ARC NEWS
Avianca wins court approval to lease eight A320s from GECAS
March 23, 2021
Avianca has been given court approval to enter into leases with GECAS for eight Airbus A320s, including two amended leases that will now be on a per-hour basis. The airline's parent company Avianca Holdings is currently the subject of US Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and a court order authorising the aircraft leases was filed on 17 March. This covers new lease agreements for six A320neos and amended leases for two A320ceos for the Colombian flag carrier. The amended leases are on a per-hour basis, rather than the fixed monthly rates, for the six A320neos, according to a motion filed by the Avianca debtors requesting authorisation of the leases. Per-hour pricing for MSNs 4487 and 4599 extends beyond the Chapter 11 cases and "ensures that those leases will not burden the debtors with fixed rents in the event of a low-demand period". Regarding the new leases for the six A320neos with CFM Leap engines, the debtors state that the rental payments are on "terms that are suitable for uncertain near-term market conditions, both during and immediately after the Chapter 11 cases". With a nod to how the Covid-19 pandemic has decimated air travel demand worldwide, the filing states: "The debtors were able to obtain these favourable lease terms, in part, due to the historically low level of demand for aircraft in the current market." It further states: "These aircraft transactions represent a major step forward in the debtors' plans to redevelop a fleet and capital structure that will meet their short-term and long-term needs." Exact terms of the leases are being kept confidential.


Aeroflot sees 61% decline in passengers carried during February
March 23, 2021
Russian flag carrier Aeroflot Airlines saw a 61% year-on-year decline in passengers carried during February, contributing to a 42% decline in passengers for parent Aeroflot Group. Subsidiaries Pobeda Airlines and Rossiya Airlines had an increase in passengers of 3% and a decline of 21%, respectively. The group’s capacity, as measured in available seat-kilometres, was reduced by 58%, whereas revenue passenger kilometres declined 55%. The passenger load factor for the group increased year-on-year by 5.3 percentage points to 80%, Aeroflot notes.


China Airlines' last 747 flies into the sunset
March 22, 2021
China Airlines has phased out the Boeing 747-400 passenger aircraft in its fleet.

The last flight departed on 20 March from Taipei Taoyuan, taking a tour around Mt Fuji in Japan before returning, the Taiwanese carrier says. The aircraft, with registration B-18215, was delivered to the airline in April 2005 and assigned to flight CI-2747, which pays homage to the "Queen of the Skies". China Airlines introduced the first 747-400 in Asia and the fleet has connected Taiwan with North America, Europe and Australia for the past 30 years.


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