Hainan Airlines : HNA Completes Investment in Azul with a US$450 Million Strategic Investment by Hai

04-Aug-2016

Hainan Airlines Co., Ltd. ("Hainan Airlines"), a subsidiary of HNA Group Co., Ltd. ("HNA"), announces that it has completed its US $450 million strategic investment in Azul S.A. ("Azul") to acquire a 23.7% economic stake in Brazil's third largest airline, becoming the single largest shareholder of Azul in terms of economic interest, and is appointing three new members to the board of directors. The investment has paved the way for the two air airlines to cooperate through the development of global networking synergy, code sharing, new route development, frequent flyer program, marketing programs and cargo cooperation, as well as other strategic initiatives in the region. Moreover, both parties will benefit from the substantial passenger traffic between two very strong global trade partners - China and Brazil.

HNA, the mother group of Hainan Airlines, is a Fortune 500 multinational enterprise and the largest private operator of airlines in China. Hainan Airline together with HNA's member airlines fly over 77 million passengers annually on nearly 700 routes to more than 200 destinations in China and around the world. HNA also has strategic investments in other aviation supply chain businesses, including aircraft leasing (Avolon), cargo, ground handling services (Swissport), catering (gategroup), hotels and travel agency chains. Azul is the largest airline in Brazil by number of cities served, offering more than 800 daily flights to over 100 destinations. With a fleet of 136 aircraft, Azul operates approximately one third of the daily departures of the Brazilian aviation market. This investment signals a significant step for both carriers in the growth and expansion of their international route networks.

Bravia Capital Partners, a leading global transportation, logistics, infrastructure and financial services investment firm, and UBS Investment Bank both supported Hainan Airlines throughout the transaction. Seabury Securities LLC, Seabury Group's investment banking unit, served as financial advisor to Azul.

Adam Tan, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of HNA Group, said "In addition to bringing more choice and convenience to Hainan Airlines' customers traveling to and from Brazil, we view Azul as a strong and lasting partner for HNA to explore further expansion and capital investment in Latin America. We look forward to working together to create a seamless travel experience between Latin America and China and to deliver further choice, value and excellence to worldwide travelers through our future cooperation."

David Neeleman, Founder and CEO of Azul, said "This US$450 million investment, demonstrates that we have a winning business model and that Hainan Airlines, as a large investor, has absolute confidence in Azul's team. We are pleased to have Hainan as a partner as we strive to expand our award winning services throughout the region"

Bharat Bhise, CEO of Bravia Capital Partners, said "Bravia is pleased to have brought to Hainan Airlines an opportunity for strategic expansion into the largest economy in Latin America. We view Azul as a strong and lasting competitor in the Brazil market. Even in today's macroeconomic climate, we see great potential for Hainan Airlines in Brazil and throughout Latin America."

海南航空收购巴西蓝色航空23.7%股权

海南航空收购巴西蓝色航空23.7%股权

　　成为其单一最大股东

　　北京时间2016年8月3日－－海航集团旗下海南航空股份有限公司（以下简称"海南航空"）今日宣布完成对巴西蓝色航空4.5亿美金的战略投资，收购蓝色航空23.7%股权，成为其单一最大股东。未来，海南航空还将向蓝色航空指派三名董事会成员。

　　蓝色航空是巴西第三大航空公司。公司营运机队规模达到136架，每天有逾800个航班往来超过100个目的地，占巴西航空市场每日离境航班的三 分之一，2015年蓝色航空连续第五年被评为skytrax南美洲最佳低成本航空公司。这一战略投资为海南航空与巴西蓝色航空在代码共享、新航线扩展、常 旅客计划以及其他战略领域的合作铺平了道路，也标志着双方在国际航线网络拓展方面迈出重要一步。

　　海航集团董事局副董事长兼首席执行官谭向东表示，"我们期待与巴西蓝色航空携手合作，为旅客提供无缝的旅行体验，也为全球的旅行者提供更具价值的产品和更优质的服务。"

　　巴西蓝色航空首席执行官David Neeleman表示，"我们热忱欢迎海南航空在我们拓展拉丁美洲业务时成为我们的新股东和合作伙伴。我们相信在海航集团的支持下，蓝色航空将在亚太地区 获得更多的发展机会，同时蓝色航空也将通过海航集团的航空全产业链获得更多的成本协同效应。"

　　通过此次投资，海南航空实现了在南美洲和欧洲的战略联盟，有利于公司迅速拓展在南美洲、非洲和欧洲的航线布局。近年来，海南航空先后开通重庆= 罗马、西安=罗马、北京=布拉格、北京=特拉维夫、北京=曼彻斯特航线，加快了公司的国际化进程。2016年7月，海南航空连续第六次荣膺SKYTRAX 全球五星级航空公司，第七次荣获SKYTRAX"中国地区最佳航空公司"和"中国地区最佳员工服务"两项大奖。在2016年1月，德国航空安全数据评估机 构JACDEC发布的"全球最安全航空公司榜单"中，海南航空名列第五，稳居内地航空公司之首，展现了卓越的运营品质。

　　作为海南航空的母公司，海航集团已发展成为以航空、实业、旅游、资本、物流、生态科技为支柱的大型企业集团。近年来，海航集团通过战略投资拥有 强大市场地位和优秀管理团队的企业，不断拓展全球业务布局，提升海航集团航空产业全产业链服务能力。先后收购土耳其myTECHNIC飞机维修公司、土耳 其myCARGO航空货运公司、瑞士Swissport地面服务公司、瑞士SRT独立MRO服务商，积极开拓国际市场，优化产业资源配置，提高了全产业链 服务能力与国际化运营水平，深刻贯彻了国家"走出去"战略，使得海航集团在资本规模和产业覆盖上取得了迅速提升，更深度融入了全球的产业链、物流链和价值 链之中。如今，海航集团已经初步在全世界范围内建立起了商务网络，进一步充实了自身的品牌竞争力。