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Oslo, 29 January 2019
Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA (Norwegian or the Company) is strengthening its
balance sheet through a fully underwritten rights issue of NOK 3 billion in
order to increase its financial flexibility and create headroom to the covenants
of its outstanding bonds compared with the Companys business plan.
The Company is changing its strategic focus from growth to profitability. The
Company intends to capitalize on the market position and scale built up over the
last years. As a consequence of the changed focus, the capital expenditures will
be reduced, which is expected to be achieved by a combination of (i) aircraft
divestment, including JV, and (ii) postponement of aircraft deliveries. Further,
the Company is working on several operational improvements, including (i) the
extensive cost reduction program, #Focus2019, which will contribute to estimated
reduction of minimum NOK 2 billion in 2019, (ii) optimization of the base
structure and the route network and (iii) the agreement with Rolls-Royce related
to compensation for the operational disruptions on its long-haul operations
which was entered into in December 2018. The Company will update the market
further on these initiatives on its Q4 2018 presentation. The fully underwritten
rights issue in combination with these improvement initiatives will
significantly improve the financial position of the Company during 2019.
Norwegian has been through a period with significant growth. Focus going
forward will increasingly be on cost savings and CAPEX reductions. We will now
get in place a strengthened balance sheet that supports the further development
of the company. With the strengthened balance sheet, the organization can now
devote all its attention to further development of the company, says CEO Bjørn
Kjos.
According to its preliminary 2018 figures, the Company delivered revenues of
approximately NOK 40.3 billion, EBITDA of approximately NOK -2.2 billion, EBITDA
excl other losses/gains of NOK 1.2 billion, EBIT of approximately NOK -3.8
billion and EBT of approximately NOK -2.5 billion in 2018. At the end of Q4
2018, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of NOK 1.9 billion and equity
position of NOK 1.7 billion. Due to the rights issue, the Company will publish
its Q4 2018 results on 7 February 2019 as set out below.
On 12 April 2018, it was announced that International Airlines Group (IAG) had
acquired 4.61 per cent of the shares in the Company, and that IAG was
considering to make an offer for all the shares in the Company. Subsequently,
the Company received enquiries from several parties who expressed interest for
structural transactions, financing of the Company and various forms of
operational and financial cooperation. Discussions with such parties have been
ongoing on several levels and with different approaches. The Company has
previously announced that it received two preliminary and non-binding
conditional proposals from IAG to acquire all the shares in the Company, which
were rejected by the Company on the basis that they undervalued the Company and
its prospects.
Following, among other issues, severe delays in aircraft and engine deliveries,
the Company has for some time been assessing financing needs and financing
alternatives, including raising equity. The Company secured stand-by
underwriting commitment for a rights issue of up to NOK 3 billion in Q4 2018.
However, during Q4 2018 and through December 2018, it has not been in position
to raise equity while being engaged in new, concrete and specific negotiations
related to the acquisition of the shares of the Company. No such discussions are
currently ongoing.
On 24 January 2019, IAG announced that it does not intend to make an offer for
the Company and that, in due course, it will be selling its shareholding in the
Company.
The Company believes that a strengthened balance sheet will increase its
competitiveness and stand-alone financial strength. The Board will nevertheless
continue to be willing to engage in consolidation discussions that can develop
shareholder value in Norwegian.
The proposed issuance of new shares will generate gross proceeds of
approximately NOK 3 billion and will be conducted as a fully underwritten rights
issue, in order to ensure equal treatment of Norwegian’s more than 16,000
shareholders. The rights issue is, subject to certain conditions, fully
underwritten. Norwegian’ largest shareholders, Bjørn Kjos, Chief Executive
Officer in the Company, and Bjørn Halvor Kise, Chairman of the Board of the
Company, have pre-committed to subscribe for NOK 343 million in aggregate
through HBK Holding AS (NOK 300 million) and Sneisungen AS (NOK 43 million).
Certain other larger shareholders have pre-committed and underwritten NOK 267
million. Since only a few shareholders have been invited to underwrite prior to
this announcement, other professional shareholders will be allowed to
participate in the underwriting until 5 February 2019. Additional shareholders
have indicated their support for the rights issue. The remaining NOK 2,390
million of the rights issue is underwritten by DNB Markets, a part of DNB Bank
ASA (DNB Markets), Sterna Finance Ltd., a company indirectly controlled by
trusts established by Mr. John Fredriksen for the benefit of his immediate
family, and Danske Bank, Norwegian Branch (Danske Bank). DNB Markets has been
retained as Sole Global Coordinator and Joint Bookrunner for the rights issue.
