Emirates Airline sets sukuk price guidance

Emirates Airline, Dubai's flagship carrier, has released price guidance on a 10-year amortising Islamic bond, or sukuk, and a deal could be launched on Tuesday once order books close.

Emirates tapped global debt markets in January for a $750 million amortising bond. Aziz Shah / AP Photo

Emirates Airline has released price guidance on a 10-year amortising Islamic bond, or sukuk, and a deal could be launched on Tuesday once order books close.

The airline set profit rate guidance at a spread of 300-310 basis points over five year midswaps, arranging banks said, after releasing initial price talk on Sunday.

Global order books are due to close on Tuesday. Lead managers said books were oversubscribed for a benchmark-sized issue, typically at least US$500 million, with strong anchor orders from regional investors.

Final size will depend on demand, but investors have reacted positively to the pricing guidance. The issue was already trading up in grey, or unofficial, trading, market sources said.

The bond will have an average weighted life of five years.

Emirates tapped global debt markets in January for a $750m amortising bond, which received a muted response due to weak market sentiment at the time.

The 4.5 per cent 2025 paper was bid just below par at 99.9 cents on the dollar on Tuesday morning to yield 4.51 per cent, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Given that the new amortiser has a two-year shorter duration, bankers had expected it to tighten inside the initial price talk. At current guidance, pricing for the new issue appears generous, bankers told IFR Markets, a unit of Thomson Reuters.

Citigroup, Standard Chartered, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank and ENBD Capital are mandated lead managers for the sukuk.

* Reuters