Japan’s biggest airline ANA Holding Inc (ANA) has become a strategic shareholder of Vietnam Airlines after wrapping up the purchase of an 8.77 percent stake in the national flag carrier, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported July 4.
On July 1, ANA had paid more than VND2.4 trillion ($109 million) for the stake in Vietnam Airlines.
The Vietnamese national carrier is scheduled to hold an irregular stakeholders’ meeting by the end of September to add the new members of ANA to the board of directors and amend the corporation’s regulations, according to VNA.
The state ownership in Vietnam Airlines has been lowered to 75 percent after the sales. It will be further cut down to 65 percent of charter capital in line with the approved divestment scheme, the report said.
A security guard cycles near an Airbus A350-900 aircraft during its delivery ceremony at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi July 2, 2015. Photo by Reuters/Kham |
Vietnam Airlines has set a target of more than 3 billion euro ($3.38 billion) in revenue this year, up 9 percent year-on-year.
ANA, the biggest operator of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, has taken possession of more than half of the 83 long-haul aircraft it has ordered. Japan’s biggest airline is the owner of 240 aircraft, operating between 88 destinations with about 47 million passengers annually.
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