Thai Airways International (THAI) said today the country's Central Bankruptcy Court had accepted the company's rehabilitation petition. In a regulatory filing to the Stock Exchange of Thailand, THAI said a planning committee of six people and EY Corporate Advisory Services would prepare a business reorganisation plan and present it to the court in the fourth quarter of calendar 2020. "Subsequently, the official receiver will call a creditors' meeting to consider the company's business reorganisation plan around early 2021 and the court will issue an order approving the plan and appoint the plan administrator within the first quarter of 2021," THAI said. Read More »
Cathay Pacific Group chief customer and commercial officer, Ronald Lam, said today about 40% of the group’s fleet would be moved to storage at locations outside Hong Kong as there were no solid signs of an immediate improvement in passenger demand. In a filing to the local stock exchange, Cathay said it had revised downwards passenger capacity to approximately 10% of pre-COVID-19 levels for this month and in October.
The airline group's monthly operating statistics, reported today, showed Cathay Pacific and regional subsidiary, Cathay Dragon, carried 35,773 passengers in August, down 98.8% from a year earlier and 17% lower than the 42,984 the carrier transported in July. Capacity declined 92.2% from 12 months ago, a bigger drop than the 92.9% fall off in passengers in July. August load factor was 9.9% compared with 79.9% in August 2019 and 23.4% in July. “Passenger demand continued to be very weak as new waves of COVID-19 in our key markets dampened overall travel sentiment," Lam said.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) said today it was permanently dropping its service to Canberra and Wellington due to COVID-19. The Singapore-Sydney-Canberra-Singapore and Singapore-Melbourne-Wellington routes currently are suspended and will not return when travel restrictions are eased, SIA said in a statement. SIA regional vice president for the South West Pacific, Philip Goh, said it was a difficult decision. Last week, the airline announced it would reduce staff numbers by 4,300 across its global operations.
Air New Zealand (AirNZ) has removed a cap on domestic passenger numbers that will free up more seats for sale. The airline said physical distancing requirements for flights were no longer necessary in line with an easing of restrictions across the country, reintroduced in August after a spike in COVID-19 cases. To mark the occasion, the carrier is selling 160,000 seats at NZ$50 (US$33) or less.
Vietnam Airlines said last Friday it would resume one-way flights to Japan from September 18 "to serve the increasing needs of passengers wishing to work, study and stay in Japan". Four flights – all operated by 787s – have been scheduled in September: three from Hanoi to Tokyo Narita (September 18, 25 and 30) and one from Ho Chi Minh to Tokyo Narita (September 30). The SkyTeam alliance member is "building a plan" to resume flights to Cambodia, China, Laos, South Korea and Taiwan in the near future, it said.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said over the weekend it had completed flight tests for the grounded 737 MAX. They were operated out of Vancouver due to travel restrictions in place from the coronavirus virus. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transport Canada also have conducted re-certifying test fights for the 737 MAX. "As the next step in its evaluation of the aircraft for return to service, EASA is analysing the data and other information gathered during the flights in preparation for the Joint Operations Evaluation Board (JOEB). The JOEB is scheduled to start next week in London, Gatwick. EASA has been working steadily, in close cooperation with the FAA and Boeing, to return the type to service as soon as possible, but only once we are convinced it is safe,” EASA said in a statement.
