Monarch Airlines Goes Bankrupt

Monarch Airlines aircraft are pictured on the tarmac at Birmingham Airport. Pic: AFP
Monarch Airlines aircraft are pictured on the tarmac at Birmingham Airport. Pic: AFP
TT

Monarch Airlines Goes Bankrupt

Monarch Airlines aircraft are pictured on the tarmac at Birmingham Airport. Pic: AFP
Monarch Airlines aircraft are pictured on the tarmac at Birmingham Airport. Pic: AFP

Britain’s Monarch Airlines collapsed on Monday, causing the cancellation of all its activities and around 300,000 flights. It marooned more than 100,000 tourists abroad, prompting what was billed as the country’s biggest peacetime repatriation effort.

The British authorities will allocate three airplanes to be sent to thirty airports in order to face this unprecedented situation without imposing any additional costs on passengers. All other bookings were canceled without the authorities or company presenting any clarifications about the future of Monarch.

Andrew Haines, CEO of the CAA, said that this has absolutely been a tough decision on customers and employees but talks are ongoing with officials in the aviation sector to recruit the employees in Monarch as soon as possible.

“Monarch has really been a victim of a price war in the Mediterranean,” Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said.

KPMG has been appointed for administering the company that has a total of 2,100 employees given that it is an airline and travel company.

Monarch, established in 1968, witnesses huge turnout from British people wishing to spend their vacation in warm and sunny destinations, but it is facing challenges due to the severe competition.

UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) posted on Twitter and on Monarch websites that starting from Oct. 2 all flights were canceled and are no more valid in an unprecedented situation in which there are more than 110,000 passengers abroad.

The British government asked CAA to coordinate for the sake of bringing back Monarch customers to the country. New flights will be provided for them without any additional costs.



Gold Pulls Back from Near 3-month High as Dollar Regains Strength

FILE PHOTO: An employee places ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom at the Novosibirsk precious metals refining and manufacturing plant in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, Russia, September 15, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An employee places ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom at the Novosibirsk precious metals refining and manufacturing plant in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, Russia, September 15, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo
TT

Gold Pulls Back from Near 3-month High as Dollar Regains Strength

FILE PHOTO: An employee places ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom at the Novosibirsk precious metals refining and manufacturing plant in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, Russia, September 15, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An employee places ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom at the Novosibirsk precious metals refining and manufacturing plant in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, Russia, September 15, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo

Gold prices eased on Thursday from a near three-month peak hit in the previous session, as the dollar regained strength, while investors awaited further direction from US President Donald Trump's administration regarding trade policies.
Spot gold eased 0.1% to $2,751.99 per ounce by 0552 GMT. Prices rose to $2,763.43 on Wednesday, their highest since Oct. 31 when they hit a record high of $2,790.15.
US gold futures shed 0.4% to $2,760.20.
"It's just a technical pullback because the dollar has been taking back on $108 level, triggering some profit-booking, but the undertone for gold is expected to be positive," said Ajay Kedia, director at Kedia Commodities in Mumbai.
Trump has mooted levies of around 25% on Mexico and Canada and 10% tariff on China from Feb. 1. He also promised duties on European imports, without elaborating further.
"How Trump's policies impact gold is whether the combination of tax cuts, deregulation, tariffs, and deportation will amount to a strong inflationary push," said Ilya Spivak, head of global macro at Tastylive.
"If so, Fed rate cuts will be limited and gold is likely to struggle."
According to Reuters technical analyst Wang Tao, gold might have to face resistance at $2,759, which could trigger a correction.
The Federal Reserve is meeting next week against a backdrop of continued economic growth and declining inflation, but faces uncertainties from Trump's proposed policies that analysts see as inflationary.
The US central bank is expected to hold its benchmark interest rate steady at its next policy meeting on Jan. 28-29. Higher interest rates dampen the appeal of non-yielding gold.
European Central Bank policymakers lined up behind further rate cuts, while the Bank of Japan is widely expected to raise rates on Friday.
Spot silver dropped 0.5% to $30.63 per ounce, while platinum shed 0.2% to $944 and palladium dipped 0.7% to $970.55.