Air Mauritius exits voluntary administration, secures USD280m government loan

Air Mauritius announced (29-Sep-2021) it exited voluntary administration and secured a government loan to support increasing capacity to meet demand. Details include:

• Mauritius' Government will provide a MUR12 billion (USD279.7 million) loan to support the long term stability of the company. The loan arrangement was "overwhelmingly" supported by Air Mauritius' creditors. Airports Holdings Limited CEO Ken Arian stated: "This new financial arrangement provides Air Mauritius with the stability to rebuild and play a central role in the government's economic development and tourism plans";
• The airline will operate passenger and cargo services from Mauritius to Antananarivo, Johannesburg, London, Mumbai, Paris and Reunion. Additional capacity and routes will be added to meet demand and the carrier expects to launch Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Perth services at a later date. Domestic services to and from Rodrigues will resume in Nov-2021;
• The carrier's fleet was consolidated from 15 to nine aircraft, comprising three ATR 72-500s, two A330-900s and four A350-900s;
• The airline reported "demand for flights is soaring" ahead of the reopening of Mauritius' borders for fully vaccinated international travellers on 01-Oct-2021. [more - original PR]