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LATAM Airlines Posts Steep Third-Quarter Profit Fall

SANTIAGO (Reuters) – LATAM Airlines (LTM.SN), the biggest airline group in Latin America, reported a steep fall in third-quarter profit due to lower passenger demand in Argentina and Brazil as well as higher fuel prices and competition from low-cost airlines.

LATAM reported a net profit of $53 million for the quarter, down from $160 million a year earlier, according to a securities filing.

But it said it was maintaining its guidance for the year, expecting an overall operating margin for 2018 of between 6.5 and 8 percent. It is focused on cost-cutting to offset higher expenses.

“We are transporting more passengers with a leaner organization,” a company executive told analysts on a conference call.

Morgan Stanley raised its target price for LATAM shares traded in the New York stock exchange to $9 following the earnings release, from a previous target price of $8.80.

Shares were up 3.4 percent at $9.26 on Wednesday morning.

Demand in the quarter slowed in Brazil due to a weaker local currency, and demand fell significantly in Argentina, where the local currency faced an abrupt devaluation during the quarter, reducing passengers’ purchasing power.

“We carried more passengers in all our markets except Argentina, where we cut capacity this year,” an executive said.

Lower demand and increased fuel expenses due to higher oil prices has slashed profits across regional airlines. One of LATAM’s biggest competitors, Brazil’s Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA (GOLL4.SA), reported a loss of $110 million during the quarter.

Market conditions prompted LATAM to renegotiate commitments for future aircraft purchases, achieving a reduction of $2.3 billion in fleet expenses through 2021, the company said.

The airline will also boost the number of available seats in some of its aircraft by 3 percent as improving utilization and seat count may allow it to grow with fewer aircraft.

Revenue declined by 5 percent to $2.5 billion in the quarter compared with the same period in 2017.

In the quarter, LATAM spent the equivalent of 30 percent of its revenue on fuel, compared with 21 percent a year earlier.

In comparison, Gol spent 37 percent of its revenue on fuel in the same quarter, up from 26 percent a year earlier.

(Reporting by Antonio de la Jara in Santiago and Marcelo Rochabrun in Sao Paulo; Writing by Marcelo Rochabrun; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

Gol Says Brazil’s Foreign Qwnership Ban Is Outdated

NEW YORK, Nov 14 (Reuters) – Decades-old regulations barring foreigners from owning Brazil’s airlines are outdated and “might make no sense anymore,” the top executive of Brazil’s largest airline, Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA, said on Wednesday.

Foreigners are limited by law to a 20 percent stake in any Brazilian airline’s voting stock. But while Brazil may be entering an economic liberalization phase – far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro has vowed to cut spending and privatize state companies – Gol Chief Executive Officer Paulo Kakinoff said it is unclear whether the new administration will seek to loosen the existing regulations.

“Our company has always been in favor of bringing to our country all the conditions to have access to foreign capital without any kind of restriction,” Kakinoff told Reuters in an interview. “This should be one of the positive effects of having some change in the current legislation.”

Outgoing President Michel Temer has said he is in favor of allowing full foreign ownership. In 2017, he said he would enact this change through executive action, only to change his mind and submit a bill to Congress, where the plan has stalled.

Kakinoff added that Gol is not currently in talks with Delta Air Lines Inc, which owns a 9.5 percent stake in Gol preferred shares, or any other entity, about taking a bigger stake in the Brazilian carrier.

In October, Gol said it planned to acquire full control of its listed loyalty program, a subsidiary called Smiles Fidelidade SA.

Gol’s stock surged in response, while Smiles’ plummeted almost 40 percent in one day.

Gol Chief Financial Officer Richard Lark said the airline needed to incorporate Smiles to avoid “competitive disadvantages,” especially with its largest local rival, Latam Airlines Group SA, which earlier this year decided to gobble up its loyalty program company, called Multiplus SA.

A key difference in the transactions, however, is that Latam offered cash to investors, while Gol is offering only its own preferred stock, with the exchange ratio yet to be defined.

Some minority shareholders have criticized the transaction, saying they will lose voter rights if their Smiles shares are exchanged for Gol shares, a charge the airline disputes.

“Although the company owns preferred shares in the operational company, decisions about the airline and the loyalty program will continue to be taken at the board of Gol. It won’t be a shell company,” Lark said.

Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun; Editing by Dan Grebler

Image from www.voegol.com

Airbus & Boeing Deals @ Farnborough Airshow

(Reuters) – Following is a summary of commercial aircraft deals announced by Airbus (AIR.PA) and Boeing (BA.N) at the Farnborough Airshow in southern England.

The two companies have so far signed deals worth more than $100 billion at current list prices. However, this is a gross number. Several of the deals firm up provisional ones, disclose previously unidentified buyers, or change existing orders, making it hard to gauge the level of new business.

AIRBUS DEALS – $57 billion

** GOLDEN FALCON AVIATION (for Wataniya Airways): confirmed an order for 25 Airbus A320neo jets for Kuwait’s Wataniya Airways worth about $2.8 billion at list prices.

** GOSHAWK AVIATION: a firm order for 20 Airbus A320neo jets worth about $2.2 billion at list prices.

** LEVEL (low cost of IAG): firm order for two A330-200s, worth around $477 million at list prices. https://bit.ly/2Jumrbv

** MACQUARIE FINANCE: ordered 20 A320neo jets in a deal worth about $2.2 billion at list prices.

** PEACH AVIATION: updated a previous deal for 10 A320neo, changing it to eight A320neo and two A321LR planes. The deal would be worth around $1.1 billion at list prices.

