NEW CALEDONIA’S Congress unanimously approved an extension of its loan guarantee for Air Calédonie on Thursday, a procedural move to match a two-year maturity extension granted by banks. But the move will do little to paper over the deepening crisis facing the troubled domestic carrier, which was placed in receivership just ten days ago.
The guarantee extension, which has no immediate financial cost to New Caledonia, applies to two loans totalling 2.72 billion francs taken by the airline in 2016. It is part of a broader restructuring plan that has already included job cuts and the sale of an aircraft.
But the real threat to Air Calédonie remains the ongoing blockade of airstrips in the Loyalty Islands by local groups opposed to the airline’s transfer to La Tontouta airport. Without a resumption of flights, elected officials warned, liquidation is a real and imminent risk.
“It is not progressing toward a way out of the crisis,” said Omayra Naisseline, who called for a temporary return of operations to Magenta airport. Government President Alcide Ponga rejected that idea, calling it too complex and costly.
One particularly stark warning came from Milakulo Tukumuli, who revealed that the judicial administrator had nearly moved to liquidate the company just a day earlier.
“The unblocking of the airfields is necessary and fundamental,” he said.
Meanwhile, concerns are mounting over medical evacuations. Reine Hue warned that patients are missing appointments and that her province can no longer afford to manage evacuations under the current health corridor. Ponga responded that each province must handle its own responsibilities.
Source: Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes
