Jan 12, 2022
Singapore Air Raises Cash on Cheap Thanks to Government Support
Bloomberg News
,![The wing of a Boeing Co. 737 Max 8 aircraft, operated by Singapore Airlines Ltd., from inside the cabin at the JetQuay CIP Terminal of Changi Airport in Singapore, on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021. Singapore Airlines unveiled its first new cabin offering in more than three years after spending S$230 million ($170 million) on the design and installation of seats on its 154-seat Boeing 737 Max planes. Photographer: Ore Huiying/Bloomberg, Bloomberg The wing of a Boeing Co. 737 Max 8 aircraft, operated by Singapore Airlines Ltd., from inside the cabin at the JetQuay CIP Terminal of Changi Airport in Singapore, on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021. Singapore Airlines unveiled its first new cabin offering in more than three years after spending S$230 million ($170 million) on the design and installation of seats on its 154-seat Boeing 737 Max planes. Photographer: Ore Huiying/Bloomberg](/polopoly_fs/1.1706879.1642043751!/fileimage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/the-wing-of-a-boeing-co-737-max-8-aircraft-operated-by-singapore-airlines-ltd-from-inside-the-cabin-at-the-jetquay-cip-terminal-of-changi-airport-in-singapore-on-tuesday-nov-16-2021-singapore-airlines-unveiled-its-first-new-cabin-offering-in-more-than-three-years-after-spending-s-230-million-170-million-on-the-design-and-installation-of-seats-on-its-154-seat-boeing-737-max-planes-photographer-ore-huiying-bloomberg.jpg)
(Bloomberg) -- Singapore Airlines Ltd. became the first carrier to tap the market for dollars in 2022, raising funds at a discount to peers thanks to its government backing.
The flag carrier sold $600 million of seven-year bonds at 3.375% and a price of 99.273, lower than the average yield at issuance of 4.375% for global airline bonds sold in 2021, according to Bloomberg-compiled data.
Hard-hit like many of its peers due to the pandemic, the airline has sought to cover expenses by raising S$22.4 billion via a rights offering and by issuing debt. Singapore’s Temasek Holdings Pte is the largest shareholder.
The Singapore government’s decision last year to allow entry of fully-vaccinated people from two dozen countries has given the city state’s travel sector a lift.
Singapore Airlines’s newly issued bonds “could offer value given its support from Temasek and ample liquidity, offset by a slower recovery due to the lack of a domestic market,” said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Sharon Chen.
Though still way below its pre-pandemic level, the number of passengers at Changi Airport rose over the course of 2021. Singapore Airlines recorded a “meaningful increase in traffic,” though the onset of the omicron coronavirus variant led to a temporary suspension of quarantine-free travel.
Singapore Airlines isn’t the only Asian carrier looking to tap funds this week. Korean Air Lines Co. is marketing a Samurai bond, which is guaranteed by the Export-Import Bank of Korea, at 0.45%. It is to be priced on Friday.
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