Scandinavian governments ready to shed majority holding
15. februar 2012, 12:23 – opdateret 15. februar 2012, 12:30
Sources close to the Swedish business newspaper, Dagens Industri, claim that the governments of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway are preparing to shed their majority, 50.4%, holding in Scandinavian Airlines, SAS, which has been hard hit by the Spanair bankruptcy and 2011 accounts showing massive losses and debts exceeding €1bn.
Aviation experts believe that the three Scandinavian airlines should be able find a buyer for their shares but not at the price they expect.
“There are masses of possibilities in the aviation industry right now, with amalgamations, structural changes, and buy-outs but in terms of price it’s the worst possible time to think about selling,” said Ole Kirchert Christiansen, owner of Travelbooker. “SAS’s share price is 65 per cent under what it was 12 months ago.”
He named German giant Lufthansa, who are named every time a sell-off of SAS is mentioned, as a potential buyer, although there could be interest from fast-growing airlines such as Qatar Airways and the Chinese Hainan, who’ve both expressed an interest in investing in Europe.
