HONG KONG, June 4: China Southern Airlines Co Ltd , the country’s largest airline by fleet size, said on Monday its state-owned parent was considering injecting capital into the company to lower its debt level.
The airline, which did not provide details of the amount being considered, was also studying a non-public issue of new shares to its parent, China Southern Air Holding Company, it said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange.
Based in China’s southern city of Guangzhou, China Southern’s net debt stood at 75.8 billion yuan ($11.9 billion) at the end of 2011, while its ratio of net debt to total equity was 201 percent last year compared with 211 percent in 2010.
‘It’s a surprising move and the injection could be a sizable amount as trading of the stock will be suspended,’ said Kelvin Lau, an aviation analyst at Daiwa Securities.
China Southern said it had requested a trading suspension from June 5.
The airline last month reported a 74 percent slide in first-quarter net profit to 319 million yuan due to a slowing domestic economy and rising jet fuel prices. (AGENCIES)
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