Lufthansa buys the remaining 55% of Brussels Airlines

[Boavida]

So what can we expect from the press conference on the 27th of april? Is LH gonna say what its intentions/plans are for SN (and BRU) after the takeover? Or will they stay vague? I'm sure the staff wants total clarity.

[Poiu]

So what can we expect from the press conference on the 27th of april? Is LH gonna say what its intentions/plans are for SN (and BRU) after the takeover? Or will they stay vague? I'm sure the staff wants total clarity.

That is an easy one:
"Lufty is very happy to acquire SN. Many possibilities of synergies and network expansion. However due to competitive environment some cost cutting will have to take place"

[Inquirer]

So what can we expect from the press conference on the 27th of april?

Maybe nothing at all?
Remember we're just discussing a rumour here, one we see pop up every year, btw.

Of course, a full take-over must be seen as an explicit vote of confidence, but the way in which Lufthansa have constantly backed Brussels up financially is just as big a vote of confidence of course.

Since there's no urgency to take Brussels Airlines over (It's a profitable operation, and my personal assessment is they can be so over 2016 too, despite the impact of the attacks on BRU), the only reason Lufthansa would call the option this year is because they can now easily plug them into their own operations almost right away. Since Brussels Airlines offers a hybrid product, such wasn't easy in the past.

Over the past 2 years or so, one could indeed notice that certain features of that hybrid model tickled down into the other airlines of the group too, so theoretically they've become easier to integrate as time goes by, but then Lufthansa are currently bussy building Eurowings next to the already existing germanwings and are reportedly having their hands quite full at that: I am not sure it's thus such a good idea to take even more food on the platter at this time then?

Let Eurowings first be launched successfully outside of Germany and absorb its twinsister germanwings in full and then when they have become a consolidated and well established company, come back for more:
wanting to do too much at once, risks achieving nothing at all.

[brusselsairlinesfan]

I do really hope that if LH decides to buy the remaining SN shares, they will at least keep the brussels airlines and the nice belgian identity of the company...

[Yuqu12]

I do really hope that if LH decides to buy the remaining SN shares, they will at least keep the brussels airlines and the nice belgian identity of the company...

Probably yes for the long haul distance (certainly Africa), short haul maybe. We'll have to wait and see until the 27th...

[eagleheart]

newsitem (sorry in Dutch):

Lufthansa zou de overname van Brussels Airlines uitstellen. Volgens het Duitse magazine WirtschafsWoche zou op de raad van bestuur van volgende woensdag nog geen beslissing over de Belgische dochter worden genomen, in tegenstelling tot eerdere berichten. Het magazine beroept zich op een manager die vertrouwd is met het dossier.
“Het bestuur heeft op bijna elke zitting vorig jaar over de aankoop van Brussels Airlines gesproken, maar nu wordt er niets beslist”, luidt het op de website van WirtschaftsWoche.

De reden voor het uitstel zouden de gevolgen van de terreuraanslagen van 22 maart in Brussel zijn. Brussels Airlines is de grootste speler op de luchthaven van Zaventem en voelt de impact dus hard. “Voor we over een integratie van Brussels Airlines spreken, moeten de vliegoperaties weer normaal verlopen”, zegt de manager aan het magazine.

Geen afstel

Maar het zou enkel om uitstel gaan, geen afstel. “We werken duidelijk richting aankoop”, aldus de bron bij Lufthansa.

Brussels Airlines is voor 45 procent in handen van Lufthansa, maar beschikt over een optie om de rest van de aandelen te verwerven. Die zijn in handen van een reeks Belgische investeerders.

Concerning the full take over of Brussels airlines, the Deutsch mag 'wirtschafswoche' thinks that Lufthansa will wait to take a decision due to the attacks.

Source: http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20160421_02249921

[Flanker2]

Hahahahahahahahahahaha. That's a great reason not to buy SN.
Hysterical.

If true, I don't think that the Germans are a good long-term partner for SN.

[Inquirer]

Only logical IMHO.
There's no financial urgency to be taken over, and their daily operations are only now getting back to normal: it would be close to a managerial nightmare to be rebranded and integrated into Eurowings under such conditions given they need all their time and effort to get up and flying again as before.
Besides, why would Lufthansa take them on their balance sheet now, when the full impact of the terror attacks isn't known yet?
Conditions are not ideal for either partner nor for the fastest reestablishment of the favorable conditions as they were before last month, so good decision indeed to give it some more time.

[Passenger]

Hahahahahahahahahahaha. That's a great reason not to buy SN. Hysterical. If true, I don't think that the Germans are a good long-term partner for SN.

Only logical IMHO. There's no financial urgency to be taken over, and their daily operations are only now getting back to normal: it would be close to a managerial nightmare to be integrated into Eurowings under such conditions. Besides, why would Lufthansa take them on their balance sheet now, when the full impact of the terror attacks isn't known yet? Conditions are not ideal for either partner, so good decision indeed to give it some more time. There's always next year.

If I would have to choose which one of the above posts is the closest to the truth, I'll go for the second post.

[Flanker2]

Besides, why would Lufthansa take them on their balance sheet now, when the full impact of the terror attacks isn't known yet?
Conditions are not ideal for either partner nor for the fastest reestablishment of the favorable conditions as they were before last month, so good decision indeed to give it some more time.

Because of solidarity, commitment, common sense.

I think that it would be a huge loser move for LH to give the terror attacks and ensuing money matters as a reason not to commit to SN.
This would be utterly disgusting and disrespectful towards the staff who have gone out of their way to deal with the aftermath of the attacks. It would be a huge spit towards Belgium as well.

