Air Canada Drops as Rescue Plan Sees Government Take Equity
- Shares, warrants could mean 9.7% dilution, CIBC analyst says
- Finance minister confirms aid talks with Onex’s WestJet
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Air Canada shares fell after the company reached a deal with the federal government for loans and equity worth nearly C$5.9 billion ($4.7 billion), making the state a shareholder of the country’s largest airline for the first time since the 1980s.
Air Canada declined 2.6% to C$26.29 as of 12:39 p.m. in Toronto. Earlier it dropped more than 6.6% as the market absorbed the news that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government is buying C$500 million of shares at a discount. The government will also receive warrants as part of a financing agreement that makes Air Canada eligible for five new credit facilities, according to a company statement.