Air Mauritius secures funding
Air Mauritius said it has exited voluntary administration and is increasing flight capacity to cater for travellers from all over the world who are planning to visit the Indian Ocean paradise island for work and pleasure.
The government of the Republic of Mauritius is injecting Rs12 billion (US$280million) into Air Mauritius via a loan to provide long term stability for the company as international air travel and tourism rebuilds following the Covid-19 pandemic. Air Mauritius is a strategic national asset central to the government’s tourism and investment strategy and provides Mauritius with its own passenger and cargo connectivity to meet market demands. The new loan arrangement was overwhelmingly supported by Air Mauritius’ creditors.
Ken Arian, CEO of Airports Holdings Limited, the parent company of Air Mauritius said: “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. It is a vote of confidence in our staff and provides them and our tourism industry with reassurance for the future. Air Mauritius is an iconic global brand and will continue to provide short and long-haul passenger and cargo connectivity to some of our most important global markets.”
Passenger and cargo flights will operate between Mauritius and Paris, London, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Antananarivo and Reunion with connecting services available globally. Additional capacity and international routes will be added to meet demand. Air Mauritius expects Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Perth to be introduced at a later date. Domestic services to and from Rodrigues will resume in November 2021.
As part of the new structure, the network fleet has been consolidated from 15 aircraft to 9 aircraft – 4 x A350-900 and 2 x A330-900neo wide-bodied fleet. The remaining 3 aircraft are ATR72-500 to service domestic and regional routes. Air Mauritius now has one of the youngest widebody fleets in the world.
Mauritius is reopening its borders to fully vaccinated passengers from October 1 and, as a result, demand for flights is soaring. Confidence is high that the nation’s vaccination drive – with 83 percent of adults now double-jabbed – will allow visitors to feel safe and secure. Non-vaccinated travellers can visit subject to a 14-day quarantine period.
Air Mauritius, which continued to fly throughout voluntary administration and the Covid-19 pandemic, is looking to the future with confidence, and we are delighted to welcome even more passengers back on board.
