Nearly a year ago I wrote about 777 Partners, a Miami-based investment firm that has some suspicious investments in two airlines. Specifically, the company owns Australia’s Bonza Airlines and Canada’s Flair Airlines.
Bonza Airlines ceased operations days ago, after its planes were repossessed. With a lawsuit that has just been filed, one can’t help but wonder if Flair Airlines may soon face a similar fate. Keep in mind that in addition to airline investments, 777 Partners has also been buying sports clubs, which is probably more interesting to the average person (though hopefully not to us). 😉
In this post:
777 Partners accused of massive fraud scheme
For some background, I’d suggest reading a post I wrote in July 2023, about 777 Partners’ suspicious airline investments. Long story short, the people behind the investment firm faced some serious accusations about their business practices.
According to a lawsuit at the time, 777 Partners was operating a big shell game. A former employee of the company even provided the following insights into how 777 Partners operates:
“All these businesses are losing money. Sport? Losing money. Aviation? Losing money. But who is going to take the loss? The joint venture partners. These guys play a shell-game. They claim to be self financed, to have put their own money into it. But they can’t have as much money as they say they have. It’s just not possible. But they don’t need a lot of money. Because what they really do is shunt money around. It’s a giant shell game. The same money is always out there doing something. And they are running it faster and faster.”
Well, the seriousness of these accusations has just been taken to the next level. As reported by The New York Times, 777 Partners is now being sued by Leadenhall Capital Partners, a London-based asset management company. The lawsuit describes 777 Partners as “operating a giant shell game at best, and an outright Ponzi scheme at worst.”
The asset management company had provided 777 Partners with more than $600 million in financing, but discovered that around $350 million in assets that served as collateral for loans had also been pledged to other lenders. One of the owners of 777 Partners even acknowledged this happened, calling it “an embarrassing mistake.”
Ah yes, definitely an “embarrassing mistake.” Happens to the best of ’em, right? Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and it seems like at this point the owners of 777 Partners may have more than just financial issues on their hands. It’s kind of amazing what people think they can get away with.
What does this mean for Flair Airlines?
Despite 777 Partners claiming to be so well funded, it’s interesting how the company’s airlines have repeatedly had financial issues, including aircraft repossession due to late lease payments. Of course that all makes sense now, and it’s probably because of the shell game that 777 Partners is reportedly running.
Bonza Airlines has ceased operations, and I imagine this latest update could also impact the viability of Flair Airlines. A few days ago it was revealed that a portion of the shares of Flair were acquired by an affiliate of Flair’s largest senior lender, providing new non-binding debt funding.
Details of this are limited, since the company isn’t publicly traded. However, I can’t imagine any way that Flair could actually be profitable, given all that we know. Canada is a super tough aviation market to begin with, especially for ultra low cost carriers. I mean, keep in mind that another Canadian ultra low cost carrier, Lynx Air, recently ceased operations.
Flair’s former VP of Finance claimed that 777 Partners essentially profited off of its airline investments by setting them up to fail. 777 Partners had reportedly loaned Flair $129 million with an 18% interest rate, and claimed that 777 Partners bought 737 MAXs for $42 million, and then sold them to the airline for $52 million, pocketing a $10 million profit.
If all of these accusations are true, then Flair’s cost structure has to be awful, given its aircraft acquisition costs, financing costs, and more. I can’t imagine many outside investors would want to come in and take over this airline, rather than just starting from scratch.
Bottom line
While 777 Partners has faced accusations of problematic business practices for quite some time, these accusations recently became even worse. The company is now facing a lawsuit over pledging the same collateral to multiple lenders.
Bonza Airlines in Australia has ceased operations, and now we’ll see what the future holds for Flair Airlines in Canada. The company’s largest lender has taken shares in the company, but we’ll see if that’s enough to keep Flair in business.
What do you make of this 777 Partners situation?
What difference real journalists from amateurs is depth of research. What a bunch of nonsense. It is comical to see amount of anti-low cost airlines press in Canada. Journalists instead of doing research get excited about some headlines and repeat them.
WestJet started this when they realized their airline is no longer competitive and started Swoop which mission was to drive competition to the ground.
Of course low-cost business will never work in...
What difference real journalists from amateurs is depth of research. What a bunch of nonsense. It is comical to see amount of anti-low cost airlines press in Canada. Journalists instead of doing research get excited about some headlines and repeat them.
WestJet started this when they realized their airline is no longer competitive and started Swoop which mission was to drive competition to the ground.
