Audio By Carbonatix
Boeing Co is working with investment banks on a multibillion-dollar bond-fueled financing package, aiming to shore up its balance sheet amid a sharp travel downturn from the pandemic, three people familiar with the matter said.
The preparations reflect Boeing’s confidence that it can tap the capital markets to strengthen its finances, even as the largest U.S. planemaker weighs seeking government aid.
Boeing has lined up investment banks to potentially market an offering to bond investors in the coming days, provided that market conditions are favorable, the sources said, cautioning that the exact timing and size of the offering had not been decided. The proceeds could amount to $10 billion or more, depending on investor demand, one of the sources added.
The sources asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential. Boeing declined to comment. The company is expected to elaborate on its funding options when it unveils its first-quarter earnings on Wednesday.
Boeing has also considered applying to the U.S. Treasury Department for aid under a $17 billion program for companies that are critical to national security, according to the sources. But Boeing’s chief executive, David Calhoun, has been wary of the strings attached to such aid, especially the possibility that the company would have to give the government an equity stake.
Boeing is also examining the funding support available to companies from the Federal Reserve, one of the sources said. One of Federal Reserve’s newly established programs, the Primary Market Corporate Credit Facility, will provide support to companies issuing bonds without placing any strict conditions on them, such as limits to dividend payouts or executive compensation.
Calhoun told investors during the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Monday that the company would need to borrow more over the next six months.
Credit ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service Inc estimated this month that Boeing’s funding needs could top $30 billion in 2020. The company secured about half of this by drawing down on a $13.8 billion credit line in March, Moody’s said. Boeing also suspended its dividend.
Boeing is trying to bring its 737 MAX jet back into service after two fatal crashes, even as the aviation industry is hammered by the coronavirus pandemic, which has dried up demand for passenger air travel.
The 737 MAX jet is expected to remain grounded at least until August, as the manufacturer continues to grapple with software issues, people briefed on the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
Boeing’s first-quarter deliveries were a third of the 149 seen a year earlier and the lowest since 1984 for the first quarter.
The Chicago-based company also canceled a $4.2 billion deal for Embraer SA’s commercial aviation division over the weekend, prompting the Brazilian company to initiate arbitration.
On Monday, Boeing unveiled new voluntary layoff offers (VLOs) to employees. Boeing spokesman Bernard Choi said on Tuesday that “several thousand employees taking VLO or retiring is our expectation.”
Latest Stories
-
NPP UK branch calls for independent audit into gold purchasing operations and parliamentary probe
9 minutes -
Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings pledges decisive action on climate change, galamsey and environmental degradation
13 minutes -
Bawumia was brainchild behind Domestic Gold Purchase Programme – Samuel Jinapor
15 minutes -
Fuel prices set to go up from September 1, Petrol to sell at GHC 16.69 and Diesel, GHC 17.90 – COMAC
17 minutes -
Our World Our People withdrawn due to curriculum duplication, not politics – Adutwum’s spokesperson
19 minutes -
GANRAP is essentially a rebranding of Domestic Gold Purchase Programme – Abu Jinapor
26 minutes -
I am tired of being in opposition, my goal is to win in 2028 – Boakye Agyarko
37 minutes -
Ghana’s road maintenance funding gap deepens as only 37% of needs met – World Bank
37 minutes -
Roland Europe Group appoints Opoku Sanaa as Head of Sales, Middle East & Africa
39 minutes -
Sammyflex TV’s Roland Amartey girds up for 2026 Ghana Music Awards UK coverage
51 minutes -
U.S. bank queried payments for Ghana ambassador’s residence renovated by company owned by embassy’s IT officer
1 hour -
GoldBod to generate US$1.4bn in FX in September
1 hour -
GAF 2026/2027 enlistment opens September 3 for degree holders
1 hour -
Reparatory justice: Mahama announces high-level UN side event in September
2 hours -
Bosome Freho Assembly invests first tranche Common Fund in water and education projects for 19 rural communities
2 hours