Delta Tuesday said it plans to hire another 1,500 flight attendants ahead of summer 2022, becoming the latest carrier to add jobs after travel demand rebounded from pandemic lows. The Atlanta-based airline was already in the process of filling 1,500 flight attendant jobs with candidates whose hiring was paused at the start of the pandemic in 2020. Delta and other airlines have been racing to fill positions from ramp workers to flight attendants to customer service agents, as well as training pilots, this summer during a surge in travel. The recovery in demand came faster than airline executives said they expected. Airline CEOs urged thousands of employees to take unpaid or partially paid leaves of absence or early retirement packages to cut labor costs in the depths of the pandemic. About 4,000 Delta flight attendants accepted voluntary separation packages. Delta in May said all new employees must be vaccinated against Covid and said Tuesday that any current Delta employee who is accepted to the flight attendant training program must also be inoculated.<br/>
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Kenya Airways needs continued government support as it remains in a “precarious financial position” with recovery to pre-COVID levels unlikely before 2024 given delayed vaccinations in Africa, says CE Allan Kilavuka. Briefing investors online on the airline's half-year results ending June 2021, he said: “Definitely, the company needs financial support, and this is not a secret. We still need financial support from our principals or elsewhere. We are in a negative equity position, which means we are insolvent as an organisation, obviously made worse by the pandemic,” reports Kenya’s Business Daily. Kilavuka did not specify the amount needed. Kenya Airways’ liabilities reportedly outstripped its assets by US$672.3 by June 30, 2021, compared with US$583.5m at the same time last year. The airline last year borrowed US$100m from the state after it was grounded due to the pandemic.<br/>
Garuda Indonesia slightly narrowed operational losses for the first half of its 2021 financial year, as revenues suffered a sharp decline amid the coronavirus pandemic. The beleaguered flag carrier posted an operating loss of $703m for the first six months of 2021, slightly better than the operating loss of $707m a year earlier, according to its interim financial statement. The carrier reports its results in US dollars. Operating revenue fell 24% to $697m, and net losses widened to $902m from $723m in the first half of 2020. As of 30 June 2021, cash and cash equivalents stood at $78.7m, down from $201m at the end of 2020. The carrier adds that as of 30 June liabilities exceeded assets by $4.66b, and that travel restrictions related to Covid-19 have had a “major inverse impact” on operations and liquidity. Given the financial woes, the carrier has failed to meet payments to banks, major vendors, airport operators, and lessors. It’s inability to pay lessors has resulted in the grounding of some aircraft. Several measures are underway to improve Garuda’s financial position. These include negotiations with creditors about debt, and negotiations with lessors to reduce monthly rentals and maintenance reserve payments. In addition, the airline hopes to reduce headcount and receive additional funding support from the government.<br/>