Of course low-cost business will never work in Canada that's why Costco , Wal-Mart are struggling and The Bay, Eaton's, Sears are doing better than ever. Customers don't want good deal. Customers want a drone salesman who will push a product on their throat for an inflated price. It's unacceptable that people can buy $250 ticket Toronto Vancouver. That ticket should be $800 because Air Canada says so. Competition makes me angry I would love to see only one large carrier. Choice is confusing, let's nationalize our airlines into one big one.
When you read a statement like" I can't imagine company is making money" you not only suspect this is bunch of garbage this is the proof. Well marijuana is legal and some will smoke too much before writing an article.
If you want respect then do some research. A lot of research.
If you don't want competition, there are newspapers in North Korea and Russia. Apply.
Uh oh, looks like the 777 goons found the blog
Please do us all a favor and sell Genoa CFC before you drag them down to Serie D along with the rest of your Ponzi scheme
“Shell game at best” lol these guys are based in Miami, it’s guaranteed to be worse
Uh, Eaton's and Sears don't operate anymore.
Uh, even CNN or FOX have lots of clickbait, even BBC has them.
The problem isn't journalists. The problem is the consumers. You're getting news from blogs and TikTok, you shouldn't but you do. So journalists have to cater to you to make a living.
That's 18 more MAX jets to be repossessed.
Is that UA or AA that I hear calling??
"Southwest on line one....."
See ya in court 777 Partners. That is if they can find you.
Flair will be gone in 2 weeks.
Terrible carrier with incompotent Leadership that seem to be running the business into the ground. Though interesting that 777 Partners is leasing the planes to the airline knowing full well that it isn't sustainable. Would be interested to see the ownership structure of 777.
Too bad they didn’t have the integrity and corporate governance standards that Baltia (USGlobal ??) airlines has.
Ah another article bashing flair. All this author does is bashes flair with half baked stories. get this idiot off the internet
You don’t think the owner of Flair being taken to court multiple times and the failure of another airline under its wing, Bonza, is worthy of an article?
777 doesn’t own Flair….. so no.
ur the idiot, stop acting like an a hole
Sounds like Flail Airlines is next
Just a matter of when
Glad I flew this airline before their eventual demise. Edmonton-Nashville which they don't even operate anymore
Will you ever get a real proofreader?
"Long story story" (sic)
There's a reason discretionary investors tend to assign a "possible fraud" discount to companies based in South Florida, Arizona, and Utah.
@Ben - Do you think Flair will go out of business soon?
I have a ticket booked with them in a couple of weeks. I was about to book unrefundable accomodation. I'll hold off on that for now (or book something refundable), but you think I should be worried about my flight operating?
Yes, definitely a real risk that the airline will stop operating soon, would not book something unless it's easy to cancel
Hey W, just something to consider… When Lynx Airlines suddenly folded overnight, the only people who got their money back were the ones who purchase their tickets using a credit card with travel insurance that covered the loss.
Even the passengers who bought refundable tickets lost their money, because all the assets get frozen by the courts (and it never gets paid back to the passengers).
Just something to consider… When Lynx Airlines suddenly folded overnight, the only people who got their money back were the ones who purchase their tickets using a credit card with travel insurance that covered the loss.
Even the passengers who bought refundable tickets lost their money, because all the assets get frozen by the courts (and it never gets paid back to the passengers).
Good ol’ Ponzi scheme. Never gets old and always has new victims.
Long story story. I think you meant Long story short.
I know you don't care much about the sports side of 777's nonsense but they are also trying to buy Everton Football club, a English soccer mainstay. So if your article makes its way to the fans, there will be a giant freak out
Everton fans have been having a giant freak out about 777 for months.
It’s a matter of time when flair collapses. I figure by the start of summer at the latest. They have taken summer bookings. Then collapse with cash from future bookings.
As mentioned. CRA is owed taxes. They will get every penny plus interest.
CBC Headline, January 29, 2024: "Flair Airlines owes $67 million in unpaid taxes as (Canada Revenue Agency) opens door to seize carrier's property".
Miami is a magnet for fraud and aggression. Just look at the way people drive, or frankly, behave in that city. I have no idea why you live there.
Meh-fast driving in Miami is necessary to transport all the gold up to that big refinery in Orlando. After all, we do have large deposits of gold down here. But panning for gold in our rivers doesn't work nearly as well as suitcasing for gold at our airports.
"How to become a Millionaire, invest 10 Million with an Airline."