorrow.
Bombardier owns Shorts in Belfast where 1,500 workers have been put on protective notice. It supplies wingsets for Fokker 70 and 100 planes. Sales to Fokker account for around 17 per cent of total Shorts' sales.
Fokker has been searching for a buyer since German parent Daimler Benz AG cut financial support on January 22nd.
Some 30 companies have shown an interest in Fokker, but most only want parts of its business. This group includes Stork, said Fokker spokesman Mr Leo Steijn. Bombardier and Samsung are thought to be the keenest to buy Fokker as a total unit.
"Some 25 of the 30 are looking at parts of Fokker, and Stork is one of them. Our priority is to find a buyer for the whole group. If that cannot be realised, and a stand alone solution fails, we will consider breaking up the group", he said.
Fokker sought court protection from its creditors last month after Daimler said it could not stand any more Fokker losses.
The Dutch government stepped in with a 255 million guilder credit to keep it airborne. The company said last Wednesday that this money would last for a couple more weeks. But it also said it was lining up domestic financiers and industry partners to fund the relaunch of a slimmed down Fokker, which would be able to function independently if no one emerged to buy the whole group.
Dutch analysts have interpreted this as a warning that Fokker was braced for the worst. Samsung is thought to be increasingly unwilling to absorb Fokker's loss making operations.
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