Home South African NEWS JUST IN: Comair goes into business rescue

NEWS JUST IN: Comair goes into business rescue

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“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.

CAPE TOWN – JSE-listed airline, Comair, has announced that the group would enter business rescue to safeguard the interests of the company and its stakeholders after the Covid-19 crisis disrupted the implementation of a turnaround plan.

Global flight activity has declined by more than 80 percent year on year, according to industry experts, and Comair is just one of several airlines that have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

Comair reported a half-year loss of R564 million for the first half of 2020, which the company’s chief executive Wrenelle Stander attributed to an unprecedented situation following the Covid-19 lockdown.

“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.

“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. 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. The only responsible decision is to apply for business rescue,” he said in a statement.

Comair, which operates scheduled services on domestic routes as a British Airways franchisee was required to stop flying on March 26 in adherence to South Africa’s lockdown regulations and has not operated any passenger services since.

The Covid-19 crisis has also severely affected the global airline industry. A number of carriers have gone out of businesses. Others such as Virgin Australia and Air Mauritius have implemented restructuring processes, similar to business rescue.

“Comair remains solvent and an important contributor to the South African economy. This is a necessary process to ensure a focussed restructuring of the company takes place as quickly as possible so we can take to the skies again as a sustainable business and play our part in the county’s airline industry,” said Stander. 

The airline has appointed Shaun Collyer and Richard Ferguson as the joint business rescue practitioners with effect from May 5. 

Comair said it was granted approval to suspend the trading of its shares on the JSE with immediate effect. The business rescue practitioners will provide shareholders and all other stakeholders with further updates throughout the process.

The business rescue process will build on the turnaround plan that Comair management was already implementing. It aims to preserve cash, cuts costs, dispose of non-performing assets and strengthen the balance sheet. The Section 189A process, which was part of this plan and that began on 23 March, will continue.

The business rescue practitioners will work with the management team and the board towards Comair resuming operations in accordance with all regulatory requirements, including the health protocols to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Stander said Comair will resume its operations in accordance with government directives and will continue to engage with government to accelerate the opening of the airline industry.

The airline said the business rescue practitioners would contact all stakeholders and suppliers to plan the way ahead in accordance with the processes set out in the Companies Act.

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