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Charter Airline Dynamic International Airways Files for Bankruptcy

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Charter carrier Dynamic International Airways LLC, which offers charter flights to regional cities in China, filed for bankruptcy protection Wednesday to stabilize its business, which it says has been hobbled by legal issues and management turnover, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The North Carolina-based airline said it would use the breathing space afforded in chapter 11 to get a grip on pending litigation and accounting problems. The company, which is privately owned, intends to get its affairs in order while in bankruptcy so it can transition the airline from providing charter flights to scheduled flights. Dynamic International Airways Chief Executive Paul Kraus said in a declaration filed in the bankruptcy court that the company “has encountered significant challenges in finding and retaining qualified employees.” The airline has had three chief executive officers, four chief operating officers and three chief financial officers since 2013, court papers say. The turnover resulted in the use of different accounting systems and operations tracking systems that caused significant cash losses, as well as “some confusion and some items to be overlooked and not properly handled,” Kraus said.

Alitalia Files for Bankruptcy, but Italy Balks at a Third Bailout

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When the Italian airline Alitalia went bankrupt in 2008, the government swooped in with taxpayer money, and Pope Benedict — a regular rider — offered the carrier a blessing. Six years later, as Alitalia stumbled into debt yet again, the government engineered another rescue, the New York Times reported yesterday. But even a papal decree would not have been enough to save Alitalia from what threatened to be its final stand, as Europe’s most troubled airline filed for bankruptcy once more, this time amid signs that the government, and the Italian people, were fed up with providing it life support. The latest drama over one of Italy’s most visible industrial symbols has plunged the already chaotic political and economic environment into further uncertainty. Uncertainty over the health of the nation’s banks, plagued with 360 billion euros, or about $390 billion, in bad debt, has also been rattling global financial markets. Investors are worried that Italy, a “too big to fail” member of the eurozone, may set off another round of uncertainty for the single currency should new problems in the country’s banking system jeopardize its economy.

Italy Prepares Bridge Loan to Keep Alitalia Flying

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Italy's economic development minister says that failing airline Alitalia will receive a government bridge loan to keep it operational while a new owner is sought, the Associated Press reported yesterday. Carlo Calenda told Radio 24 on Wednesday that a loan of 300 million to 400 million euros ($326 million-$435 million) would keep the airline flying for six months under receivership. Italy's flagship airline is on the verge of bankruptcy after workers rejected a government-brokered deal that would have unlocked 2 billion euros in investments from its managing shareholder, Etihad, and a consortium of Italian businesses, led by Italian banks UniCredit and Intesa SanPaolo, that holds a 51-percent share.

Alitalia to Start Bankruptcy Process as Workers Spurn Bailout

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Alitalia SpA said it exhausted all options after workers voted against job cuts aimed at salvaging the cash-strapped Italian airline, pushing it toward administration for the second time in a decade, Bloomberg News reported yesterday. A 2 billion-euro ($2.2 billion) recapitalization tied to the savings plan is effectively dead and Alitalia will start appropriate “legal procedures” as funds run out, the Rome-based airline said. Chairman Luca Cordero Di Montezemolo “formally” communicated to the Italy aviation authority that the carrier decided to start the process of naming a administrator, the authority said on its website late Tuesday. The decision to appoint an administrator is the first step for being placed in a legal reorganization process, making it almost impossible a last-minute rescue of the carrier as it exists today. Italy has said it won’t nationalize Alitalia whatever the circumstances. 

New Orleans Startup Airline GLO to Resume Flights after Bankruptcy Filing

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GLO Airlines, a New Orleans-based public charter airline that has filed for bankruptcy protection, will continue flying to Destin, Fla. and other Gulf South destinations as it restructures its operations, NOLA.com reported. Customers who purchased tickets for canceled GLO flights will still have their tickets honored, though they may need to contact the airline to re-book their trips. FlyGLO LLC, the airline's parent company, has been locked in a dispute with Corporate Flight Management Inc., the Tennessee company that maintains and operates its planes. Corporate Flight Management (CFM) claimed GLO had fallen behind on payments. The airline rejected that claim, blaming CFM for billing mistakes and for providing subpar service. The dispute came to a head on Sunday (April 23) when GLO filed for bankruptcy protection. The airline asked a federal judge to allow it to continue offering flights past Thursday, the date CFM had notified it planned to end its contract with the airline. GLO flights and ticket sales were disrupted as a result.

Judge Approves Republic Airways Reorganization Plan

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A federal bankruptcy judge has approved Republic Airways Holdings Inc.’s plan of reorganization, clearing the way for the company to emerge from chapter 11 as a privately held company by the end of April, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported on Friday. The Indianapolis-based company, which flies commuter routes for larger airlines, slid into bankruptcy in February 2016. It was driven to distress by the national pilot shortage, which left it unable to fly some of its routes, and by onerous contract terms with its big-airline partners, American, Delta and United. Republic had filed its reorganization plan in November. But it drew a number of objections, which took months to work through. Judge Sean Lane granted final approval on Thursday. In the reorganization, Republic is canceling its publicly traded stock. The new owners will be creditors, which will receive new common stock in exchange for their claims.