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1. Air NZ lifts Virgin stake but won't bid
AIR New Zealand is increasing its stake in Virgin Australia by 5 per cent and will sit at the takeover threshhold of 19.99 per cent in what is seen as a strong endorsement of chief executive John Borghetti's strategy for the airline.
The opportunistic acquisition saw the airline increase its shareholding at 29.7c per share through an equity derivative agreement with Deutsche Bank worth up to $32.8 million.
It is understood Air NZ has yet to seek board representation as part of the deal, but it is expected to do so. It has no immediate intention of taking its stake further and is not in talks with Virgin Group, which has a 25.6 per cent share in the Australian carrier.
"Our increased investment in Virgin Australia continues Air New Zealand's strategy to develop scale and reach in this region," Air NZ chief executive Rob Fyfe said.
"The trans-Tasman Alliance with Virgin Australia was the first step in this strategy, followed by our initial investment in January of this year. This increased investment demonstrates our continued belief in the strategy that Virgin Australia is pursuing and our confidence in the Virgin Australia management team to deliver this strategy."
The carrier's results announcement about its market-beating performance on the Tasman and expectations of the alliance with Virgin. He said the alliance was now well under way "and delivering great results for customers and also for both airlines".
"Our combined share in the trans-Tasman market has grown significantly year on year," Mr Fyfe said. "As we noted at the time of our original investment, our stake in Virgin Australia also provides us with an interest in the No 2 airline in Australia and, through this, access to opportunities in the growing Australian domestic market. Air New Zealand has no intention to enter the Australian domestic market in its own right.
"The recent weakness in Virgin Australia's share price provided us with an opportunity to gain further exposure to Virgin Australia at an attractive price, reducing our average cost of entry from 44c per share to approximately 40c per share."
The equity derivative agreement with Deutsche Bank gives Air NZ an economic interest in up to 5 per cent of Virgin Australia, subject to certain conditions, including not breaching the foreign ownership cap.
Air NZ is guaranteed a minimum exposure of an additional 3.5 per cent stake, worth $23m, up to the maximum additional exposure of 5 per cent. Foreign ownership in Virgin now tops 48 per cent and Air NZ said it would begin talks with Virgin Australia to convert the derivatives to physical shares "as soon as possible within the constraints of the foreign ownership cap".
Once completed, the deal will see Virgin Group and Air NZ with more than 45 per cent of the company.
2. Qantas fury at grand final weekend walkoff
QANTAS has accused the Transport Workers Union of targeting one of the busiest days of the year with industrial action in a ploy to maximise disruption.
Baggage handlers and catering workers will walk off the job for an hour on Friday morning as travellers head to the NRL and AFL grand finals, during school holidays and on a long weekend in some states.
The airline was last night unable to quantify the impact of the action, but said it was looking at contingency measures to minimise disruption.
"This is one of our busiest weekends of the year, with tens of thousands of people travelling around Australia for football and the school holidays on Friday alone," Qantas spokeswoman Olivia Wirth said.
"The union knows this and are trying to cause maximum disruption to passengers."
The airline will provide additional flights and increased capacity out of Auckland to cater for those travelling to Sydney for the NRL grand final between New Zealand and Manly on Sunday.
The TWU said members would stop work at all major Australian airports for one hour at 8am on Friday. The stoppage was designed to provide members with an update on negotiations and to determine future strategy.
It warned that strategy could include further action and accused management of a deliberate war of attrition and being "hell bent on dragging this matter out".
Qantas is under fire from several unions and estimates industrial action by licensed engineers now entering its second month has so far affected about 20,000 passengers.
Travellers also face delays this morning from stoppages by Customs and Border Protection officers at about 50 locations around Australia.
Additional stoppages are planned for Sydney on Thursday and Saturday and passengers have been advised to allow for additional time at the airport.
The Community and Public Sector Union says the stoppages reflect widespread dissatisfaction in the public service with the federal government's handling of pay negotiations.
CPSU national secretary Nadine Flood said customs officers had been offered pay increases below inflation, despite increasing workloads that had seen passenger volumes increase at Melbourne airport alone by 11 per cent in the past year.
Australian Aviation NEWS
Aviation NEWS By
Neha Jain
Aviation NEWS Reporter
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