Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) intends to close its $500 million purchase of Bombardier’s CRJ aircraft programme on 1 June. The Japanese industrial company, parent of Mitsubishi Aircraft, confirms the pending closing date, quelling speculation that the deal might fall through amid the coronavirus pandemic. The companies “agreed that all closing conditions have been met and the transaction… will close on June 1, 2020,” says MHI. The deal calls for MHI to buy the CRJ’s maintenance, support, refurbishment, marketing and sales activities, including support and service assets in Mirabel, Toronto, Bridgeport (West Virginia) and Tucson (Arizona). MHI is not acquiring CRJ production, which the companies have said will conclude when Bombardier produces all remaining CRJs on order. It still holds orders for 18 CRJ900s, according to data. Analysts have said the acquisition will give Mitsubishi Aircraft the global support network it needs to secure major sales. In selling the CRJ, Bombardier will divest its only remaining commercial aircraft programme, leaving the company with its business aviation unit and train business. After closing, a newly created Mitsubishi entity called MHI RJ Aviation Group will operate the CRJ programme. That company “will provide a holistic servicing and support solution for the global aircraft industry, including the CRJ series aircraft, and eventually for the Mitsubishi SpaceJet family of next-generation regional jets,” MHI says.

Source: Cirium

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 progress to fix the financial situation six months ago, the crisis has meant we have not been able to implement it as we intended,” says chief executive Wrenelle Stander. Comair is a British Airways franchise partner and also operates the budget brand Kulula. The airline has been badly affected by the South African government’s lockdown in response to the outbreak. It has been unable to operate passenger flights since 26 March. “We completely understand and support the government’s reasons for implementing the lockdown, however as a result we have not been able to operate any flights,” Stander says. “Now that the phased lockdown has been extended the grounding is likely to endure until October or even November. These extraordinary circumstances have completely eroded our revenue base while we are still obliged to meet fixed overhead costs.” Stander says applying for business rescue is the “only responsible decision”, adding that Comair “remains solvent”. Joint business rescue practitioners Shaun Collyer and Richard Ferguson have been appointed as of 5 May, and Comair is suspending trading on the Johannesburg stock exchange with immediate effect. “Through this process we intend to right-size our operations to be more efficient, agile and customer-centric,” says Stander, adding that it means rejigging the airline’s network, fleet and reviewing other aspects of its operation. South African Airways and regional carrier SA Express have previously entered business rescue.

Source: Cirium

Air France-KLM is mandating the wearing of face masks for all passengers and crew from 11 May, as the carrier looks to restore some of its pre-Covid 19 services. KLM has begun operating daily flights to Barcelona, Budapest, Helsinki, Madrid, Milan, Prague, Rome and Warsaw, as the Dutch carrier targets restoring 15% of its previous capacity in May. "Routes will gradually be reopened, but may change weekly, depending on measures being taken by the authorities at the destinations," it says. Face masks will be mandatory on KLM's flights until 31 August. Air France is also updating its hygiene policies. As well as requiring passengers and crew to wear face masks, the carrier will implement physical distancing where possible, something made possible by its current low load factors. Cleaning processes will be enhanced and in-flight services adapted to reduce infection. The airline also highlights that cabin air is circulated every 3min and filtered to the same level as hospital operating theatres. "These filters extract more than 99.99% of the smallest viruses, including those no larger than 0.01 micrometres, thus ensuring that cabin air complies with quality standards." Coronavirus-type viruses range in size from 0.08 to 0.16 micrometres. Air France currently operates a limited service to 31 destinations.

Source: Cirium