Australia Airline Rex Cuts Jobs, Cancels Flights After Calling in Administrators
Australia Airline Rex Cuts Jobs, Cancels Flights After Calling in Administrators
By Lewis Jackson and Renju Jose
作者:劉易斯·傑克遜和連珠·何塞
SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australian airline $Regional Express Holdings Ltd (REX.AU)$ will cut hundreds of job after it entered voluntary administration, the second small airline to do so this year, in a move that will further concentrate the country's aviation market.
悉尼(路透社)-澳大利亞航空公司 $Regional Express Holdings Ltd (REX.AU)$ 將在進入自願管理後裁員數百人,這是今年第二家這樣做的小型航空公司,此舉將進一步集中該國的航空市場。
Traditionally focused on servicing Australia's vast regional areas, Rex in 2021 began flights in the lucrative "golden triangle" between Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, which is dominated by Qantas Airways and Virgin Australia.
雷克斯歷來專注於爲澳大利亞廣闊的地區提供服務,於2021年開始在悉尼、布里斯班和墨爾本之間利潤豐厚的 “金三角” 飛行,該地區由澳航和維珍澳大利亞航空主導。
However the airline failed to meaningfully dent their control of the overall market, which was over 90% in March, according to the competition regulator. On Tuesday, Rex called in administrators Ernst & Young.
但是,該航空公司未能切實削弱對整個市場的控制,根據競爭監管機構的數據,3月份整個市場的控制權已超過90%。週二,雷克斯請來了安永會計師事務所的管理人員。
The administrators will shutter the subsidiary which operates Rex's Boeing 737 flights between major cities and make 360 workers redundant, according to the Transport Workers Union (TWU). A further 250 jobs will be cut elsewhere, it said.
據運輸工人工會(TWU)稱,管理人員將關閉運營雷克斯在主要城市之間的波音737航班的子公司,並裁員360名員工。它說,其他地方將再裁掉250個工作崗位。
Regional flights on its fleet of Saab 340 aircraft will continue.
其薩博340飛機機隊的區域航班將繼續進行。
Transport Minister Catherine King said the government had already provided Rex some support to keep its regional flights in the air but stopped short of guaranteeing a rescue package.
交通部長凱瑟琳·金說,政府已經向雷克斯提供了一些支持,以保持其區域航班的空中運行,但沒有保證一攬子救援計劃。
I think it is fair to say that we would be reluctant to just throw money at the problem," she said. "What we would want to do is ensure that there is a long term solution to the security of regional aviation."
我認爲可以公平地說,我們不願爲這個問題投入資金,” 她說。“我們想要做的是確保支線航空的安全有一個長期的解決方案。”
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government was prepared to play a "constructive role" but declined to say whether it would take an equity stake, as called for by the TWU and others.
財政部長吉姆·查爾默斯表示,政府準備發揮 “建設性作用”,但拒絕透露是否會按照TWU和其他機構的要求收購股權。
AVIATION REFORM
航空改革
The collapse, which comes only three months after budget airline Bonza closed down, is likely to put a spotlight on the barriers smaller airlines face breaking into the vast, sparsely populated market dominated by Qantas and Virgin.
這次倒閉發生在廉價航空公司邦扎關閉僅三個月後,很可能會使小型航空公司進入由澳航和維珍航空主導的龐大、人口稀少的市場所面臨的障礙成爲人們關注的焦點。
The competition regulator has called on the government to reform how airlines are allocated flight slots, especially on busy state capital journeys, where critics argue Qantas and Virgin hoard profitable routes to keep out new entrants.
競爭監管機構呼籲政府改革航空公司分配飛行時段的方式,尤其是在繁忙的州府旅行中。批評者認爲,澳航和維珍航空囤積有利可圖的航線,將新進入者拒之門外。
The company which administers flight slots is majority owned by the two airlines, which reject the accusation.
管理飛行時段的公司由兩家航空公司持有多數股權,兩家航空公司拒絕了這一指控。
The regulator said in May that Rex needed a larger fleet and more slots at Sydney airport to grow to the point where it could meaningfully compete with Qantas and Virgin.
監管機構在5月表示,雷克斯需要更大的機隊和更多的悉尼機場空位,才能發展到可以與澳航和維珍航空進行有意義的競爭的地步。
While slot availability at Sydney airport was an issue, Rex's failure also comes down to the general slowdown in aviation as leisure travellers cut back, according to Morningstar analyst Angus Hewitt.
晨星分析師安格斯·休伊特表示,儘管悉尼機場的空位供應是一個問題,但雷克斯的失敗也歸因於休閒旅客削減航空業的普遍放緩。
There are operational issues like that but ultimately airlines are hopelessly competitive," he said.
有這樣的運營問題,但最終航空公司的競爭無可救藥,” 他說。
Virgin, which had flight slots at Sydney, had not reported an underlying profit since 2012 when it filed for bankruptcy in 2020, he added.
他補充說,在悉尼有航班時段的維珍航空自2012年於2020年申請破產以來一直沒有公佈基礎利潤。
In February the government announced reforms to slot management at Sydney airport, including greater reporting requirements. A government review into the aviation sector is due later this year.
2月,政府宣佈對悉尼機場的時段管理進行改革,包括提高報告要求。政府將於今年晚些時候對航空業進行審查。
(Reporting Lewis Jackson and Renju Jose in Sydney; Additional reporting by Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonali Paul and Christopher Cushing)
(悉尼報道劉易斯·傑克遜和連珠·何塞;裏沙夫·查特吉在班加羅爾的補充報道;索納利·保羅和克里斯托弗·庫欣編輯)