Malaysia's finance ministry hires adviser to assess AirAsia's funding needs

HONG KONG/KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's finance ministry has hired Alton Aviation Consultancy to assess AirAsia's funding needs, said three sources familiar with the matter, as Southeast Asia's largest budget carrier seeks fresh capital amid mounting financial pressure. The appointment signals the Malaysian government is weighing what support, if any, it can extend to AirAsia, with the public interest and economic impact central to its deliberations, the sources said. The government's involvement is driven partly by AirAsia's role as a major employer and provider of affordable air connectivity across the region, one of them said, adding the ministry has monitored the situation for several weeks. AirAsia may require some form of government endorsement to raise fresh capital from external investors, but the exact nature of any support was unclear, the source added. Another source said the government was scrutinising AirAsia's financials and assets, but it had no current plans to bail out the company or provide a guarantee for any fundraising efforts. The sources declined to be identified as the information is not yet public. Malaysia's finance ministry, AirAsia and Alton did not respond immediately to requests for comment. Aviation publication Cirium first reported Alton's role in advising the Malaysian government. Fundraising needs AirAsia reported a net loss of 831 million ringgit ($205 million) for the second quarter ended June 30, battered by rising jet fuel costs due to the Middle East conflict and heavy foreign exchange losses. It has been restructuring aggressively, cutting underperforming routes, returning 25 older aircraft to lessors and renegotiating contracts with vendors to reduce costs. The airline said on Wednesday it was advancing discussions with local and international financial institutions, targeting up to $1 billion from international debt markets plus 700 million ringgit in local credit facilities. It said the fundraising was primarily aimed at debt restructuring rather than operational shortfalls. AirAsia's current liabilities stood at 18.4 billion ringgit ($4.55 billion) as of June 30, against cash and bank balances of 954 million ringgit, underscoring the severity of its liquidity position. Two of the sources said $1 billion may not be enough to address its financial challenges. AirAsia approached several industry players and financial investors, including at least one airline in the Asia-Pacific region, to participate in a $1 billion equity financing last year but did not clinch a deal, according to a separate source with direct knowledge of the matter. The approached airline declined, citing limited appetite for a minority stake that would offer little meaningful influence over AirAsia's operations or turnaround strategy, the source said. The Malaysian government has previously indicated a willingness to support the budget carrier, with conditions. In October 2021, AirAsia's then-parent Capital A received approval for an 80% government-guaranteed loan of up to 500 million ringgit to cover working capital needs post-pandemic. But it ultimately did not proceed because it would have required guarantees from co-founders Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun.