International Airlines Group converts the 100 million euro loan it negotiated with Globalia in March into shares. The IAG group becomes a shareholder of Air Europa with a 20% stake. In this way, the agreement reached between the two parties is the conversion of the loan of 100 million euros for seven years, which has been communicated to the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV). It should be noted that the Spanish-British group (IAG) continues to maintain the exclusive right to purchase the entire share capital of Air Europa for the next three years.
The Globalia group has expressed in a statement that this operation “reinforces” its project, being the majority shareholder of Air Europa.
After the pandemic, the airline of the Globalia group received 475 million euros that it would have to pay back in 2026. This loan belonged to the solvency support fund for strategic companies of the Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales (SEPI) with which Air Europa was able to maintain itself. After lowering the price of the operation from 1 billion euros to 500 million euros, negotiations broke down in December 2021.
In 2022, negotiations were resumed again in a new format in which they agreed on 100 million euros as a loan, now converted into 20% of the capital, which would be a financial participation for Iberia. Iberia, however, would not have a stake in the board of directors.
With this new communiqué, Air Europa and the IAG group continue to strengthen their relations, which are heading towards a takeover by the IAG group.
Foto: B. Ramón
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