Barely a week since its unveiling, the revived Monarch Airlines has changed its branding, ditching the logo and livery of the collapsed carrier that inspired it. The latest iteration of Monarch Airlines emerged in mid-August via a new website – ‘letsmonarch.co.uk’ – and social media presence that featured the Spotty-M logo and purple and yellow colour-scheme long associated with the airline. However, that carrier collapsed into administration in 2017 and its trademarks – the logo and the use of Monarch in relation to an airline – were acquired by another travel industry business, We Love Holidays. Now, the new company, which is run by recently appointed director Daniel Ellingham, has unveiled a revised look, featuring a different ‘M’ logo and a livery that is predominantly purple and white. Its tagline now boasts, “Building on history, in order to create experiences.” But the company faces a delicate balancing act: on the one hand it is seeking to tap into the history and residual affection felt for the previous airline while simultaneously distancing itself from its failure. The new website features lines harking back to the operator’s previous incarnation, such as: “Monarch Airlines began operating in 1968 and was aimed at ordinary families and was founded with the express intent of transporting British holidaymakers. Fast-forward 55 years and we still hold the same Great British values close to our crown, which has taken on a new and dynamic look but which still symbolises everything we stand for.” Earlier version of the revived airline’s website featured colours and logo long associated with the brand. But in the ‘frequently-asked questions’ section, in response to the query “Didn’t you go bankrupt?”, it states: “Whilst the original Monarch did enter administration in 2017, we are a brand new and unrelated company with a new focus and team.” <br/>
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AirAsia Aviation has blamed supply chain woes for delays in restorying its full fleet to service, as it reiterates its commitment to long-term fleet growth. In presentation slides following the release of parent company Capital A’s second-quarter earnings, the low-cost airline group says it aims to reactivate its full fleet of 200 Airbus A320s by the end the year. The revised forecast compares to earlier estimates of a full fleet recovery by the July-September quarter. AirAsia Aviation blames the “shortage of aircraft components and cabin furnishings in the market” for the delay in bringing stored aircraft back to service. “Aging aircraft require extensive maintenance services such as seat removal and comprehensive cabin interior overhauls,” it adds. AirAsia Aviation, which has units in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, has seen close to 170 aircraft return to service, of which 20 are in maintenance. By end-September, the group expects to have reactivated 180 aircraft. It adds: “Fleet reactivation alone is not enough to sustain our growth trajectory. After reactivating our fleet, we need to grow the fleet further.” The group has over 300 A321neos on order, the first deliveries of which will start in 2024 and continue over the subsequent 12 years. AirAsia will also lease nine narrowbodies in 2024 and another six in 2025. <br/>
Australia’s Regional Express (Rex) remained in the red in its full-year earnings, as it laid the blame on the “legacy effects” of the Covid-19. For the year to 30 June, Rex reported a pre-tax operating loss of A$31.7m ($20.6m), narrowing from the A$109m loss in the year prior. Rex saw revenues double year on year to A$643m, with the sharpest increase seen in passenger revenue. Fuel costs jumped two-fold compared to the prior year to A$135m, in line with an increase in operations. Non-fuel costs and other operating expenses rose about 49% year on year to A$533m. Airline executive chairman Lim Kim Hai says: “The legacy effects of Covid-19 continued to smash the aviation industry…manifesting itself in acute pilot shortages and severe dislocation of the supply chain.” The airline in late-June issued a surprising loss forecast for its annual earnings, an about-face from its optimism of returning to profitability earlier this year. The reversal followed months of “cautiously optimistic” expectations of a full-year profit. For the present financial year, which ends 30 June 2024, Rex declined to provide any profit guidance, citing “uncertainty in the global outlook”. Still, Lim says prospects in the coming months “seem much brighter”, noting that revenue is expected to pick up with additional Boeing 737s entering the fleet to “bolster our domestic expansion plans and revenue”.<br/>