Sabena keeps on flying for the time being

Belgium's state airline Sabena says it has enough cash to keep it flying for the moment.

The Belgian Government is considering Sabena's request for a bridging loan to make up for a loss of financial support from Swissair.

The Swiss airline, which owns a 49.5% stake in Sabena, grounded its fleet yesterday after running out of money to pay for fuel and other supplies.

Sabena chairman Fred Chaffart says that, for the immediate future, "the financial means are there to guarantee normal activities".

Swissair, which is struggling to avert bankruptcy, has said it will not be able to make a promised payment of £85m this week to Sabena.

The Belgian Government is taking Swissair to court to try to force it to make the payment.

Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt's cabinet has started discussing Sabena's request for a bridging loan, knowing it will be extremely tough to get approval from the European Union.

Over the decades, Sabena has been shored up by government subsidies several times but EU competition rules tightly restrict government bail-outs.