Qatar Airways’ bid to take stake in biggest Latin American airline delayed

The Arabian Gulf carrier will have to wait a while longer before a capital increase by the Latin American will enable it to take a stake Latam, agreed in July.

A Qatar Airways Airbus A380. The carrier is hoping to buy a 10 per cent stake in Latam. Pascal Rossignol / Reuters

Latam Airlines said it will delay a planned capital increase meant to allow Qatar Airways to take a stake in the Chile-headquartered regional carrier, as it waits for approval of the acquisition from Brazil’s competition regulator Cade.

In July, Qatar Airways agreed to acquire up to 10 per cent of Latam’s total shares following a capital increase of US$613 million, through the issuance of new shares at $10 per share.

“The company has decided to postpone the capital increase considering that it is awaiting a resolution from Brazil’s competition regulator Cade concerning Qatar Airways’ acquisition of a stake in the company,” Latam said.

It added it expects Cade to make a decision within the coming days and that it will then inform the market of the new dates for the capital increase.

Latam was formed in a tie-up between Chile’s Lan and Brazil’s Tam in 2012, giving onetime investor darling Lan access to the region’s biggest market before US carriers could swoop in.

* Reuters

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