Monthly Archives: April 2020

//April

Virgin Australia enters voluntary administration

21 April 2020:  Virgin Australia Holdings Limited (ASX: VAH) (Virgin Australia Group or Group) has entered voluntary administration to recapitalise the business and help ensure it emerges in a stronger financial position on the other side of the COVID-19 crisis. The Group’s Board of Directors has appointed Vaughan Strawbridge, John Greig, Sal Algeri and Richard Hughes of Deloitte as voluntary administrators of the company and a number of its subsidiaries. Velocity Frequent Flyer, while owned by the Group, is a separate company and is not in administration. The decision comes as the Group has continued to seek financial assistance from several parties, including State and Federal Governments, to help it through the unprecedented crisis, however, is yet to secure the required support. Virgin Australia will continue to operate its scheduled international and domestic flights which are helping to transport essential workers, maintain important freight corridors, and return Australians home. The administrators will be supported by the Group’s current management team, led by Chief Executive Officer Paul Scurrah, and will work closely with team members, suppliers, and partners throughout the process. Administrator, Vaughan Strawbridge, said: “Our intention is to undertake a process to restructure and re-finance the business and bring it out of administration as soon as possible. “We are committed to working with Paul and the Virgin Australia team and are progressing well on some immediate steps. We have commenced a process of seeking interest from parties for participation in the recapitalisation of the business and its future, and there have been several expressions of interest so far,” said Mr Strawbridge. Virgin Australia Group Chief Executive Officer, Paul Scurrah, said: “Our decision today is about securing the future of the Virgin Australia Group and emerging [...]

By |April 22nd, 2020|Uncategorised|Comments Off on Virgin Australia enters voluntary administration

Etihad and Emirates lead the way in pre-flight testing of COVID-19

Gulf carrier says it is the first to conduct rapid blood tests Wed, Apr 15, 2020, 15:30 Emirates has started testing passengers for COVID-19 before flying out of Dubai, in an effort to contain the spread of the pandemic. Passengers on Wednesday’s flight to Tunisia underwent a blood test before departing Dubai, according to the statement sent by the airline. Results were available within 10 minutes. The Gulf carrier said it was the first to conduct the rapid blood tests. It plans to extend the procedure to other flights, according to chief operating officer Adel Al Redha. The move will provide immediate confirmation for passengers travelling to countries that require Covid-19 test certificates, he said. Self-service Etihad Airways, another major airline in the United Arab Emirates, plans to deploy new touchless self-service devices at its hub airport in Abu Dhabi to identify travellers with medical conditions, including the early stages of coronavirus. The tests may offer one way to get travellers back in the air with some measure of peace-of-mind. Airlines across the globe have had to halt flights and ground their fleets due to restrictions and a lack of demand while countries try to contain the coronavirus pandemic. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/emirates-using-10-minute-covid-19-blood-test-before-passengers-depart-1.4229627

By |April 16th, 2020|Uncategorised|Comments Off on Etihad and Emirates lead the way in pre-flight testing of COVID-19