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Delta helped its former Brazilian partner Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes to refinance a $300m loan that was due on Monday and which the US carrier had guaranteed, according to an internal memo. Delta confirmed the memo was sent to employees on Wednesday but declined to provide additional details. Gol said on Tuesday it had paid the $300m debt, according to a securities filing, without providing details. The 2015 loan had included a guarantee from Delta which helped Gol get a better interest rate. "As part of the refinancing, Delta worked with Gol to replace the existing loan guarantee with a smaller loan secured with incremental collateral," Delta said in the memo. It said the deal reduces its own financial exposure and provides additional security, while providing Gol more time to address its obligations during the coronavirus pandemic, which has decimated air travel across the globe.<br/>

Garuda Indonesia has resumed flight services to China following months of travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. The company had grounded all commercial flights to China earlier this year. “The Chinese government has now implemented a policy that allows one airline to fly to one specific city once a week,” Garuda Indonesia president director Irfan Setiaputra said on Tuesday. “Garuda now handles flights to Chengdu, while Citilink [flies] to Kunming.” He went on to say the airline could now facilitate Chinese nationals who wished to return to their home country. While restrictions are looser in Indonesia, Garuda Indonesia has yet to reopen several international routes due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in many countries. “The Denpasar-Japan flight, for instance, is still halted due to the absence of tourists,” Irfan said.<br/>

Korean Air has received approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to remodel a Boeing 777-300ER passenger aircraft for cargo operations. This is the first such approval it has received, the airline tells Cirium, and it plans to convert one more 777-300ER, having based its decision on cost-demand analysis. While the remodelled aircraft is not allowed to take passengers, the changes are not permanent. “Once [passenger travel is] back to normal, and if we need passenger aircraft, then seats will be back into the aircraft.” MOLIT said in a 1 September statement that it jointly supervised the modifications for Korean Air’s 777-300ER with manufacturer Boeing, and the process involved changes to the cabin area. This entailed the removal of 42 business and 227 economy-class seats, and in-flight electrical wiring, as well as the installation of placards in the cabin floor, among other modifications. The changes increased the aircraft’s cargo capacity to 32.8 tonnes, compared with 22 tonnes originally, from the lower-deck cargo hold, according to Korean Air.<br/>