Air Mauritius on November 2 resumed its twice-weekly service from Port Louis to Perth in Australia.
The route was suspended in 2020 due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Top Copyright Photo: Air Mauritius Airbus A330-941 3B-NBU (msn 1884) LHR (Wingnut). Image: 955786.
Air Mauritius aircraft photo gallery:
From AirLive:
On January 6, 2022 two Air Mauritius Airbus A350 flights avoided a midair collision over Sudan.
BREAKING Air Mauritius A350s flights #MK15 and #MK42 avoided midair collision over Sudan
From BBC:
“Airport staff in Mauritius have found a newborn baby boy abandoned in the rubbish bin of a plane’s toilet.
A 20-year-old woman from Madagascar, suspected of having given birth on the flight, was arrested.
The Air Mauritius plane, which arrived from Madagascar, landed at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport on January 1, 2022.”
More from BBC:
Air Mauritius will again become a fully state-owned airline.
The Mauritian government’s Airport Holdings Ltd., the majority shareholder of the flag carrier will acquire the remaining voting shares of the airline.
The airline issued this statement:
On April 22, 2020, the board of directors previously made the decision to place the airline under voluntary administration after COVID-19-related disruptions made it impossible for the airline to meet its financial obligations. The pandemic has had a major impact on the revenue of flag carrier while it was seeking to change its business model to address existing financial problems.
Route Map:
Top Copyright Photo: Air Mauritius Airbus A350-941 3B-NBQ (msn 157) CDG (Jacques Guillem Collection). Image: 951615.
Air Mauritius aircraft slide show:
Air Mauritius entered voluntary administration on April 22, 2020 as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic and grounding of the fleet, except for repatriation flights.
The airline has announced its international commercial passenger flights will remain suspended until August 31, 2020.
Auditors have suggested a possible liquidation of assets.
In order to raise immediate capital, the flag carrier has put five used aircraft (from a fleet of 13) up for immediate sale:
Two Airbus A319-100s (3B-NBF msn 1592 and 3B-NBH msn 1936)
One Airbus A330-200 (3B-NBL msn 1057)
Two Airbus A340-300s (3B-NBD msn 194 and 3B-NBE msn 268)
Most of the above aircraft were planned to be retired in the coming years anyway.
Air Mauritius aircraft photo gallery:
Air Mauritius aircraft slide show:
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Air Mauritius has made this announcement:
The Board of Directors of Air Mauritius Limited met on April 22, 2020 to take cognizance of the latest financial status of the Company in light of the recent developments worldwide relating to the COVID-19 crisis.
It was noted that, in January 2020, the Board had set up a Transformation Steering Committee with a view to addressing the financial difficulties of the Company and to reviewing its business model for ensuring a sustainable future. Wide consultations were held with all concerned stakeholders and substantial progress was made in formulating the Action Plan to be recommended to the Board.
Unfortunately, travel restrictions and the closure of borders in all our markets and cessation of all international and domestic flights in an unprecedented crisis, has led to a complete erosion of the Company’s revenue base.
Furthermore, there is uncertainty as to when international air traffic will resume and all indications tend to show that normal activities will not pick up until late 2020.
In these circumstances, it is expected that the Company will not be able to meet its financial obligations in the foreseeable future. The Board, therefore, took the decision to place the Company under voluntary administration in order to safeguard the interest of the Company and that of all its stakeholders.
Mr A. Sattar Hajee Abdoula, FCA and Mr. Arvindsingh K. Gokhool, FCCA of Grant Thornton have been appointed, under sections 215 and 216 of the Insolvency Act, as administrators of the Company, with effect from Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at 14.00 hrs.
A message for the the administrators:
With the worldwide spread of the coronavirus epidemic in recent weeks, the entire airline industry, and aviation companies in particular, have been experiencing “the worst crisis ever since World War II”.
Airlines have indeed been severely hit by travel restrictions and the closure of borders in almost all markets, as well as cessation of all international and domestic flights. This has forced several of them to have recourse to voluntary rescue processes.
This week, we have taken note of statements by Virgin Australia and South African Airways to the effect that they will be placed under voluntary administration. The situation is hardly different for Air Mauritius, due to its high degree of reliance on tourism, which is one of the most affected sectors when it comes to the Mauritian economy.
Air Mauritius has already been in a restructuring process since the beginning of the year, notably with the setting up of a Transformation Steering Committee with a view to addressing the financial difficulties of the Company, and to reviewing its business model from the strategic and operational points of view.
As administrators, our mission is above all to save the company. We know that the national airline is a key player in our economy and that it is part and parcel of our history. Air Mauritius is, in addition, a source of pride for the people of Mauritius, and there is no doubt that we are all affected by this news. In such difficult times, it is essential that we get down to work without delay, along with all the partners of this industry in Mauritius, to implement the measures deemed necessary to save the national airline.
At this stage, we are not in a position to make any further comments, having not yet been fully acquainted with all the elements pertaining to this case.
Sattar Hajee Abdoula, FCA Arvindsingh K. Gokhool, FCCA
Air Mauritius aircraft photo gallery:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqwFRAY88Gg&w=560&h=315%5D
New video from JustPlanes:
For our second Flight Experience film we’re delighted to welcome award winning Air Mauritius to the series and their brand new Airbus A330-900neo.
ALC has made this announcement:
Air Lease Corporation has announced the delivery of one new Airbus A330-900neo aircraft on long-term lease to Air Mauritius. Featuring Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, this Airbus aircraft is the first of two A330-900neos to deliver to the airline from ALC’s order book with Airbus.
