Asia, Oceania airline suspensions, country closures 18APR

Virgin Australia administrator chooses two final bidders

Deloitte has announced that it has selected two US private investment firms, Bain Capital and Cyrus Capital Partners, as the final bidders for Virgin Australia Holdings.

The decision leaves three non-binding proposals out of the running, which local media had named as being from Indigo Partners, BGH Capital, and Brookfield Asset Management.

The five non-binding proposals were received on Friday, May 29, and “over the weekend and the past two days,” the administrators assessed the proposals. As the administrator for Virgin Australia Holdings, Deloitte is seeking a binding agreement with the winning bidder by June 30.

“Both Bain Capital and Cyrus Capital Partners are well-funded, have deep aviation experience, and they see the real value of the business and its future,” said joint administrator Vaughan Strawbridge. “We will now spend the coming weeks facilitating in-depth bidder engagement with the stakeholders of the business and work closely with the preferred bidders in the lead up to binding final offers being received.”

He clarified that “the strong interest coming from all parties has generated the competitive...

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Trans Maldivian, Manta Air to lease new seaplane terminal

The Maldivian Airports Company Limited (MACL) has decided to lease space at the new seaplane terminal under development at Malé airport to both Trans Maldivian Airways (Malé) and Manta Air (NR, Malé), local newspaper The Edition has reported.

Each of the seaplane operators will receive area corresponding to the space they are currently leasing at the old seaplane terminal. The leasing rates will also remain unchanged with initial contracts signed for two years.

The MACL said that any area left at the new terminal will be tendered to airlines through a market-based competitive process. Unspecified provisions will also be made to ensure access for Maldivian (Q2, Malé), the state-owned company that will remain the new terminal's operator.

The new facility has been subject to heated debate after initial reports suggested that TMA could be awarded the contract for its operation.

The existing seaplane terminal will be demolished once the new facility is operational to pave way for the opening of Male airport's new paved runway.