Airasia ... Sep11

News leaked that unit Thai AirAsia may be postponing the proposed initial public offering (IPO) in order to restructure and conduct due diligence before listing in the fourth quarter 2011.

However, AirAsia said the IPO remained on schedule. AirAsia investor relations manager Benyamin Ismail said in an e-mailed statement yesterday that the proposed IPO had not been delayed. The news was incorrect and that the IPO was scheduled for the fourth quarter 2011.

Speculation that the airline, which was targeting to raise US$200mil from the IPO to use as cash reserves and to repay debt, needed more time to restructure and conduct due diligence before listing in Bangkok.

Reuters, quoting CIMB Securities (Thailand) corporate finance head Sithichai Mahakun, said Thai AirAsia had delayed the share sale plan to the first quarter of 2012. CIMB Securities (Thailand) is the financial adviser of the airline.

There was also news that Airasia’s chief executive officer and major shareholder Tan Sri Tony Fernandes was selling out after a share-swap deal with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) in Aug 2011.

Analysts covering the stock said the sell-down on the airline's shares was also in line with the sell-down on stocks with high foreign shareholdings such as CIMB, IJM, and Petronas Chemicals.