North America airline suspensions, country closures 23-29MAR

Cayman Islands remain closed to commercial flights

Airports on the Cayman Islands remain closed to all but essential travel until October 1, 2020, the government announced.

In a statement, the government noted that some airlines were marketing flights to the Cayman Islands and accepting future bookings, warning that no airlines had permission to operate commercial flights while its borders remained closed.

The only airlines permitted to operate were British Airways (BA, London Heathrow) and Cayman Airways (KX, Grand Cayman Island), which were conducting limited repatriation flights to and from the islands. However, the government strongly discouraged non-essential travel as the COVID-19 situation remained fluid.

“At this time we are only allowing repatriation flights for essential travel. There is no guarantee when commercial flights will become available for inbound travel to the Cayman Islands,” the government said.

It confirmed that British Airways began operating a fortnightly repatriation service between Grand Cayman Island and London Heathrow from September 17, 2020.

Cayman Airways, in partnership with the government, was offering repatriation flights to Grand Cayman from various destinations based...

North America suspensions, country closures 30MAR-05APR

Beijing, lessors consider ways of aiding Chinese airlines

Authorities in China, as well as privately-owned global lessors, are evaluating ways and means to help the country's embattled carriers survive the fallout from the Covid-19 coronavirus epidemic.

Air Lease Corporation said it was contemplating various initiatives that could, at the same time, provide additional cash to airlines in China, some of which have requested assistance, while at the same time helping carriers elsewhere affected by the B737 MAX grounding.

"We are making outright cash aircraft purchase offers, as well as offering sale-leaseback transactions, which will provide our customers cash and positively contribute to ALC's growth this year. Furthermore, the purchase of selected aircraft could also help our MAX customers who are struggling to find summer lift in the face of still uncertain MAX delivery timing," Chief Executive John Plueger said during a quarterly investors call.

He added that the lessor would undertake "some temporary lease payment deferrals as happens in these types of situations".

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, Air Lease Corporation leases 66 aircraft to 10 airlines in mainland China,...

Cayman Airways defers B737-300 sale due to MAX grounding

Cayman Airways (KX, Grand Cayman Island) has said it will not sell any of its three B737-300s before 2020 as the aircraft are required to cover for the grounded B737-8s, the Cayman News Service has reported.

"Despite the ongoing delay, CAL still intends to retire and sell its 737-300 jet fleet, though no aircraft are expected to be sold before 2020," a spokesperson said.

Originally, the carrier hoped to sell all three B737 Classics by the end of 2019. It intended to replace them with B737-8s. It took delivery of the first B737 MAX in late November 2018 and the second on March 7, 2019. The second unit, VP-CIX (msn 63561), did not enter into revenue service before the type's grounding.

The airline was originally due to take the third MAX 8 in September 2019 and the fourth in September 2020. All four units are dry-leased from Air Lease Corporation.

Cayman Airways' B737-300s are 24.6 years old on average and are owned by the airline, the ch-aviation fleets advanced...