The national airline is ready to accompany the Mauritian authorities and especially the tourism industry for the recovery. Three flights per week are scheduled from Paris from July 14 and the frequency will increase to four from August 1.
“Air Mauritius will be present to support Mauritius in its strategy to reopen its borders. Given the strategic importance of aviation activities, MK will fully play its role in the economic recovery of the country. As from July 15, we expect to gradually resume flights and gradually increase the number of frequencies and destinations,” said Sattar Hajee Abdoula, voluntary administrator of Air Mauritius (MK).
With its partner Air France, the national airline will offer several European destinations through the Charles de Gaulle hub. In addition, to support the recovery, Air Mauritius is offering attractive fares starting from 759 euros (all taxes included) from Paris, starting July 14. Air Mauritius has been consulting with key players in the tourism sector to keep in touch with the market.
Although MK has been under voluntary administration since April 2020, it has continued to operate flights as part of the country’s economic and humanitarian activities. Over the past year, several measures have been implemented to enable Air Mauritius to save over Rs 1.75 billion annually, but the lack of visibility on a way out of the health crisis has still not allowed the handover of the reins to the MK board and management to date.
Given the current situation, the directors remain involved in complex management with the objective of helping the company meet its financial commitments.
Negotiations with several aircraft leasing companies have been successful and they have shown goodwill in helping the company find the best solutions for all stakeholders. For example, in order to reduce leasing costs, the directors have reviewed the terms of the leases for the A350, A330 NEO and ATR aircraft. The company has also put up for sale four aircraft, namely two A319s, which left Mauritius on Saturday 26 June. Two A340s will leave the Air Mauritius fleet in the first week of July.
“The leasing companies have confidence in us and are sympathetic to the economic situation of MK. The owner of the A330-200 (3B-NBM) is in the process of finalizing the return of its aircraft without applying any penalty for the remaining contract period, which is attributed to excellent relations with the lessors. And, contrary to what has been reported in the press, this aircraft has not been seized in Cairo,” says Sattar Hajee Abdoula adding that after the sale of the A319 and A340 and eventually with the return of the A330-200 (3B-NBM) to its owner, the Air Mauritius fleet will then comprise four A350s, two A330 NEOs, one A330-200 (3B-NBL) and three ATRs.
“Thus, we will be able to operate flights to support Mauritius in this reopening, while having a sharp eye on the operating costs,” explains the administrator of MK. Apart from France, Air Mauritius also plans to operate in other destinations, namely South Africa, India, United Kingdom, Malaysia and Reunion Island, among others. Flights to these countries will be made according to the health situation of each destination and in compliance with the protocol in force.
Air Mauritius continues to closely follow the decisions of the Mauritian authorities and those of various destinations around the world in order to adjust its flight schedule. “Although this period has been long and difficult for industry players, the health situation linked to Covid-19 complicates the development of a recovery plan in the short and medium term. Every day, the administrators do a real balancing act to arrive at a proposal acceptable to all stakeholders, ”concludes Sattar Hajee Abdoula.
