All Africa news – Page 34

  • SAA tails
    News

    Government puts R10bn aside for SAA in medium term

    2020-05-20T19:29:00Z

    South Africa’s government has provisionally set aside R3.8 billion ($212 million) for troubled flag-carrier South African Airways and another R164 million for SA Express in the current fiscal year. Department of public enterprises deputy director general Kgathatso Tlhakudi gave the figure during a 20 May presentation before the parliamentary portfolio ...

  • B737-8-comair-2-c-Boeing-640
    News

    Rescuers believe Comair has ‘reasonable’ chance of survival

    2020-05-19T19:33:00Z

    South African carrier Comair’s business rescue practitioners believe there is a reasonable chance of the Johannesburg-based airline’s being saved. The airline’s board opted to enter business rescue on 4 May. Practitioners Shaun Collyer and Richard Ferguson met with creditors and employees on 19 May to outline the carrier’s position. They ...

  • Citation ZS-CAR
    News

    South African CAA postpones replacing lost calibration jet

    2020-05-19T16:00:00Z

    South Africa’s civil aviation regulator has been forced to defer ICAO audits, and postpone replacement of its lost flight-calibration aircraft, as a consequence of the coronavirus outbreak. The Civil Aviation Authority told a parliamentary transport portfolio committee on 18 May that it had drawn up three scenarios for the development ...

  • saa
    News

    SAA rescuers given deadline to deliver business plan

    2020-05-18T08:20:00Z

    South African Airways’ rescue practitioners have been instructed to produce a formal business plan for airline within 25 days, after a parliamentary standing committee expressed dissatisfaction with a draft publication. The standing committee on public accounts is also seeking a full schedule of fees from the practitioners, their advisers, and ...

  • SAA tail
    News

    SAA practitioners spent R10bn during five-month rescue effort

    2020-05-15T20:30:00Z

    South African Airways’ business rescue practitioners spent R9.9 billion ($532 million) in the five months after they were called upon to try to save the loss-making airline. Testifying by video link to a parliamentary committee on 15 May, practitioner Siviwe Dongwana stated that the sum was used between 5 December ...

  • SAA tail
    News

    SAA defies shutdown as unions claim labour court victory

    2020-05-08T17:57:00Z

    South African Airways is to continue conducting services for the time being, defying the 8 May date for cessation of operations given by the airline’s business rescue practitioners Unions are claiming a Labour Court victory after they brought a case to halt a retrenchment process for the carrier’s personnel. SAA ...

  • SAA tails
    News

    SAA on brink as government scrambles to defer ‘drop dead’ date

    2020-05-07T14:38:00Z

    South Africa’s government is urgently trying to extend the period of operations for South African Airways after the carrier’s business rescue practitioners warned that 8 May would amount to a “drop dead” day when all flights would cease. The country’s public enterprises minister, Pravin Gordhan, outlined to a parliamentary committee ...

  • mango lead
    News

    Mango 737 ground-collision crew opted against safer taxi route

    2020-05-07T11:26:00Z

    South African investigators have stated that Johannesburg airport ground control should have instructed pilots of a Mango Boeing 737-800 to deviate from a taxiway, rather than give them the option, before the aircraft struck a taxiing Comair jet. But the inquiry into the incident, on 19 April last year, makes ...

  • C-130H Cameroon
    News

    Cameroon picks Marshall for C-130 maintenance

    2020-05-05T14:45:00Z

    The UK’s Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group has secured a five-year contract to maintain the Cameroon air force’s Lockheed Martin C-130H tactical transports.

  • B737-8-comair-1-c-Boeing-640
    News

    South Africa’s Comair files for business rescue

    2020-05-05T14:08:00Z

    South African carrier Comair has become the latest operator in the country to enter business rescue, as it aims to restructure to deal with the coronavirus crisis. Comair made a pre-tax loss of R645 million ($35 million) for the six months to 31 December. “While we had started making good ...

  • SAA A340 nose
    News

    Opposition heaps scorn on detail-light plan for SAA transformation

    2020-05-02T19:45:00Z

    South Africa’s political opposition is insisting the government detail an agreement with South African Airways unions setting out plans to establish a successor to the crumbling flag-carrier. In a response accusing the department of public enterprises of undermining SAA’s business rescue practitioners, the Democratic Alliance says it will seek a ...

  • Fastjet
    News

    Fastjet negotiates loan as liquidity squeeze continues

    2020-05-01T17:25:00Z

    African budget operator Fastjet Group has negotiated a $600,000 loan and is holding discussions to obtain creditor discounts to reduce its liabilities. The loan – initially for a six-month term – has been obtained from shareholder Solenta Aviation Holdings to provide working capital and liquidity while Fastjet’s operations are suspended ...

  • Kulula Boeing 737-800 (c) Bob Adams
    News

    ​Comair expects to remain grounded until at least October

    2020-04-30T13:39:00Z

    South Africa’s Comair is in “a very difficult financial position” due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions and does not anticipate being able to resume flights until October or November, the carrier has disclosed.

  • SAA A330
    Airline Business

    How would SAA collapse affect South Africa’s airline connectivity?

    2020-04-24T13:10:00Z

    If South African Airways fails to find a way through its current funding crisis, it could leave a big hole in its home country’s connectivity, depending on which routes are considered viable as coronavirus restrictions are lifted.

  • SAA tail
    News

    SAA left with no options but wind-down or liquidation: rescue practitioners

    2020-04-24T10:31:00Z

    South African Airways’ business rescue practitioners have warned that the exhaustion of funding to draw up a rescue plan for the flag-carrier has left them with two stark options for the airline. The practitioners state that they are facing the choice of attempting to secure a better return for SAA’s ...

  • Fastjet
    News

    Fastjet sells ERJ-145 to Solenta to offset maintenance debt

    2020-04-24T09:21:00Z

    African budget operator Fastjet Group has sold a dormant Embraer ERJ-145 to Solenta Aviation in a deal to reduce debts owed for maintenance work within Fastjet’s Zimbabwean division. The ERJ-145 had been used for Fastjet’s operations in Mozambique before the company suspended services in the country last year. Fastjet Group ...

  • Air Mauritius Airbus A330-900
    News

    Air Mauritius files for voluntary administration

    2020-04-22T13:23:00Z

    Struggling Air Mauritius has entered voluntary administration after the board resolved that with coronavirus grounding it would not be able to meet its financial obligations in the foreseeable future. 

  • South African Airways
    News

    South African government presses unions for concessions to rebuild SAA

    2020-04-22T13:11:00Z

    South Africa’s government is pressing unions to avert a collapse of South African Airways and ensure that the business rescue strategy results in the emergence of a more competitive carrier. It has asked unions to submit proposals on restructuring the carrier and, in particular, details on the future of jobs. ...

  • Nigerian Super Tucano
    News

    First Nigerian Super Tucano conducts maiden sortie

    2020-04-20T06:05:00Z

    The first A-29 Super Tucano due for delivery to the Nigerian air force has conducted its maiden flight from Jacksonville, Florida.

  • SAA A350
    Airline Business

    Coronavirus crisis threatens to push South African carriers over the edge

    2020-04-15T13:49:00Z

    While the coronavirus pandemic has had a wide-ranging impact across African carriers, the timing of the crisis has been particularly calamitous for South Africa’s struggling airline sector.