Singapore Airlines raises $1.5b from sale and leaseback of aircraft to shore up liquidity

Singapore Airlines raises $1.5b from sale and leaseback of aircraft to shore up liquidity

Photo: Singapore Airlines's Facebook page

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has raised about S$2 billion (about $1.5 billion) from sale-and-leaseback (SLB) transactions for 11 wide-body aircraft, comprising seven Airbus A350-900s and four Boeing 787-10s, which will help shore up its liquidity at a time when airlines are facing financial challenges arising from a decline in passenger traffic owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

An SLB is a transaction in which the owner sells the aircraft, and then takes it back on lease from the buyer. Such a deal typically removes the aircraft, and its associated debt, from the carrier’s balance sheet.

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