Air France-KLM announces the success of its capital increase for an amount of €1.036 billion after exercise in full of the increase option
Air France-KLM announced last week, the success of its capital increase without shareholders’ preferential subscription rights, by way of a public offering and with a priority subscription period on an irreducible and reducible basis granted to existing shareholders, for an amount of approximately €1,036 million (after exercise in full of the increase option) (the “Capital Increase”).
“The success of our capital increase and the renewed support of our main shareholders testify to the confidence of investors in the prospects of the Group, whose financial solidity has been strengthened thanks to these initial recapitalization measures.”, said Air France-KLM Group CEO, Benjamin Smith, “All Air France-KLM management and employees are strongly committed to pursuing our transformation plan to work together to improve the competitiveness of the Group and its airlines and to approach the recovery with determination and ambition when it takes shape. “
The Group has reiterated the economic, financial and environmental commitments made in the framework of the State loan and reflected in its transformation plan. The Group, therefore, maintains an ambitious environmental roadmap to accelerate the Group's sustainable transition, in line with the objectives of the National Low Carbon Strategy (Stratรฉgie Nationale Bas Carbone).
The Capital Increase will result in the issuance of 213,999,999 new shares (the “New Shares”) at a price per share of €4.84, representing approximately 50% of the Company’s existing share capital.
The proceeds of the Capital Increase will be allocated to strengthen the equity of Air France. Air France will use the allocated amount to consolidate its liquidity and finance general corporate purposes in the context of the Covid-19 crisis.
The Capital Increase, including the private placement, the priority offer and the public offer, attracted strong investor demand, which enabled the exercise in full of the increase option.
Orders placed in the public offering will be allocated in full, for an amount of approximately €2 million. Given the demand and the number of New Shares subscribed for by the shareholders during the priority subscription period both on an irreducible and reducible basis (ร titre irrรฉductible et rรฉductible), orders placed in the private placement will be partially reduced to an amount of approximately €252 million.
In the context of the priority subscription period, the Company’s existing shareholders subscribed to 161,498,962 New Shares, representing approximately €782 million and 75% of the total amount of the Capital Increase, of which €266 million on an irreducible basis.
As per their subscription commitments, and given the allotment scale of reducible orders, the French State and China Eastern Airlines subscribed in the context of the priority period respectively 122,560,251 New Shares (i.e. 57% of the total amount of the Capital Increase) and 23,944,689 New Shares (i.e. 11% of the total amount of the Capital Increase).
The Company has agreed to a lock-up period starting from the signature of the placement and underwriting agreement and expiring 90 calendar days following the settlement and delivery date of the New Shares, subject to certain exceptions.
Each of the French State, China Eastern Airlines, the Dutch State and Delta Airlines has agreed to a lock-up period of 90 calendar days after the date of settlement and delivery of the New Shares, subject to customary exceptions.
Following the completion of the Capital Increase, the Company’s share capital will increase to €642,634,034 divided in 642,634,034 shares, each with a nominal value of €1, split as follows:
| % of the capital | % of theoretical voting rights (1) |
| | | |
| Number of shares and voting rights | 642,634,034 | 860,643,182 |
| French State | 28.6% | 28.5% |
| China Eastern Airlines (2) | 9.6% | 11.5% |
| Dutch State(3) | 9.3% | 13.9% |
| Delta Air Lines, Inc | 5.8% | 8.7% |
| Employees (FCPE) | 2.5% | 3.7% |
| Treasury stock | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Others | 44.0%(4) | 33.4% |
(1) The theoretical voting rights calculation takes into account all the voting rights, including the double voting rights.
(2) Through Eastern Airlines Industry Investment (Luxembourg) Company Limited.
(3) by notice received on 8 March 2021, supplemented by a notice received on 9 March 2021, the Dutch State declared that on 4 March 2021, it had exceeded the threshold of 15% of the voting rights of the Company and that it held 60,000,000 shares of the Company representing 120,000,000 voting rights, i.e., 14.00% of the share capital and 18.56% of the voting rights of the Company.
(4) On 8 February 2021, Bank of America Corporation declared that it had exceeded the threshold of 7.19% of the share capital, corresponding to the consolidation of shares physically held but also, and for the most part, to the equity accounting of securities held through financial instruments. Excluding these instruments, Bank of America Corporation physically holds less than 5% of the capital of Air France-KLM and is therefore not represented in the shareholding chart above.
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