FILE PHOTO: A Norwegian Air Boeing 737-800 is seen during the presentation of Norwegian Air first low cost transatlantic flight service from Argentina at Ezeiza airport in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 8, 2018. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci/File Photo
OSLO (Reuters) – Norwegian Air has agreed with Airbus and Boeing to reschedule delivery of aircraft to cut capital spending, the loss-making budget carrier said on Wednesday.
In total, the announced restructurings and postponements of Boeing and Airbus aircraft delivery will reduce capital expenditure for 2019 and 2020 by $2.1 billion, it said.
The Oslo-listed airline has shaken up the long-haul market by offering cut-price transatlantic fares, but its rapid expansion has left it with hefty losses and high debts.
(Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis; editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
* Jet Airways says 28 planes grounded for non-payment of dues
* Lenders, Etihad yet to approve restructure (Adds graphic)
SINGAPORE,
March 8 (Reuters) – FLY Leasing Ltd has grounded three planes on lease
to India’s Jet Airways Ltd and will take them back and redeploy them
elsewhere if the airline cannot gain approvals for a restructuring plan
this month, the lessor’s CEO said.
Jet
Airways on Thursday said another three aircraft had been grounded due
to its failure to make payments, taking the total number to 28, but it
has not specified the lessors involved.
The
grounding of nearly one-quarter of the airline’s fleet has led to the
cancellation of hundreds of flights and complaints from customers on
social media.
Several
major global aircraft leasing companies, including AerCap Holdings NV
and BOC Aviation have exposure to the financially troubled airline,
which has defaulted on loans and has not paid pilots, leasing firms and
suppliers for months.
“We
have grounded our aircraft, we have control over our aircraft, but we
have not terminated the leases and we are waiting for the airline to
approve all its restructuring with the State Bank of India,” FLY Leasing
CEO Colm Barrington told analysts on a results call on Thursday.
“If
that goes through at the end of the month, obviously, we will stay with
Jet. If they can’t get that done, then we’ll take our aircraft back and
redeploy.”
The
airline had three relatively young Boeing Co 737-800s on lease to Jet
Airways, which accounted for around 3 percent of FLY Leasing’s revenue,
he said.
Jet
Airways has outlined a draft to sell a majority stake to a consortium
led by the State Bank of India at 1 rupee, under regulations that permit
banks to convert debt to equity in a defaulting firm.
The
stake sale will be followed by an equity raising, debt restructuring
and the sale and leaseback of jets to help plug a $1.2 billion funding
gap, but the plan needs approvals from several stakeholders, including
major shareholder Etihad Airways.
(Reporting by Jamie Freed in Singapore; Additional reporting by Chandini Monnappa in Bengaluru; Editing by Stephen Coates)