Arctic Securities and Danske Bank are acting as Joint Bookrunners for the rights
issue.
The Company will call for an extraordinary general meeting (“EGM”) to be held on
or about 19 February 2019 to resolve the rights issue. Shareholders now
representing 33 per cent of the shares have undertaken to vote in favor of the
rights issue at the EGM and additional shareholders have indicated that they
will support the rights issue at the EGM. Terms of the rights issue, including
the subscription price and the number of shares to be issued, will be proposed
by the Board of Directors and are expected to be announced on or about 18
February 2019.
According to the current timetable, and subject to approval by the EGM, the
subscription period for the rights issue is expected to commence on or about 22
February 2019 and end on or about 8 March 2019. Norwegians shares are expected
to be traded exclusive of subscription rights from on or about 20 February 2019.
Freely tradable subscription rights will be applied for listing on the Oslo
Stock Exchange and will be tradable from the commencement of the subscription
period and until on or about 6 March 2019, two days prior to the expiry of the
subscription period.
The Company will prepare and publish a prospectus for the rights issue, which
will be subject to approval by the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority
prior to publication.
All dates and other figures with respect to the rights issue included herein
remain tentative and subject to change. Any changes will be announced at the
extraordinary general meeting or through stock exchange announcements.
The Company has received a proposal from certain large shareholders that
representation from the shareholders of the Company should be increased in the
election committee at the next annual general meeting, and that Article 8 of the
Articles of Association of the Company should be changed so that the chair of
the Board of Directors of the Company is no longer a permanent member of the
committee. HBK Holding AS, the largest shareholder of the Company, supports the
proposal.
Changes to the Companys financial calendar
In connection with the fully underwritten rights issue, the Company will publish
its Q4 2018 results on 7 February 2019. The traffic update for February 2019
will be published on 11 March 2019.
Analyst and investor call
The Company will host an analyst and investor call at 10:00 CET today, 29
January 2019. Please see dial-in information below in order to participate:
Norway: +47 80010392 / +47 21563162
International: +44 (0) 203 0095710
Conference ID: 3034018
For more information, please contact:
Geir Karlsen, Chief Financial Officer, phone: +47 916 08 332
Stine Klund, Investor Relations Officer, phone: +47 986 99 259
This announcement is not an offer for sale of securities in the United States or
any other country. The securities referred to herein have not been registered
under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”),
and may not be sold in the United States absent registration or pursuant to an
exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act. The Company does not
intend to register any portion of the offering of the securities in the United
States or to conduct a public offering of the securities in the United States.
Any offering of securities will be made by means of a prospectus that may be
obtained from the Company when the subscription period commences and that will
contain detailed information about the Company and management, as well as
financial statements. Copies of this announcement are not being made and may not
be distributed or sent into the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan or any
other jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful or would require
registration or other measures.
In any EEA Member State that has implemented Directive 2003/71/EC (together with
any applicable implementing measures in any member State, the “Prospectus
Directive”), this communication is only addressed to and is only directed at
qualified investors in that Member State within the meaning of the Prospectus
Directive.
This announcement is only directed at (a) persons who are outside the United
Kingdom; or (b) investment professionals within the meaning of Article 19 of the
Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the
“Order”); or © persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order; or
(d) persons to whom any invitation or inducement to engage in investment
activity can be communicated in circumstances where Section 21(1) of the
Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 does not apply.
Certain statements included within this announcement contain forward-looking
information, including, without limitation, those relating to) forecasts,
projections and estimates, statements of management’s plans, objectives and
strategies for the Company, such as planned expansions, investments or other
projects, management, as well as statements preceded by “expected”, “scheduled”,
“targeted”, “planned”, “proposed”, “intended” or similar statements. Although
the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking
statements are reasonable, these forward-looking statements are based on a
number of assumptions and forecasts that, by their nature, involve risk and
uncertainty. Various factors could cause our actual results to differ materially
from those projected in a forward-looking statement or affect the extent to
which a particular projection is realized.
No assurance can be given that such expectations will prove to have been
correct. The Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
event
http://www.netfonds.no/quotes/release.php?id=20190129.OBI.20190129S4
