newstodate.aero

Apr 16, 2020 (newstodate): The Danish company Blackbird Air Charter is feeling the brunt of the current downturn in the industry - but is not overly hurt..
   -Our company benefits from a strong financial background, and while part of the pilot corps has been sent home on payment, we are in a position to respond swiftly to any business proposal, says Ole Christiansen, Blackbird Air Charter CEO.
   -Also, our aircraft fleet is owned, not by us but by various partners and investors, leaving us free from the lease burden threatening many airlines during these times of crisis.
   -Ending by the Easter holidays, we had quite a rush in flying repatriation operations, but this is over now, leaving the passenger flights market at a low ebb. Even if there might be a need for corporate customers to move abroad and between countries, borders are closed for entry.
   -What remains in this segment is basically medical flights with hospital staff or test material, in addition to occasional transportation of urgently needed spares.
   -On the other hand, we are now back to where we started in 2015 - in the aircraft brokering market. Our focus is on cargo operations on a global scale, not least uplift of medical protection gear from China to Europe and elsewhere.
   -Driving this market are the freight forwarders, some of whom are big enough to organize the flights themselves, while other rely on cooperating with aircraft brokers such as Blackbird Air Charter.
   -All in all, we are sharing the plights of the industry but in fairly good shape and ready to move once the current global downturn is lifting, says Mr Christiansen.