Securities Investors Association (Singapore) or SIAS has published a letter sent to Singapore Airlines (SIA) following the announcement of its proposed issuance of additional mandatory convertible bonds (MCBs) amounting to $6.2 billion earlier this month.
The letter, written by SIAS chief executive David Gerald on May 27, raised a series of questions related to the MCB issuance, SIA’s strategy and outlook, and its financials.
Among these was a question raised on behalf of some shareholders on whether SIA is considering privatisation and/or delisting, similar to the privatisation of SMRT Corporation.
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On the MCBs, SIAS’ questions include how critical is the issuance for SIA as a group, the thought process behind the proposed allocation of the proceeds, and how the issuance differs from the last round of MCBs, given the “tepid” response then.
SIAS also asked how long the $6.2 billion raised will last given its current cash burn and whether future fundraising will be required.
On SIA’s strategy and outlook, SIAS queried SIA’s worst-case scenario in terms of its operating performance and corresponding financial implications, as well as steps being taken to mitigate continued uncertainty surrounding the travel and aviation industry.
SIAS also asked whether it will consider further streamlining its asset base to an asset-light model, given the success of its recent sale-and-leaseback programme that raised $2 billion.
As at 9.56am, shares in SIA are up 5 cents or 1.01% higher at $5.01.