The only reason an airline would need a bailout is if they have acquired significant debt that they are unable to service. If the airline is being 'bailed out'

The only reason an airline would need a bailout is if they have acquired significant debt that they are unable to service. If the airline is being 'bailed out' what's really happening is the airline's creditors are being bailed out. The banks can afford to take a haircut on their debt and they can renegotiate terms. Of course, many of the creditors might be unsecured bond holders, which, I'm unsure of how the scam works in Germany, but in the US that effectively is some crappy fund you own in your 401k. So the banks smartly package and sell debt to idiots (common people with a pension/retirement account). The government has to keep the worthless bond market afloat because everyone's invested in the scam. That helps keep interest rates low so the mega corporations can get free money from bonds that bear interest well below market rates.