While a portion of the Air Mauritius fleet is listed as parked or inactive, one of the carrier’s jets has been in Cairo (Egypt) for over a month. While one source notes that the aircraft is just there for maintenance, and the airline says it no longer needs the jet, other sources say the aircraft has actually been confiscated. Let’s find out more.
Repairs or repossession?
On May 3rd, Air Mauritius’ Airbus A330-200 registered 3B-NBM took off from its home at Port Louis Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Airport in Mauritius. From there, it headed north-northeast, flying just over eight hours to touch down at Cairo International Airport in Egypt. The aircraft has been there ever since.
ch-aviation data tells us that the aircraft’s status is “Maintenance at Cairo International (CAI).” More specifically, the aircraft is undergoing a major C-check. But other sources provide a more interesting story regarding this aircraft’s long-term visit to Egypt.
Local Mauritian media have the airline claiming the aircraft is no longer needed and has been returned to its lessor, Doric Aviation. A return wouldn’t be out of the ordinary – especially after being leased out to the airline for well over 13 years.
However, with the help of some sources, aeroTELEGRAPH writes that the aircraft’s return to Doric may not have been voluntary and may, in fact, have been confiscated. For its part, Doric simply states that the jet is undergoing maintenance.
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The state of Air Mauritius
According to Air Mauritius, both itself and its wholly-owned subsidiary Airmate have been under voluntary administration for more than a year. Indeed, the global health crisis had a significant negative impact on the airline and its financial stability. The airline has had to postpone its ‘Watershed meeting’ as it works towards a final proposal for a future plan. In its meeting postponement notice, the airline said:
“Our final proposals will depend heavily on the financial support that funders are likely to consider. Discussions are ongoing and we hope this process will be completed shortly for the Watershed meeting to be held ahead of the 31st of January 2022 deadline.”
The airline has fought hard for its survival. In July of 2020, we reported that it put some of its jets up for sale. The aircraft available for purchase included:
- Two A340-300 aircraft (MSN 194 and 268)
- One A330-200 (MSN 1057)
- Two A319-100s (MSN 1592 and 1936)
Although these jets remain listed as part of the Air Mauritius fleet (albeit with a “parked” status), aeroTELEGRAPH writes that Dutch BAP Aviation Services, which specializes in spare parts, bought all aircraft except the A330-200 registered 3B-NBM.
While the reasoning for the aircraft’s time in Cairo is slightly different, the end result is that the airline is down another widebody jet. With the carrier in a state of uncertainty and financial difficulty, it wouldn’t at all be surprising if Doric Aviation held on to the aircraft due to outstanding lease payments. However, it’s something that we might not be able to find out.
What do you think happened with this A330? Let us know in the comments.
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