SIA RAISES US$600M IN USD BOND

Singapore Airlines said on Thursday (Jan 13) it had raised US$600 million in a US dollar bond deal to help fund aircraft purchases and repay existing borrowings as it grapples with lower travel demand amid rising Omicron infections.

TheĀ seven-year notes, its second USĀ dollar bond offering, have a coupon of 3.375 per cent. A year ago, it raised US$500 million in a five-year issue with a 3 per cent coupon.

The airline was aiming to raise between US$500 million and US$750 million, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.

The Government last month froze the sale of tickets for arriving flights under its quarantine-free travel programme for four weeks, citing the risk from the fast-spreading Omicron COVID-19 variant.

Before this offering, the airline had raised S$21.6 billion (US$16 billion) of liquidity during the pandemic and had untapped debt facilities of S$2.1 billion as of Sep 30, according to its latest financial results presentation.

Despite the fall in demand, it has been spending billions of dollars renewing its fleet to help lower fuel burn and carbon emissions.

Source: Reuters