** SALAMAIR: signed an agreement to add six new A320neo aircraft to its fleet. The deal would be worth around $700 million at list prices.

** SICHUAN AIRLINES: ordered 10 Airbus A350 XWB jets, confirming a deal struck earlier this year. The order is worth about $3.2 billion at list prices.

** STARLUX AIRLINES: signed a preliminary deal for 17 Airbus A350 jets worth an estimated $6 billion at list prices.

** UGANDA AIRLINES: signed memorandum of understanding for two A330-800neo aircraft, worth around $0.5 billion at list prices.

** UNDISCLOSED CUSTOMER: order for 100 A320neo family aircraft worth about $11.5 billion at list prices.

** UNDISCLOSED CUSTOMER: a preliminary deal for 80 A320neo jets with a leasing firm. The deal would be worth around $8.8 billion at list prices.

** UNDISCLOSED CUSTOMER: has signed a commitment for six A330neo family aircraft. The deal would be worth around $1.6 billion based at current list prices. https://bit.ly/2uJJsBT

** U.S. AIRLINE START-UP: a commitment for 60 Airbus A220-300 aircraft worth about $5.5 billion at list prices.

** VISTARA: a letter of intent to buy 13 Airbus A320neo aircraft and commitment to taking a further 37 A320neos from leasing firms. The deal for all 50 aircraft would be worth around $5.5 billion at current list prices.

** VIVA AEROBUS: firmed up a deal for 25 incremental A321neo and 16 conversions of A320neos to A321neos. The 41 planes are worth around $5.3 billion at list prices.

BOEING DEALS – $82 billion

** AIR LEASE CORP (AL.N): committed to buy as many as 78 Boeing aircraft in a deal valued at $9.6 billion at list prices.

** AVIATION CAPITAL GROUP: order for 20 737 MAX 8 airplanes, valued at $2.34 billion at list prices.

** DHL: a $4.7 billion deal for four Boeing 777 Freighters, and purchase rights for seven additional freighters.

** GECAS: an agreement for 35 additional 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighters. The deal includes 20 firm orders and an option for 15 more. The deal for 35 aircraft would be worth around $3.6 billion at list prices. http://bit.ly/2mme2O5

** GOL AIRLINES: an order for 30 737 MAX 10 Airplanes, 15 MAX 8s. New agreement converts some MAX 8 orders to the larger MAX 10 model, adds 15 more jets. The deal for 45 aircraft would be worth $5.7 billion at current list prices.

** GOSHAWK AVIATION: an order for 20 737 MAX jets valued at $2.3 billion at current list prices.

** JACKSON SQUARE AVIATION: a firm deal to buy 30 737 MAX 8 aircraft, valued at about $3.5 billion at list prices.

** JET AIRWAYS: ordered an additional 75 737 MAX 8 airplanes valued at $8.8 billion at current list prices.

** QATAR AIRWAYS: finalised an order for five 777 Freighters, valued at $1.7 billion at list prices.

** SEACONS TRADING: ordered a Boeing Business Jet MAX 7, worth $96 million based on current list prices.

** TAROM ROMANIAN AIR TRANSPORT: a $586 million order for five 737 MAX 8 airplanes.

** UNITED AIRLINES (UAL.N): expanded its commitment to the 787 Dreamliner programme with an order for four more 787-9 planes, worth about $1.1 billion according to current list prices. https://bit.ly/2NXKYJw

** UNDISCLOSED CUSTOMERS: sign commitments for 40 High-Capacity 737 MAX 8s, 53 MAX 8 Airplanes, worth nearly $11 billion at current list prices

** VIETJET (VJC.HM): provisionally ordered 100 Boeing 737 MAX jets, worth about $12.7 billion at current list prices

** VISTARA: confirmed an order for six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, with an option to buy four more. The deal for the 10 planes would be worth about $2.8 billion at list prices.

** VOLGA DNEPR: committed to buying 29 of Boeing’s 777 freighter aircraft and five of its 747-8 freighter, in a deal worth about $11.8 billion at list prices.

(Compiled by Joao Manuel Mauricio, Katarzyna Piasecka and Anna Pruchnicka in Gdynia; Editing by Mark Potter)

Gol Airline of Brazil receives $251 million cash injection

Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes SA, Brazil’s second largest airline, stated it will receive a cash infusion of up to 1 billion reais ($251 million) as it cuts its routes and fleet in an effort to cut costs due to weak demand. The airline will cut flights by 6 percent this year and eliminate service to 7 cities. It is also returning 5 aircraft to leasing companies, while it slashes the scheduled deliveries of new aircraft to 1 from 15 through the end of 2017. The airline industry in Brazil is suffering from weak bookings, as a recession and a decline in the value of Brazil’s currency drives up the cost of its US dollar based costs and debt. The airline has had 15 consecutive quarters of losses, as demand has fallen 8 percent in the latest quarter year over year. The company’s stock value has declined 97% since 2006.

Gol Service Reductions

Gol announced service cuts that include ending operations to the island nation of Aruba, Caracas, Venezuela, and Miami and Orlando in Florida. It will also end operations in the domestic Brazilian markets of Bauru, Altamira and Imperatriz in the next few days. The new cash injection will commence with $376 million in Brazilian currency. The cash that will be received is for a block of frequent flyer award travel tickets. The rest of the money will come in installments as needed through the 30th of June 30, 2017. The airline will pay interest on the injected money at an interest of around 18.7% a year. This cash comes after US carrier Delta Air Lines bought a 9.5% stake in Gol. The airline, and other Brazilian companies, are hoping for an economic uptick with the 2016 Olympics this summer in Rio de Janeiro.

Gol

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