LAN Buys Colombia Airline

Chilean airline LAN says it is acquiring a 99% stake in Colombian peer Aires for $32.5m. Analysts believe the buyer will be assuming Aires’ debt, since the acquisition price seems low. LAN says the price will be adjusted according to variations in Aires’ debt between the value at closing of the transaction and the value as stated in the company’s financial statements as of August 31. “This is a very good price for a company that has a 22% market share,” says Cristina Acle, a Chile-based equities analyst with Corp Group. Felipe Mercado, an equity analyst with Banchile agrees. “Colombia, with 10m passengers a year, has double the volume of other LAN markets such as Chile and Peru,” says Mercado. Both analysts believe it is probable that LAN will pay for Aires with cash on hand. LAN reported Q3 profit of $106m. Aires, founded in 1980, is the second largest domestic airline in Colombia. It provides service to 27 domestic destinations and 3 international destinations, and has a fleet of 24 airplanes. Analysts were unable to determine the enterprise value or debt load of the privately held company. LAN officials decline to say if there were any financial advisors involved.