Four Air Belgium (KF, Brussels Charleroi) shareholders have supported the carrier with a capital increase of EUR6.3 million euros (USD7.1 million), the financial newspaper L’Echo revealed on June 10, confirming earlier reports about the move in May.
Sogepa, a Walloon Region investment fund, the Regional Investment Company of Wallonia (Société Régionale d'Investissement de Wallonie - SRIW), and the Federal Holding and Investment Company (SFPI-FPIM) will each invest EUR2 million (USD2.25 million) into the company, while Belgian MRO specialist Sabena Aerospace will inject EUR300,000 (USD338,000).
This raises the airline's capital to EUR28.2 million (USD31.7 million), with the issue of 126,000 new shares.
The three main investors have also subscribed to 30,000 convertible bonds for EUR1.5 million (USD1.7 million), a sum divided equally between them, effectively bringing the total support to EUR7.8 million (USD8.8 million).
Aviation Investment Holding (AIH) nv, which holds a 49.95% stake in the carrier and which is owned by Hong Kong-based firms Pioneer Topworld Ltd and Sky Master Holdings Ltd, opted not to participate in the capital increase, according to the report.
As previously reported, Air Belgium already received a EUR1.9 million (USD2.1 million) pre-crisis cash injection from Sogepa in January in exchange for shares in the airline, "in accordance with its refinancing plan", the investment fund said at the time.
Air Belgium is due to resume flight operations on June 24 from Brussels Charleroi to Fort de France in Martinique and Pointe à Pitre in Guadeloupe. During the crisis, it has continued to make repatriation and cargo flights, for example from Thailand, Cambodia, and Argentina, L’Echo reported.
