USAFRICA AIRWAYS believes that its recently concluded marketing alliance with Continental Airlines will give financial institutions the incentive to lend USAfrica the cash needed to restructure and resume services.
The new US airline, which had offered direct flights between Washington's Dulles International Airport and South Africa, shut down operations and filed for Chapter 11, bankruptcy protection in February.
World Airlines, and other carriers, have been seeking USAfrica's frequencies between the USA and South Africa. USAfrica retains the route authority until January 1996.
Gregory Lewis, USAfrica's president and chief executive says, "We now look to conclude the financing needed to resume operations in November or December at the latest." USAfrica is negotiating the lease of McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30s, but acquisition of Boeing 747-200s "...still remains a possibility", he adds.
Major features of the marketing pact include code-sharing, full participation in Continental's frequent-flyer programme, joint sales and marketing and coordinated operations at Continental's Newark International Airport gateway.
Flights would connect Newark/ New York with Johannesburg, with an intermediate stop in Dakar, Senegal.
USAfrica would offer four weekly flights initially, increasing to six as traffic builds. Resumption of service from Dulles International is "on hold" for now, but USAfrica would consider restarting the service later.
Source: Flight International
