newstodate.aero
Jun 26, 2013 (newstodate): To all intents and purposes, yesterday's announcement by SAS of the acquisition of new long-haul Airbus aircraft may represent primarily another step towards a future sale of the carrier or a merger with another airline.
The deal with Airbus for eight A350-900 XWB and four Airbus A330-300 aircraft is so far in the form of an MoU only, and for SAS to translate this into a firm order will require a settlement of the financing solution that is still way off as SAS fights on with negative results and sustained losses.
An acquisition of the new aircraft will require substantial export credits as well as guarantees for a sale-lease back arrangement to be supported by banks outside the circle of financial institutions that are now behind the guarantees supporting the continued existence of the airline, according to industry sources.
The deal with Airbus for eight A350-900 XWB and four Airbus A330-300 aircraft is so far in the form of an MoU only, and for SAS to translate this into a firm order will require a settlement of the financing solution that is still way off as SAS fights on with negative results and sustained losses.
An acquisition of the new aircraft will require substantial export credits as well as guarantees for a sale-lease back arrangement to be supported by banks outside the circle of financial institutions that are now behind the guarantees supporting the continued existence of the airline, according to industry sources.