Italian carrier ITA Airways will take its operational fleet of Airbus A350-900s to four – half of the eight planned – in June, through the introduction of a twinjet with a minimalist livery intended to highlight sustainability. The aircraft is largely white, in contrast to the distinctive blue which dominates the airline’s colour scheme, and carries ‘Born to be Sustainable’ titles behind the carrier’s name. ITA says this illustrates its “foundational commitment” to combining growth and financial strength with environmental responsibility. It has embarked on a number of initiatives – including focusing on fuel consumption in flight and ground operations, investment in sustainable fuel, use of sustainable materials, and carbon offsets – to achieve its aims. The carrier says it plans to reduce the footprint of its value chain, rethinking supply processes and minimising waste. ITA says the latest A350 will operate from Rome to Los Angeles, New York and Buenos Aires.<br/>
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Administrators for Garuda Indonesia have acknowledged claims worth 120.5t rupiah ($8.3b) as the beleaguered airline seeks to restructure its debts. Documents posted online showed the biggest claim coming from Airbus at more than 7.8t rupiah. Oil company PT Pertamina, which is looking to recover 7.5t rupiah, also featured on the list labeled “final.” The figures come ahead of a key scheduled court date for Garuda on Thursday to lay out its restructuring plan. A final vote on the proposal is due to take place later this month. Like many airlines, the Indonesian carrier’s business took a hit due to Covid-19. It currently is operating only about 20% of its pre-pandemic fleet, limiting its ability to raise revenue to repay its debts. The acknowledged tally of 120.5t rupiah stands in contrast to 163t rupiah worth of bills that creditors put forward, the documents showed. The latter is lower than the previously reported figure of 198t rupiah. Martin Patrick Nagel, a court-appointed administrator, did not answer calls nor respond to text messages Tuesday seeking clarification on the discrepancies. Among the reasons cited by administrators for rejecting claims were that bills had already been paid or that there was no record of the expenditure. Some claims from sukuk holders got rejected on the grounds they needed to submit them via a trustee. Once an agreement between the carrier and its creditors is struck, the Indonesian government plans a rights issue in two stages this year to raise additional funds.<br/>