Anko van der Werff, CEO of the airline, asked the Colombian government for support, after a month of staying on the ground and with zero income.
“Since March 23 we have not flown in any market, we have more than 140 aircraft on the ground, almost zero income, the only entrance is by load and it is less than 10%, I don’t know how we are going to survive ”, thus begins a message the CEO of Avianca, Anko van der Werff, released this Monday through a video on social networks.
The executive urges the Colombian government for financial support, since it ensures that the airline is about to fail.
The CEO explained that for a month they don’t have any passenger flights, when they made more than 700 per day and transported half of Colombia’s national and international passengers, which add up to more than 30 million passengers a year.
The executive insisted that more than 21,000 employees and their families are at risk.
The airline, he said, is at critical moments and clarified that it does not ask for subsidies but rather financing that allows them to stay afloat while the emergency passes.
“We need to preserve liquidity and that is why we are in negotiations with several allies. The problem is serious, they are hundreds, billions of dollars and they are not small numbers. We cannot face it without the support of the State, we need the support of Colombia, “he insisted.
TOO: Avianca announces the suspension of all its commercial flights
The CEO explained that they have taken several measures that allow them to stay afloat but that time and money are running out.
To avoid bankruptcy due to the impact of COVID-19, managers have cut their salaries by 85% and have granted unpaid leave to some 17,000 employees.
“These measures do not solve the problem, our employees can sacrifice themselves for a time but people cannot be asked to live without wages. Income is needed and the only source is the Colombian government, “said Anko van der Werff. The executive revealed that he will delay the presentation of financial results due to Avianca’s uncertainty.
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