Slovenia’s Adria Airways seeks strategic investor following restructuring

Slovenia's Adria Airways this year plans to search for a strategic investor, hopeful it can attract interest from other airlines after completing a restructuring and recapitalisation in 2011. But the flag carrier, which has emerged as a significantly smaller and less ambitious entity, still faces significant challenges as it joins several Eastern European carriers in trying to sell stakes in adverse market conditions.

The Slovenian Government sold just under 30% of Adria Airways in Sep-2011 to a group of four banks as part of a debt for equity swap. The agreement also included a EUR50 million cash infusion from the Government, which has had to pump capital into the Ljubljana-based carrier multiple times over the last several years to cover continued losses. But the banks, which include two Slovenian and two international banks, are considered short-term investors and only agreed to the deal as it was seen as the only alternative to avoiding bankruptcy. The four banks are expected to sell their stakes at the first opportunity while the Government is also eager to further reduce its share, which now stands at just over 70%.