DUBAI: Air Arabia suffered a 609.5 million dirham ($166 million) loss in 2018 as it took impairments on its exposure to collapsed private equity firm Abraaj, knocking its shares on Thursday as analysts said its dividend could be hit.
The Dubai-based carrier, whose stock fell by more than 7 percent on the results, had posted a net profit of 630.6 million dirhams in the same period a year ago.
Air Arabia said it faced impairment charges of 1.13 billon dirhams, mainly due to exposure to Abraaj-related investments.
“While Air Arabia’s liquidity status and profitable operations remain intact, this step aims to serve the best interests of the company and its investors,” it said.
Dubai-based Abraaj was the largest buyout fund in the Middle East and North Africa until it collapsed last year in the aftermath of a row with investors, including the Gates Foundation, over a $1 billion health care fund.
“While we expected this to happen, this will affect Air Arabia’s ability to pay dividends,” said Nishit Lakhotia, head of research at Bahrain-based SICO.
“Further, this has affected its balance sheet and possibly will imply a higher rate for airline purchase or leasing.”
Air Arabia added 26 new routes to its global network in 2018 from its operating hubs in the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Egypt, it said in a statement on its website.
The carrier took delivery of three new aircraft and ended the year with a fleet of 53 Airbus A320 aircraft operating to over 155 routes across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe.
Abraaj’s liquidators are in the process of determining the value its assets to settle liabilities, said Air Arabia, which last month revealed that it has begun legal proceedings against Abraaj founder Arif Naqvi in Sharjah.
Abraaj exposure drags Air Arabia to a $166m 2018 loss
Abraaj exposure drags Air Arabia to a $166m 2018 loss
- Air Arabia said it faced impairment charges of 1.13 billon dirhams, mainly due to exposure to Abraaj-related investments
- Dubai-based Abraaj was the largest buyout fund in the Middle East and North Africa until it collapsed last year in the aftermath of a row with investors
Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 10,847
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index dipped on Wednesday, losing 58.51 points, or 0.54 percent, to close at 10,847.93.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR3.78 billion ($1 billion), as 73 of the listed stocks advanced, while 187 retreated.
The MSCI Tadawul Index decreased, down 7.09 points or 0.48 percent, to close at 1,472.98.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu lost 178.75 points, or 0.77 percent, to close at 22,916.83. This comes as 30 of the listed stocks advanced, while 37 retreated.
The best-performing stock was the Power and Water Utility Co. for Jubail and Yanbu, with its share price surging by 8.47 percent to SR31.24.
Other top performers included Saudi Paper Manufacturing Co., which saw its share price rise by 6.13 percent to SR53.70, and Jamjoom Pharmaceuticals Factory Co., which saw a 4.58 percent increase to SR137.
On the downside, the worst performer of the day was CHUBB Arabia Cooperative Insurance Co., whose share price fell by 5.14 percent to SR17.53.
Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co. and Arabian Internet and Communications Services Co. also saw declines, with their shares dropping by 4.87 percent and 4.43 percent to SR4.88 and SR181.40, respectively.
On the announcement front, Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co. announced its annual financial results for 2025, with sales dropping 3.06 percent year-on-year to SR8.45 billion. The company also recorded a net loss of SR893.86 million.
In a Tadawul statement, the company said the net loss and decline in annual sales were driven by a drop in average selling prices, despite higher sales volumes.
