Viking Airlines AB shareholder Phil Wyatt has revealed he has UK trade investors poised to inject millions into the company and is confident the carrier will resume flying from the UK in the spring.
The airline last week returned its three aircraft to the leasing film and was forced to suspend operations until March 2011. It had already announced the downsizing of its fleet and a number of job losses in August following the collapse of Kiss Flights.
Wyatt, chief executive of Black Pearl Investments UK, which owns a minority stake in Viking, said: “We have the investment ready and the right business model lined up. This needs trade support and some sort of system integration.”
Wyatt claimed the lessors “withdrew the aircraft despite knowing the investment was ready”.
He said he was hoping to come to a “sensible conclusion on the termination agreement” adding: “We were left with no choice but to park the airline, but we have got until March 31 to restart the Air Operating Certificate – and we will do so before then.
“I am confident that Viking will be flying out of the UK again in some shape or form.”
Wyatt said the next step was to meet with the lessors to conclude an agreement. “We need to sit down and speak with them. This should take no more than eight weeks.”
Viking Airlines’ Greek sister airline Viking Hellas is due to take over the airline’s winter flying programme. Hellas suffered its own setback on Monday when an aircraft was impounded at Gatwick due to non-payment of fees. It was released later that day after Viking Group made a payment.