GL: Has Covid and finance defaults made it harder for sub-Saharan African airlines to finance aircraft?
JG: The Covid pandemic and associated fear has certainly damaged the industry on a global scale and we have seen many airlines failing, especially in jurisdictions where no support from government was received by the industry. The demise of so many airlines in a short period has negatively impacted on the risk rating of airlines in general which results in the reduced credit worthiness of airlines. But this is not unique to the African continent.
GL: Does African aircraft finance have its own unique challenges – if so, what are they?
JG: No, African aircraft finance does not have unique challenges. Challenges which we see on the African continent are the same the world over: Sovereign risk, low capitalisation, continuity in management and shareholder support.
GL: What percentage of an airline’s fleet do you think should be leased?
The accepted norm has been 50% for a number of years and it works well. In the current markets it might be attractive to lease more aircraft as there are very attractive lease opportunities available due to many aircraft having been returned to lessors as a result of the difficult market conditions caused by Covid. It might be worthwhile to lease more than 50% of your fleet in the short term, however airlines should be careful not to lose the benefits of owning some aircraft and having a substantive balance sheet.
GL: Do lenders prefer state-owned airlines to private ones?
Denne historien er fra November 2022-utgaven av SA Flyer Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra November 2022-utgaven av SA Flyer Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Iris - her early years: IRIS FLIES ACROSS SUDAN
Laura McDermid continues her stories about Iris McCallum's early years in East Africa and the Sudan. In part 1 of this story she recounts how she had to fly a bunch of Belgian Missionaries to Aweil, a city in northwestern South Sudan, from Wilson in Nairobi in her old mate 'ARN', the Piper Aztec 5Y-ARN.
UGLY IS PRETTY: LEAR 25 VS PILATUS PC-6
When you go to a party where you don't know anybody, you should always go for the 'Ugly' girl, because she will be happy that you chose to spend time with her.
CIRRUS G7 LAUNCHED IN AFRICA
What makes one aircraft better than another? Range, Speed, or carrying capacity, short field performance, operating costs, high wing, low wing, side stick, traditional control yoke?
PRESIDENT'S TROPHY AIR RACE 2024
The annual Presidents Trophy Air Race (PTAR) is the highlight of the year for many competitive general aviation pilots.
THE ABSA LOWVELD AIRSHOW 2024
This year marked the thirtieth edition of the Lowveld airshow – and it was widely acclaimed as the best ever.
PREVIEW: AFRICAN AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE EXPO(AAD)
Guy Leitch finds out from AAD Exhibition Director, Ms Nakedi Phasha, how the buildup to this year's biennial expo is going, and what visitors and exhibitors can expect.
APRIL 2023
April has been a very quiet month on the local aviation marketplace with only nine new registration allocations and three deletions, according to the officially-supplied register review.
PIPISTREL PANTHERA FINALLY HERE
One of the world's most eagerly awaited piston single engine aircraft designs has finally arrived in South Africa. ZU-KTR is a long awaited Panthera, proudly owned by Bertus Kritzinger, a Free State trucker, and based at New Tempe in Bloemfontein, where the well-known Ferriera Aviation has assembled it.
STAGGERWING - ALREADY OLD WHEN NEW
The Staggerwing was the climax, and the end, of an era.
The Aim of Bombing
In modern warfare it's not the soldiers who die - it's the civilians. One of the best examples of this is carpet bombing.
