Pilots get stake in Mexican airline

Mexico City, Jan 26 (IANS/EFE) The union representing pilots at Mexicana de Aviacion is getting a 2.8 percent stake in the carrier, which went bankrupt last year, as compensation for unpaid wages, union leaders said.

The union’s stake in the carrier was reduced by about 2 percent, Airline Pilots Association, or ASPA, leader Fernando Perfecto said.

Union members will still have “a voice and vote in participating in meetings and actions taken by the new investor group” running Grupo Aeronautico, the name of the new holding company, Perfecto said.

Grupo Aeronautico will hold the stock of Compaia Mexicana de Aviacion and budget carriers Mexicana Click and Mexicana Link.

Once the shareholdings are completely determined, the owners of private equity group PC Capital will eliminate 75 percent of the airline’s workers, including flight attendants, pilots and ground support personnel, and pay them 2 billion pesos (about $166 million), the ASPA leader said.

Half of the money will be paid immediately and the rest over seven years, with interest, Perfecto said.

Workers whose positions are eliminated will get shares in the new carrier worth 2.8 billion pesos (about $233 million), the union leader said.

Mexicana de Aviacion, which plans to resume flying next month with six planes and 100 pilots, received its operating and security licenses over the weekend after conducting test flights mandated by regulators.

Mexicana, which had been one of Mexico’s two leading airlines, stopped operating Aug 28 along with sister budget carriers Click and Link due to serious financial problems.

On Sep 7, a Mexican judge allowed the airline to suspend payment on its debt and left it in the hands of a court-appointed receiver.

Mexicana had been acquired in late 2005 by hotel operator Grupo Posadas.

–IANS/EFE