Gambia's WestAF plans mid-2Q21 debut

PAL to seek Chapter 11 protection from creditors - report

Reeling from a series of severe lockdowns and travel restrictions, PAL Holdings has told lessors that it may file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States by the end of the month, sources told Cirium.

The Philippine Airlines (PR, Manila Ninoy Aquino Int'l) parent is reportedly planning to seek court protection from creditors as it undertakes debt restructuring, with a US Chapter 11 filing among the options. It told the Philippine Star newspaper that it would issue an official statement on the issue at the proper time.

International law firm Norton Rose Fulbright is working with the carrier as its counsel on the restructuring, the sources said, while New York-based finance specialist Seabury Capital has been hired as an adviser.

According to earlier reports, PAL Holdings had around USD5 billion in liabilities, including its outstanding obligations to lessors.

The ch-aviation fleets ownership module shows that Philippine Airlines’ fleet of 61 aircraft and its subsidiary Air Philippines’ fleet of 30 aircraft are made up of a mix of Airbus,...

Canada's Voyageur Airways wins cargo contract with Purolator

Voyageur Airways (VAL, North Bay) has won a three-year cargo contract with Canadian logistics integrator Purolator Courier, covering two DHC-8-100(PF) converted turboprops, the carrier's parent Chorus Aviation said in a statement.

"We have been active in air cargo through the conversion of several Dash 8 aircraft to package freighters, however this contract with Purolator marks a meaningful step in the expansion of our capabilities in the cargo market," Chorus President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Randell said.

The contract began on April 12, 2021, and will continue under the current deal through April 2024. The long-term agreement follows a six-month trial phase, during which Voyageur Airways deployed two DHC-8-100(SPF)s (a more rudimentary makeshift conversion of the Dash 8-100) on behalf of the logistics integrator.

The airline said that by deploying two fully-converted De Havilland Aircraft of Canada turboprops, instead of the makeshift variants, it will increase the volume capacity by 38% compared to the trial phase.

Voyageur Airways currently owns twenty Dash 8-100s in passenger, makeshift-converted, and fully-converted...

Gambia resumes commercial passenger traffic

Several West African and European carriers have resumed commercial flights to Banjul, Gambia, after the airport reopened following a seven-month lockdown because of COVID-19.

According to the ch-aviation schedules module, Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul New) was the first to return on October 31 with weekly service from Istanbul New, via Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l. Transair (Senegal) (R2, Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l) has also resumed weekly flights from Dakar, while Air Sénégal (HC, Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l) has returned with four flights a week scheduled as of November 1.

Togo’s ASKY Airlines (KP, Lomé) flight KP22 resumed four times weekly from Lomé, Accra, and Freetown and to Banjul on November 5. TUI Airways (BY, London Luton) has come back with weekly flights from London Gatwick and Manchester Int'l, while Spain’s Vueling Airlines (VY, Barcelona El Prat) on November 7 restarts weekly services with flight VY7574 from Barcelona El Prat.

The Gambia currently has no home-grown national...

Gambian start-up WestAf eyes low-fare niche using Q400(QC)s