In addition, our receipt of funding from the Payroll Support Program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) requires us to comply with certain covenants. If we do not comply with these covenants, or if the government issues new guidance regarding existing covenants, the government may require us to repay the support given to us.
We currently are prohibited from paying dividends under the Payroll Support Program under the CARES Act and, in the future, may not be able to pay or maintain dividends, or we may choose not to pay dividends, and the failure to pay or maintain dividends may adversely affect our share price.
The Payroll Support Program under the CARES Act prohibits the Company from paying dividends to our stockholders through September 30, 2021, accordingly no dividend has been paid since April 2020 or will be paid by the Company prior to September 30 of this year.
After the restrictions on paying dividends under the CARES Act lapse, our ability to pay, maintain or increase cash dividends to our stockholders is subject to the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on many factors, including: our ability to comply with financial covenants, the economic condition of the commercial aviation industry, the level and timing of capital expenditures, principal repayments and other capital needs, maintaining our credit ratings, our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends, including government imposed restrictions. In the future, we may choose to not pay dividends or may not be able to pay dividends, maintain our historical level of dividends, or increase them over time. The failure to maintain or pay dividends may adversely affect our share price.
Risks Related to COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and liquidity, and the duration and extent of the pandemic could prolong or increase the adverse impact.
In December 2019, an outbreak of COVID-19 originated in Wuhan, China, and in March 2020, the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. Many countries, including the United States, declared states of emergency and took steps to restrict air travel, and many companies adopted policies prohibiting non-essential business travel by their employees. Even in the absence of formal restrictions and prohibitions, contagious illness and fear of contagion has adversely affected travel demand and travel behavior. Passenger airline traffic declined significantly since March 2020, and the decrease has since had a material negative impact on our financial results.
With the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccines, many countries have started to lift their states of emergency and restrictions on air travel. With the easing of these restrictions, passenger airline traffic has started to pick-up in the United States, but business travel in particular remains well below pre-pandemic levels. In addition, we have seen and expect to continue to see reduced demand in our non-cargo commercial businesses in certain markets. In some cases, airlines have reduced their operating fleet of aircraft both in the U.S. and abroad which results in reduced demand for parts support and maintenance activities for the type of aircraft affected. Moreover, if the COVID-19 pandemic continues to result in decreased worldwide commercial activity, it could also adversely affect the demand for airline cargo services. Reduced numbers of aircraft flying or flight hours has and will continue to negatively impact the demand for our services, and any prolonged reduction could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results, financial condition, and liquidity.
While some of our employees were able to work remotely during spikes in COVID-19 cases, a significant number can only perform their job functions on site. We have promulgated policies designed to provide for appropriate protections for employees in light of relevant government guidance. We evaluate and modify these policies as needed on an ongoing basis, but there remains the risk of disruption or reduced efficiency caused by social distancing and other protective measures as well as elevated employee absence because of illness or required quarantines.
In addition, we source parts and components for our business from various suppliers around the world. Disruptions to our supply chain and business operations, or to our suppliers’ or customers’ supply chains and business operations, could have adverse effects on our ability to provide aftermarket support and services. Moreover, a prolonged epidemic or pandemic, or the threat thereof, could result in worker absences, lower productivity, voluntary closure of our offices and facilities, travel restrictions for our employees and other disruptions to our business. These impacts have had and could continue to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.