Air India investment receives full attention of SIA board
Responding to an online criticism and a follow-on parliamentary debate on its decision to invest in Air India, Singapore Airlines (SIA) said its investments in the world’s fastest growing Indian market have been, and will continue to be, funded through internal resources.
The statement came after a member of parliament asked whether losses from SIA’s foreign associates have been assessed against its capacity to provide essential transport services, among other questions.
SIA had set up Vistara as a joint venture with Tata Sons in 2013, aiming for a significant share of the Indian civil aviation market. Following Vistara’s consolidation into Air India in November 2024, SIA holds a 25.1 per cent stake in the enlarged Air India Group.
Its investments in India are “subject to board approval and its disciplined capital allocation framework”, the Channel News Asia reported quoting the airline statement of 8 Sept.
An SIA spokesperson said the company has “one of the strongest financial positions in the airline industry”, with SGD10.48 billion (USD8.27 billion) in cash reserves as of Jun 30, comprising SGD9.10 billion in cash and bank balances and SGD1.38 billion in fixed deposits.
The group has less than SGD3 billion in current debt obligations – those due within 12 months – which are well covered by its cash reserves, the spokesperson said. SIA’s debt largely comprises fixed-rate notes, lease liabilities and loans.
“SIA also has access to SGD3.24 billion in committed lines of credit, all of which remains undrawn,” the spokesperson said, adding that any requests for additional capital would be evaluated under the group’s capital allocation framework, taking into account Air India’s business strategy, SIA Group’s operating cash flow and its own investment requirements for new aircraft and products.
“The Air India investment receives the full attention of the SIA board,” the spokesperson added.
SIA had also said in a statement in 2022, when it and Tata Sons announced the merger of Air India and Vistara, saying it would fully fund the investment with internal cash resources.
According to media reports last month, Air India is seeking a further USD1.5 billion in support from owners Tata Sons and SIA, just months after it posted a record annual loss.
Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow has also told parliament that SIA’s ability to serve Singaporeans is not affected by its investment in Air India.
The airline is “nowhere near” a scenario where losses or other factors have materially constrained the resources available for its fleet maintenance or network operations here, he said.
SIA pointed out that Air India’s transformation is a “complex, multi-year programme” that is “not expected to be linear”.
Challenges cited include the prolonged closure of Pakistani airspace to Indian carriers, the Air India crash last year that killed 260 people, the rupee’s depreciation against the US dollar, supply chain disruptions, the loss of a key market due to the Middle East conflict and sustained high fuel prices.
“At the same time, Air India has made tangible progress across customer experience and operational performance,” said the spokesperson.
SIA noted that Air India’s net promoter score, which reflects how likely customers are to recommend a brand, has increased by more than 70 points since November 2022. In May, the carrier received a four-star airline rating from review site Skytrax, while Air India Express was certified as a four-star low-cost airline, “on par with leading international carriers”.
“SIA and Tata Sons have both publicly acknowledged that there is still much work to be done,” the Channel had the spokesperson as saying. “Both remain committed to supporting Air India’s long-term transformation programme.”
The spokesperson said Air India has a strong presence in both the full-service and low-fare segments, and in domestic and international markets, with access to “valuable slots and air traffic rights at key domestic and international airports” that were not available to Vistara.
“Today, the SIA Group is the only non-Indian airline group with a direct stake in this important and fast-growing market,” said the spokesperson, adding that the investment has deepened commercial cooperation between the two carriers and strengthened Singapore and India’s complementary roles as aviation hubs.
This has also given Singapore “greater access to India’s vast and fast-growing aviation market, while connecting India more extensively through Singapore to Changi Airport’s global network”, the spokesperson was quoted as saying.
Singapore remains India’s largest foreign direct investment generating hub, given its global financial status. Both the Indian and Singapore governments are working on a large number of bilateral business development programmes, according to observations by diplomatic and business analysts.
Any negative decision against Singapore investment in the Indian prosperity will work against programmes initiated by both the governments, warned diplomatic sources on condition of anonymity.
Both the governments are regularly reviewing bilateral investment opportunities, the biggest being annual review by the India Singapore Ministerial Roundtable – the highest level of each team from both sides. Fiinews.com
