Go Air receives Rs 800 cr lifeline from banks amid turbulent times

Wadia group-promoted Go Airline India Ltd (Go Air) has received a Rs 800 crore credit line from banks which will help the airline navigate through turbulent times that the aviation sector is facing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
 

According to banking industry sources, the airline had applied for a debt restructuring under the Reserve Bank of India One Time Debt Restructuring Scheme that was announced in August 2020. However, with this credit line, the airline will not need to recast its loans.
 

“Banks have extended credit of Rs 700 crore - Rs 800 crore to the airline. This funding will be sufficient for the company for the next couple of years. This also means the airline will not need any debt restructuring,” a senior banker told Business Standard.
 

Go Air declined to comment on the story when contacted. “As a policy, GoAir does not comment on market speculation,” a company spokesperson said in response to an emailed query.
 

Companies that are stressed have been finding it difficult to restructure their loans as banks have taken an extremely cautious approach. In addition, the KV Kamath panel, which outlined the contours of the onetime debt recast scheme, recommended stringent norms.
 

The Kamath panel recommended 5 parameters for debt restructuring - outstanding liabilities to adjusted tangible net worth; debt-to-earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (Ebitda); current ratio, debt service coverage ratio and the average debt service coverage ratio.
 

For any airline to be eligible for restructuring, the current ratio has to be equal to or higher than 0.4, while ‘debt to Ebitda’ has to be equal to or less than 5.5.
 

Sources said the loans extended to Go Air were under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme 2.0.
 

As part of Atmanirbhar Bharat Package 3.0 announced on November 12, 2020, the centre launched Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme 2.0 (ECLGS 2.0) under which the corpus of Rs 3 trillion of existing ECLGS 1.0 was extended to provide 100 per cent guaranteed collateral free additional credit to entities in 26 stressed sectors identified by the Kamath Committee.
 

According to rating agency India Ratings, GoAir's overall debt went up 6% sequentially to Rs1,891 crore at the end of April-June quarter last year.
 

The rating agency, in a note in October, observed that the promoters had provided financial support to Go Air as and when required. During FY20 also, the company raised funds through a rights issue to promoters.
 

“Furthermore, as on March 31, 2020, the company had outstanding ICDs (inter-corporate deposits) of Rs 250 crore received from the group companies. The same increased to Rs 290 crore as on August 31, 2020. Additionally, the promoters have provided personal assets as security with various banks to facilitate banking tie-ups for Go Air,” the report said. “Ind-Ra believes that Go Air will continue to receive need-based financial support from the group, and the agency has factored in the same for Go Air’s rating,” it added.
 

In July, India Ratings downgraded Go Air’s long term rating to BBB+ from A- due to deteriorating operating performance in FY20 and the likelihood of further deterioration in FY21 along with a weakening of the liquidity profile following the Covid-19 outbreak and associated lockdown. In October the rating was affirmed with stable outlook.