AirAsia X shares sink 21% amid going concern doubt

Bloomberg

AirAsia X Bhd’s shares dived by the most in more than a year after the long haul budget airline was officially categorised as a financially distressed firm, which gives the company a year to recast its finances or risk losing its Malaysian listing.
The stock tumbled as much as 21.1% to 7.5 sen on Monday, set for the steepest drop since August 2020.
AirAsia X’s auditor Ernst & Young issued a disclaimer of opinion on the airline’s audited financial results for the 18-month period ended in June 2021, citing threats that cast “significant doubt” on the firm continuing as a going concern, the airline said in a filing. AirAsia X said it has a year to recast its finances, failing which it will be delisted from Bursa Malaysia.
“AirAsia X continues to face severe liquidity constraints and all hopes are on successful debt restructuring and new equity funding from existing and new investors to provide sufficient capital to restart operations when international borders
reopen,” Public Investment Bank wrote in a note. The brokerage maintained its stock-target price of 1 sen.
Debt Recast
“The company is taking the necessary steps to address
its Practice Note 17 status,” AirAsia X said.
AirAsia X is one of the many airlines in the Asia Pacific region to have been hit by travel restrictions imposed to curb the coronavirus pandemic. It has grounded most of its aircraft fleet since March last year and has deferred payment to creditors.
AirAsia X recently offered to pay creditors only 0.5% of the more than $8 billion total debt they are owed and terminate all existing contracts as it tries to restructure after it triggered events of default for various agreements.
AirAsia is set to meet its creditors to vote on its restructuring proposal on November 12 and it would require at
least 75% of each class of scheme creditors in the meeting to vote favourably for its
proposed debt restructuring exercise to carry.