If true, I think that it would be a waste to give SN to LH. LH is not committed enough to invest in SN.
SN is like a young beautiful but poor bride who recently injured her face. LH is the knight who is going to wait for her face to heal before marrying her? Seriously?

Should we write off SN in LH's mind if another bomb goes off in Brussels?

How much sh£t are you going to take before it's too much?


If true, SN should look for a new investor who thinks differently. Even if it means cancelling the call options and being taken to court by LH.

[Inquirer]

Business is not romance, you know?

Besides, it feels great to be courted when you are looking at your best, also as a business, but I am not so sure it's what they need right now. Better to let them run their own recovery than to have somebody from outside come in and try to do it.

They seem to manage pretty nicely so far on this front, to the point I am far from convinced the notorious German eye for precision and detail would be beneficial in any way when all they need is a lot of equally notorious Belgian improvisation talent at present.

An outcome in which Lufthansa lets them in charge of their own destiny and provide supplementary funding (if needed) is a much bigger commitment than one in which they pull them onboard quickly only to run them into the ground due to the inability to deliver the same result.

[Flanker2]

An outcome in which Lufthansa lets them in charge of their own destiny and provide supplementary funding (if needed) is a much bigger commitment than one in which they pull them onboard quickly only to run them into the ground due to the inability to deliver the same result.

They can do that now as well. Why wait?
They can take over SN now and invest in them now.

If they want to wait 1 year to save a few millions on the sales price, then they're not in it for the long haul.

[Magiktrix]

You cannot run 2 horses at the same time. BruAir as a BIG problem to solve and no one (Spohr AND Gustin) want to waste time in this kind of things now. From the outside it might look like business as usual but its not at all.

[Flanker2]

What problem do they have? Sure, less pax, lower yields, etc...
But the pax will come back soon enough and they are already doing just that. Next week there is the seafood fair in BRU and it's going to be packed with people from all over the world.

What can Spohr or Gustin do about it? Nothing.
They can only sit on their knees and pray to god that there won't be a new attack in Belgium.

Also operations and shareholding have nothing to do it with eachother, unless the whole plan of acquiring the remaining shares is to make big changes.

[brusselsairlinesfan]

Besides, why would Lufthansa take them on their balance sheet now, when the full impact of the terror attacks isn't known yet?
Conditions are not ideal for either partner nor for the fastest reestablishment of the favorable conditions as they were before last month, so good decision indeed to give it some more time.

Because of solidarity, commitment, common sense.

I think that it would be a huge loser move for LH to give the terror attacks and ensuing money matters as a reason not to commit to SN.
This would be utterly disgusting and disrespectful towards the staff who have gone out of their way to deal with the aftermath of the attacks. It would be a huge spit towards Belgium as well.

If true, I think that it would be a waste to give SN to LH. LH is not committed enough to invest in SN.
SN is like a young beautiful but poor bride who recently injured her face. LH is the knight who is going to wait for her face to heal before marrying her? Seriously?

Should we write off SN in LH's mind if another bomb goes off in Brussels?

How much sh£t are you going to take before it's too much?


If true, SN should look for a new investor who thinks differently. Even if it means cancelling the call options and being taken to court by LH.

I do agree... Shameful!

[Yuqu12]

I always thought that Lufhtansa wouldn't be the best partner. They should find a partner which support them with planes (as Lufthansa does now), but let Brussels Airlines be Brussels Airlines. They should find perhaps even another alliance to join, as Lufthansa is the biggest airline (with their doughter companies in this alliance). If LH backs out from SN, they can make things difficult for SN within Star Alliance...

[Poiu]

If Lufty believes in a future for SN they will buy on the 27th. If they don't, a Sabena bis scenario can't be excluded. (transfer intra EU slots for 1€ to Eurowings and transfer Africa to a new Belgian Company).
These rumours would explain the recent visit of Mr Spohr to the Royal Palace. It was an attempt to influence Lufties decision.

[Pocahontas]

there won't be any decision on the 27th/28th... You all still believe what you read in newspapers do ya?

[Yuqu12]

If Lufty believes in a future for SN they will buy on the 27th. If they don't, a Sabena bis scenario can't be excluded. (transfer intra EU slots for 1€ to Eurowings and transfer Africa to a new Belgian Company).
These rumours would explain the recent visit of Mr Spohr to the Royal Palace. It was an attempt to influence Lufties decision.

Btw: Lufhtansa will probably give a press conference then to say that there is no decision.

Normally, someone doesn't make the same mistake twice. Well, SN is doing great so far to do so. They should never chosen only one airline with shares, because you are then de facto dependent on them for planes. If LH doesn't buy the shares and backs out (I thought or buy or leave at the end of the period), SN has (almost) no planes anymore and you have indeed almost the Sabena scenario again.

If so, they should search 2 or more companies for airplanes, and why not rename it again to Sabena?

[Inquirer]

Why wait? They can take over SN now and invest in them now?

Indeed they can, but that's on condition their plan is to become sole shareholder without making big changes. As you've said yourself:

operations and shareholding have nothing to do it with eachother, unless the whole plan of acquiring the remaining shares is to make big changes.

Indeed.
They are willing to buy alright, yet not just to keep things as they are as some here believed, but rather to do something big with it (my personal opinion)... like absorb them into Eurowings.
Such can indeed only be done once B.air have stable operations, as it involves amongst others, a full rebranding and repositioning.
If you'd hopes in the first scenario, the news is a shock; if you believe in the later, it makes perfect sense.
They might just as well confirm this is their plan now; to me, they have basically given it away already.
I think it's great news economically if indeed this is their long term plan (huge growth potential), but as you can already notice here, it's emotionally difficult to sell to many people.