AIR LUXOR's next destination : hot waters

[uy707]

Sao Tomé, Sao Tomé et Principe (PANA) - La Compagnie portugaise Air
Luxor a suspendu ses liaisons aériennes à destination de la Guinée-
Bissau et de Sao Tomé et Principe pour des raisons financières,
annonce jeudi un communiqué de Longstock Financial Group, son
actionnaire majoritaire.

Elle promet de "reprendre ses activités après la normalisation de la
situation de sa flotte", soulignant qu'elle mène des négociations
pour acquérir de nouveaux avions.

A cause de ses problèmes financiers, Air Luxor était récemment obligé
de maintenir pendant trois jours, à Sao Tomé, plus de 250 passagers
qui devaient se rendre à Lisbonne, au Portugal.

link : http://www.panapress.com/fiche.asp?c...dte=15/09/2006

According to major holder Longstock Financial Group, the airline suspended its services to Bissau and Praia/Sao Tomé y Principe last Thrusday due to financial setbacks, stranding 250 passengers in the process. The airline reports negociations are under way to find new aircrafts.

not in the item : the lessor seized two Airbus A320s, which caused Aigle Azur to lease at a premium two 737s from Futura, as the french carrier sub-leased these 320s to serve newly opened routes to Faro and Lisbon. Aigle Azur has already set its plans to offset the setback by taking up two additional 320s and another 319 by Spring 2007.
Alain

Alain

[TAP-A343]

Some insight on this subject.

On July 3, 2006 this happened:

Air Luxor Sold

The owner of Portuguese charter carrier Air Luxor, the Mirpuri Group, has sold it to the Longstock Financial Group, an investment vehicule supported by Portuguese and Canadian backers. The sale comprises the full equity of Air Luxor Holdings and Air Luxor Tours, and includes leases for two Airbus A320s, plus traffic rights to Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau and São Tomé. According to Longstock's legal counsel, Dr Vitor Pinto da Costa, the new owner will re-brand the company by the end of the year, and introduce a third aircraft to fly ad doc charters. The Mirpuri Group will retain an interest in aviation business through its owership of HiFly, formed from Air Luxor last year under a separate Air Operator's Certificate (AOC).

Source: Airliner World, October 2006, page 7

On the 14th of this month, INAC (Portuguese Aviation Authority) cancelled Air Luxor's AOC because the airline lost the only two aircraft it had registered in Portugal, the A320s seized in Paris because of overdue leasing payments and granted the owner of the planes, the American leasing company MSAI, the right to repossess and re-register the aircraft.

Meanwhile, there are hundreds of people with worthless Air Luxor tickets wanting to fly between Lisbon, Guinea Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe.

Air Luxor still chartered a White plane at the beginning of the month to transport the first people stranded both in Lisbon and São Tomé but after that flight, White and other airlines refused to fly for Air Luxor.

On a side note, the two A320's seized in Paris have a HiFly livery.

Regards.

[RingwaySam]

That's a shame to see an airline in such a state. What happend to there A330?

[TAP-A343]

I believe CS-TMT was returned to the lessor ILFC, it was doing military charters in Australia for the Australian Government.

CS-TQF, also leased from ILFC, went to Vietnam Airlines as N225LF.

Cheers.