IAG converts Air Europa loan into 20 per cent stake

European aviation big IAG has transformed a €100 million mortgage to Air Europa’s dad or mum firm right into a 20 per cent stake within the Spanish provider.

IAG, which owns British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling, admitted it was trying to revive its bid to purchase Air Europa after loaning €100 million to the airline’s proprietor Globalia in March 2022

The airline group introduced on Tuesday (16 August) that it had “exercised its choice to change the group’s €100 million seven-year unsecured mortgage to Globalia for a 20 per cent fairness stake in Air Europa”.

IAG’s authentic €1 billion acquisition of Air Europa, which was first announced in 2019, was derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic. The value was later dropped to €500 million in January 2021 earlier than being scrapped completely at the end of last year.

Luis Gallego, IAG’s chief government, mentioned in March – on the time of constructing the mortgage to Globalia – that his firm “stay satisfied concerning the strategic significance of this deal to the event and competitiveness of Madrid’s hub”.

The mortgage additionally gave IAG a one-year “exclusivity” interval to barter a brand new settlement to amass Air Europa.