Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE
A new partnership with China Northern Airlines represents the latest attempt to salvage the operations of financially-troubled Thai carrier Angel Air.
According to Angel, the agreement includes the wet-lease of three Airbus A300-600Rs from the Shenyang-based operator, while the two carriers are also negotiating a joint marketing agreement. The first of the leased aircraft was scheduled to be handed over on 27 November, and Angel president Somchai Bencharongkul has said that the wet-leases will last about 3-5 years.
The carrier says that from 29 November it will be operating five times a week from Bangkok to Taipei via Hong Kong, and weekly Bangkok-Chengdu and Bangkok-Hong Kong services.
The carrier is expecting to begin operating flights to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates from December. It is also understood to be pursuing traffic rights to Japan and South Korea, as well as additional rights to Taipei.
Talks on the joint marketing agreement are understood to be advanced, and will allow China Northern passengers to use Angel services and vice-versa.
Angel has accumulated substantial debt since it began operations in 1998, having then won second national carrier status enabling it to compete directly with flag carrier Thai Airways. But, earlier this year, the carrier was forced to cut short a long-term wet-lease agreement with Thai regional PB Air covering three Fokker F28 Mk4000s, and to give back two leased Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-400s after defaulting on lease payments.
Angel was eventually forced to call a complete halt to operations in June, having been left with only a single Boeing 757 wet-leased from China Southwest. It restarted operations in late July under an agreement with Orient Thai Airlines, which has wet-leased Angel a single Lockheed L-1011 TriStar until February.
Angel is being sued in the Thai courts by PB Air for payment on the Fokker leases. It also owes money to Aeronautical Radio of Thailand, the Airport Authority of Thailand, Thai Airways and the Thai Petroleum Authority. Somchai says that most of Angel's creditors have agreed to a restructuring of debt repayments.
• Thai start-up Air Andaman has rescheduled its operational launch to the end of November, having now finalised a purchase agreement on one BAe J31 turboprop with negotiations on a second still on-going. Vice-president Pratheep Boonprasom says that the first aircraft is to come from Swedish operator Flying Enterprise, and is due for delivery this month. The anticipated source of the second aircraft will be a private UK operator based in Southampton. Air Andaman was formerly in talks with a number of other potential suppliers, including BAE Systems' Australian division and Aeromail, in Brisbane.
Source: Flight International