The two new aircraft will replace two older Airbus A340-300s.
Moreover, based on its future fleet requirements, Air Mauritius is maintaining its order of two Airbus A350- 900 aircraft for 2019 and has decided to reschedule the delivery of the last two A350-900 aircraft, initially planned for 2020, to 2023.
Airbus made this announcement:
Air Mauritius has taken delivery of its first A330-900, on lease from ALC during a ceremony held in Toulouse. The national carrier of the Republic of Mauritius is the first A330neo operator based in the southern hemisphere, and the first airline in the world to operate a combination of both the A330neo and A350 XWB.
Benefiting from the A330neo’s unbeatable operating economics and award-winning Airspace cabin, the aircraft (named Aapravasi Ghat in reference to Mauritius’ history) will feature a two-class cabin with 28 business class seats and 260 economy class seats. The carrier will deploy the aircraft on routes connecting Mauritius to Europe (mainly London and Geneva), India and South East Asian routes and on regional destinations including Johannesburg, Antananarivo and Reunion Island.
Air Mauritius CEO Somas Appavou stated: “I am delighted to welcome our first Airbus A330neo, another milestone in our fleet modernisation programme. The addition of two A330neos to our fleet will bring more flexibility and efficiency to our operations while supporting our network strategy. The A330neo offers similar levels of comfort as the A350 XWB, which has received very favourable feedback from our customers. I strongly believe that with the addition of the A330neo to our fleet, Air Mauritius will further reinforce its focus and emphasis on the customer who are at the very core of our business model.”
“Sugar and spice and all things nice! Like its namesake, inspired by the island’s history in developing the sugar industry, their first A330neo will pioneer Air Mauritius into a whole different level of efficiency and flexibility by operating both the A330neo and the A350 XWB, our latest generation widebodies”, said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer. “Passengers will enjoy unmatched levels comfort in our award winning ‘Airspace by Airbus’ cabins on both aircraft. Well done to our trusted partner on being the world’s first airline to operate the A330neo and the A350 XWB together – a sweet combination!”
Air Mauritius currently operates nine Airbus aircraft, of which two A350-900s, three A340-300s, two A330-200s and two A319s on its regional and long haul services.
The A330neo Family is the new generation A330, comprising two versions: the A330-800 and A330-900 sharing 99 percent commonality. It builds on the proven economics, versatility and reliability of the A330 Family, while reducing fuel consumption by about 25% per seat versus previous generation competitor aircraft and offering an unrivalled range capability. The A330neo is powered by Rolls-Royce’s latest-generation Trent 7000 engines and features a new wing with increased span and new A350 XWB-inspired Sharklets.
With an order book of more than 1,700 aircraft from 120 customers to date, the A330 is the most popular widebody family.
Air Mauritius aircraft slide show:
Bottom Copyright Photo: Air Mauritius Airbus A330-941 F-WWCN (3B-NBU) (msn 1884) TLS (Eurospot). Image: 945855.
KLM has issued this statement:
KLM and Air Mauritius will suspend their joint venture operations between Mauritius and Amsterdam at the start of the 2019 IATA Winter season effective from October 27, 2019.
The current joint operations on the 2 weekly Air Mauritius’ operated flights will continue throughout IATA Summer 2019 season ending on October 26, 2019. Passengers holding tickets beyond this date will be either rebooked to other flights or are eligible for a refund.
The long established joint venture between Air France and Air Mauritius will not be affected by the suspension of the Amsterdam – Mauritius route, thus providing guests the option to travel via Paris Charles de Gaulle airport to Mauritius where both carriers will continue their operations with up to twice daily flights between Paris and Mauritius.
Air Mauritius is planning to add a weekly flight from Mauritius to Wuhan, China. The new route will start on July 6, 2018 with Airbus A340-300s according to Airline Route.
Last month, Air Mauritius added twice-weekly service to Amsterdam on March 26, 2018.
The Amsterdam flights are operated in collaboration with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Air France. To recall, KLM kicked off these joint operations in October 2017 with three weekly flights between Amsterdam and Mauritius.
“The start of operations to Amsterdam is part of our plan to develop a second hub in Europe. Many of our key routes have been built on the strong historical ties we share with the countries we operate to. Our history with the Netherlands is more than four centuries old. Mauritius was indeed named after Prince Maurits of Nassau, during the Dutch settlement in 1598. Today Schiphol Airport, the home base of our partner KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, gives us access to 50 code share destinations all over Europe. We expect Amsterdam to develop into an important hub in our network, particularly for passengers from Nordic and East European countries. This will contribute to boost tourist arrivals toMauritius”, stated Somas Appavou, CEO.
Air Mauritius’ main hub in Europe is Paris from where it offers nearly 40 code share destinations in Europe, with partner Air France. Air Mauritius and the Air France/KLM group have built close ties over the years, Air France having been an important partner indeed since Air Mauritius was incorporated in 1967. In 1998 the two airlines signed a collaborative agreement to jointly operate the Mauritius – Paris route. This agreement was extended and reinforced in 2008 and 2014.
Air Mauritius will operate 2 weekly frequencies on Mondays and Fridays throughout the Northern Summer of 2018. A third flight will be operated on Wednesdays during the peak period corresponding to July and August.
Copyright Photo: Air Mauritius Airbus A340-313 3B-NBI (msn 793) LHR (SPA). Image: 940460.
Air Mauritius aircraft slide show:
