Rumour: Viva Macau has gone under

[Juergen Witte 0]

Viva Macau is to adjust their LCC model to that of the leading LCC´s (remark: AAX that is ... )

 

Viva Macau Airlines Introduces Checked Baggage Fees for Economy Class

(Macau, March 26, 2009) Viva Macau Airlines, Macau’s award-winning international low-fares airline, today announced the introduction of checked baggage fees for Economy Class passengers.

Effective 1st April, a service fee will apply to each Economy Class passenger who carries checked baggage for all flights except charter flights to Tokyo. For flights within 5 hours (i.e. Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City), MOP70 (USD8) per passenger will be charged for any checked baggage up to 15 kilograms; for flights more than 5 hours (i.e. Sydney), MOP110 (AUD20 or USD12) per passenger will be charged.

“To ensure the lowest airfares, our policy is our passengers only pay for what they require. The new checked baggage fees will only apply for passengers who require this service,” Viva Macau Airlines CEO Con Korfiatis said.

In addition, checked baggage allowance for Economy Class will also be adjusted from 20 kilograms to 15 kilograms, effective 1st April.

For passengers who made bookings before 1st April, checked baggage allowance remains unchanged and no checked baggage fee will apply.

 

[Pieter C. 5]

Viva Macau launching Melbourne service, seeks more aircraft

 

Viva Macau is launching services to Melbourne, its second destination in Australia.

 

This twice-weekly non-stop service starts on 9 December using Boeing 767s, says Viva Macau.

 

The airline told ATI earlier this month, that it was planning to launch a second service to Australia to complement its Sydney service. It was considering Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Melbourne.

 

The airline's CEO, Reg Macdonald, says it chose Melbourne because "there is a lot of potential for traffic in both directions" and Melbourne is a market where there is demand for both passenger and cargo services. Viva Macau transports cargo in the belly-hold of its 767s.

 

Melbourne also has a large ethnic Chinese population whose ancestors predominately come from southern China, where Viva Macau is based.

 

Macdonald says Viva Macau will be working with Melbourne Airport and Tourism Victoria to generate awareness for the new Macau-Melbourne service.

 

It is also in the process of selecting a ground handling company in Melbourne, he says, adding that it uses Menzies in Sydney.

 

Viva Macau is able to launch Melbourne services because a few weeks ago it received its third aircraft, a GE-powered Boeing 767-300ER on lease from AWAS. Its other aircraft are a Boeing 767-200ER and a Boeing 767-300.

 

Going forward the airline only wants to add 767-300ERs because this model has extended range and can carry 15t of cargo in the belly-hold, says MacDonald.

 

He says they are looking to lease a fourth 767 as soon as this year. "We don't really have a strong preference for engine type but at the moment we have more aircraft with GE engines so we will probably go with that."

 

Viva Macau outsources engine maintenance "so it doesn't really matter" if the airline opts for GE or Pratt & Whitney engines. But there is probably some small cost benefit with GE because the airline has more of that engine type, he adds.

 

While Viva Macau is poised to launch services to Melbourne, Macdonald says later this year it plans to launch a new service to either Japan or Vietnam. It already serves Ho Chi Minh City and Tokyo Narita.

 

As for next year, the airline hopes to launch services to India, says Macdonald, adding that he will be visiting India in the coming weeks.

[S V Choong 4]

Not 100% sure whether this is true, but have heard from relatives and friends in Hong Kong that Viva Macau (ZG) may have gone bust.

 

Tried their website and no flights can be booked at this stage.

http://www.flyvivamacau.com/

 

I guess we will hear more about it in the coming days. I can't seemed to find any news on the internet either.

[Ja Singh 2]

another budget airline in Asia bites the dust and, no surprises, hundreds were left stranded with perhaps thousands more wondering about tickets for upcoming trips. No wonder angry passengers in Macau tried to storm the departure area at the airport yesterday. However, I can't condone subsequent actions that included attempts at preventing other passengers flying non-bankrupt airlines getting to their gates on time (see more here).

 

The Viva Macau website is still operational, although I can't see any notice about the planes being grounded.

 

On a related note, while looking for a list of budget airlines in the region that have gone broke, I came across this website: Low Cost Airlines Graveyard. It makes you wonder how many of these outfits cared about anything other than a quick buck.

 

http://csr-asia.com/index.php?id=13521

 

SOME THING FROM ABOUT us : SILVERFLY TAKE NOTE

 

Viva Macau Airlines’ senior team is crewed by some of the best and brightest airline managers, hailing from blue chip airlines in Asia and around the world, including Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, Qantas, American Airlines, Dragonair and renowned regional low cost carriers like AirAsia and JetStar Asia etc. Collectively, the team has more than 200 years of experience in airline management and operations, aircraft engineering, and customer services. Our team is committed to giving our customers a professional and reliable, yet dynamic and people-oriented airline experience.

Edited March 29, 2010 by jadivindra

[Syukri 0]

I'm quite worry about silverfly... I do hope it can grown successfully like AK but it really takes a lot of effort,and guts to invest a hell lot of money into it....

[flee 5]

Yes, they are one stop closer to going under - check out story below.

 

Viva Macau's AOC revoked due to financial woes

[zeqa 1]

Not surprise since oasis, & other budget airlines gone bust. It's just a matter of time.

[Ruiz Razy 1]

Considering that AK and it's team dominates MFM; Perhaps they should takeover Viva Macau. This can be a step closer to China.

[KK Lee 5]

Considering that AK and it's team dominates MFM; Perhaps they should takeover Viva Macau. This can be a step closer to China.

 

Believe Viva Macau’s AOC is subleased from Air Macau and Air Macau has the first right to any route. Hence, it is not a sound business proposition to be restricted by Air Macau.

 

[flee 5]

Viva Macau's owners have deep pockets. I am sure that the AOC revocation is just a way to stop them from incurring more debts. They have bought more time to consider what the next step should be.

[Denny Yen 0]

Other news sources reported that Viva got is licence revoked due to safety rules violation:

http://www.theage.com.au/national/airline-grounded-20100329-r8b5.html

 

Viva Macau grounded

March 30, 2010

 

AIRLINE Viva Macau, which danced on to the Melbourne market in December with showgirl fanfare and discounted flights to Macau, has had its licence cancelled.

 

The turmoil left 90 international tourists stranded in Macau, including 33 bound for Melbourne.

 

''Viva Macau is no longer compliant with the basic requirements for public air transport services,'' authorities said. ''In consequence of this, the Civil Aviation Authority has revoked its Air Operator Certificate.''

 

Macau's Tourism Crisis Management Office has bought stranded tourists tickets on other carriers to get them home, according to reports.

 

The head of the Civil Aviation Authority, Chan Weng Hong said the management was ''unco-operative,'' ''irresponsible'' and ''didn't show up to provide assistance or details'' about stranded passengers.

 

The Macau government loaned the airline about $US25 million earlier this year.

[S V Choong 4]

Official statement as released by Viva Macau. Pay particular attention to the last paragraph. Are they still able to achieve this!?

 

http://www.flyvivamacau.com/au/en/press-releases/65/29-mar-2010/viva-macau-airlines-refunds-all-affected-passengers

 

 

Viva Macau Airlines Refunds ALL Affected Passengers

 

March 29, 2010

 

Viva Macau Airlines deeply regrets for the flight delay and cancellations caused in recent days and apologizes for the inconvenience caused to all affected passengers due to inability to reach agreement with the sole fuel supplier in Macau.

 

Viva Macau Airlines had taken steps, including prepayment for all weekend flights last Friday afternoon. Our shareholders had also offered credit guarantees to the supplier. Unfortunately, no agreement could be reached and therefore flights were stopped unexpectedly.

 

Viva Macau Airlines staff and representatives have been in action to assist affected passengers. We also actively communicate with all parties involved to come up with a solution. Therefore, Viva Macau was deeply surprised to learn that our AOC was revoked without any prior notice. We are continuing our communication with all parties to seek a solution.

 

The termination of AOC affected flights to destinations including Tokyo, Sydney, Melbourne, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. A total of 33 flights have been cancelled, affecting a total of 4739 passengers. Viva Macau Airlines has been in active contact with passengers and providing refunds in accordance with our Conditions of Carriage.

 

Viva Macau Airlines has set up a special hotline at 853-28718880 or 853-28718883 for enquiries.

 

Viva Macau Airlines is looking forward to communicating with all parties concerned as soon as possible in order to resolve the issue so that we can continue our mission to “bring the world to Macau”.

[Ruiz Razy 1]

Believe Viva Macau’s AOC is subleased from Air Macau and Air Macau has the first right to any route. Hence, it is not a sound business proposition to be restricted by Air Macau.

 

 

This illustrates further a good justification and sense if AK participates; effectively if a route is not viable by Air Macau, AK can come in and effectively bring greater tourism potential to MFM.

 

If Air Macau rejects, this wud b at the expense of MACAU tourism industry.

[BC Tam 2]

Macau's Tourism Crisis Management Office has bought stranded tourists tickets on other carriers to get them home, according to reports.

 

If this proves true, then it is very very impressive service recovery

Probably a good indication of how crucial tourism is to the Macau economy

Wonder if our Tourism Malaysia or state tourism promotion bodies have any such contingency plans ?

[S V Choong 4]

I have this feeling that every time when we talk about what happened to a foreign carrier or some talks about other airlines. It seems that there are always comments or suggestions about MAS or Air Asia should do or could to change the world or make it better. Not referring to anyone in particular but just the general feeling I get. Or am I the only one who is feeling this? If you browse through a lot of topic in this forum, you will probably notice too.

Edited March 31, 2010 by S V Choong

[BC Tam 2]

Or am I the only one who is feeling this?

No you're not. I too get this impression for some reason or another