The CE of Nok Air blames Sunday's flight chaos on the airline's efforts to improve its standards to help Europe operations, which upset some pilots. Nok Air CE Patee Sarasin said Wednesday that the airline management had to stop some pilots from holding both pilot and executive positions in order to meet the standards of EASA, and that had affected the pilots. The airline planned to seal lease contracts with European airlines so that others could lease its planes and pilots to meet high season demand in Europe at a time when it would be low season for Nok Air in Thailand. Reciprocally, Nok Air would be able to lease aircraft and pilots from its European partners to serve demand in Thailand during the local high season when it would be the low season in Europe. <br/>
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Gol’s debt was downgraded by Moody’s Investors Service Wednesday because the airline faces a cash crunch in coming months as debt payments come due. Moody’s cut Gol’s corporate family rating to Caa1 from B3 and cut the company’s foreign currency rating for Gol Finance’s perpetual notes and senior notes due in 2017 to Caa2 from B3. Brazil’s weak economy has hurt sales, and the company’s traffic fell 9% in Q4 from a year earlier. Standard & Poor’s warned earlier this month it might downgrade Gol in the next 90 days. Gol has “insufficient liquidity” and faces a difficult market situation, and will need to either sell assets, carry out a capital increase or restructure its debt in coming months to meet its debt service needs in the next year to year and a half, Moody’s said while expressing confidence in the company’s management. <br/>
China's Okay Airways has signed a commitment for 12 Boeing 737s worth US$1.3b at list prices, as the privately owned carrier looks to expand its fleet to tap the mainland's growing air travel market. The order includes 11 737 MAX and options for another 8, Boeing said. The order is not part of the deal that Boeing signed with China last year to supply 300 aircraft worth $38b at list prices, Wang Shusheng, the company's chairman said. Okay Airways, China's first privately owned airline, currently has a fleet of 18 aircraft, and expects to grow the fleet to 80 by 2020. Wang also said the airline was looking into purchasing wide-body aircraft, which would account for about 30% of the total capacity by 2020, to accommodate longer routes. The company said it would make a decision on the wide-body aircraft later this year. <br/>
Scoot CE Campbell Wilson said the airline’s transition to an all-Boeing 787 fleet is enabling the carrier to finally achieve profitability, and predicted the carrier’s financial performance will steadily improve. Scoot’s aircraft liveries and staff uniforms feature a bright yellow, but the carrier’s balance sheet has been in the red for most of its 4 years of existence, putting a drag on parent SIA’s earnings. But with the 6 aging 777s that comprised its initial fleet all retired last year, Scoot believes its fleet of 10 787s, evenly split between -8 and -9 models, opens a new chapter. Scoot achieved an operating profit of S$18m (US$12.7m) during the quarter ended Dec 31, 2015, its best-ever result. In the financial year starting April 1, Scoot plans to grow capacity 49%. By 2019, its fleet will double to 20 787s. <br/>
Philippine Airlines ordered 6 Airbus A350-900s worth about US$1.8b at list prices as it seeks to fly non-stop flights to the US. PAL will start taking delivery of the A350s in 2 years, Jamie Bautista, PAL's president, and Fabrice Bregier, Airbus president, said. The airline is taking on more aircraft to cater to increased demand from millions of Filipinos working overseas, just as rival Cebu Pacific expands its local routes. "The market is growing, the economy in the Philippines is improving, so that will allow more Filipinos to afford travel," said Bautista. PAL ordered 6 A350s, with another 6 options. PAL officials said they would consider financing the aircraft through sale and leaseback options and commercial debt. The A350s will not only allow PAL to fly non-stop to US cities, but may also opens the door for direct routes to Europe. <br/>