MANILA – Philippine Airlines said today it was filing for bankruptcy in the United States to slash US$2 billion (RM8.3 billion) in debt as it tries to survive an industry gutted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The national carrier of the Philippines said the filing will allow it to restructure contracts and cut debt by at least US$2 billion while getting US$655 million in fresh capital when it emerges from the Chapter 11 process.
PAL will also downsize its fleet by 25% and renegotiate contracts to reduce lease payments.
“Philippine Airlines will continue business-as-usual operations while finalising the restructuring of our network, fleet, and organisation,” senior vice-president and chief financial officer Nilo Thaddeus Rodriguez said in a video message.
As part of agreements reached with suppliers, lenders, and lessors, Rodriguez said PAL will secure US$505 million to execute the recovery plan. The money will later convert into airline equity and long-term debt.
It will also obtain another US$150 million in debt funding after it emerges from the restructuring process “in a few months”, Rodriguez said.
Philippine air travel volume collapsed by 75% from about 30 million passengers in 2019 to seven million last year due to pandemic restrictions, PAL president Gilbert Santa Maria said in the same video.
The carrier cancelled more than 80,000 flights, wiping out US$2 billion in revenue, and let go of 2,300 employees.
Its main shareholder injected more than US$130 million in emergency liquidity and a non-strategic asset was sold for more than US$70 million.
Santa Maria said PAL now operates 21% of pre-pandemic flights to 70% of its usual destinations. – AFP, September 4, 2021
