April 5 - Transat announced that the contemplated arrangement with Air Canada under the revised arrangement agreement between Transat and Air Canada dated October 9, 2020 has been terminated by mutual agreement of Transat and Air Canada, effective immediately. The parties have reached this agreement after having been advised by the European Commission that it would not approve the transaction.

 

In connection with the termination of the Arrangement Agreement, Air Canada has agreed to pay a $12.5 million termination payment to the Corporation and to waive its entitlement to a $10 million termination fee in the event of an acquisition of Transat by a third party in the twelve months following termination of the Arrangement Agreement.

 

Details of the Termination Agreement

The termination agreement signed today between Air Canada and the Corporation provides for, among other things, the immediate termination of the Arrangement Agreement and contains a mutual release pursuant to which the parties have agreed to release one another from claims arising from, or related to, the Arrangement Agreement. A copy of the termination agreement will be filed on SEDAR at sedar.com.

 

As stated above, Air Canada has agreed to pay a one-time $12.5 million termination payment to the Corporation and to waive its entitlement to a termination fee that would have been payable in the event of an acquisition of Transat in the twelve months following termination of the Arrangement Agreement by one of the parties.

 

This agreement between the parties regarding the treatment of the termination fees entitlements contained in the Arrangement Agreement was reached after carefully considering all relevant facts and circumstances, and in the interests of moving forward from the termination of the parties’ relationship with no outstanding issues.

 

Elements considered included the following, based on the terms of the Arrangement Agreement:

• A $10 million reverse termination fee payable by Air Canada to Transat upon termination if the European Commission’s approval could not be obtained under any condition, meaning a full block of the Arrangement; or
• A $30 million reverse termination fee payable by Air Canada to Transat if Air Canada or Transat would have unilaterally terminated the Arrangement Agreement prior to a decision by the European Commission not involving a full block of the Arrangement; and
• A $10 million termination fee payable by Transat to Air Canada if, in the 12 months following the date of termination of the Arrangement Agreement, (A) an acquisition of Transat were to be consummated or effected, or (B) if Transat were to enter into an agreement for its acquisition and such acquisition were later consummated

 

Finances

As previously stated, the Corporation requires new financing totalling at least of $500 million in 2021. The Corporation has been taking and will continue to take all measures available to it to preserve cash and, as previously announced, it has put in place a $250 million short-term subordinated credit facility, which matures on June 30 and will need to be replaced or extended before that date.

 

The Corporation is actively pursuing negotiations to secure long-term financing, including under the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility and via prospective support from the Canadian government for businesses in the travel and tourism sector. Discussions on both topics are at an advanced stage and Transat’s management is confident that a satisfactory financing will be secured in the coming weeks.

 

Strategic Plan

Now that Transat is no longer constrained by the limitations under the Arrangement Agreement, it is free to focus on relaunching operations under its strategic plan, including by leveraging its many competitive advantages.

 

As a smaller operator, Transat can be nimble and quickly adapt to ever-shifting market conditions. There is significant pent-up demand among customers in the Corporation’s primary segments of leisure travel and visiting friends and relatives (VFR), which are expected to recover sooner than business travel.

 

Transat’s smaller aircraft fleet provides greater flexibility and efficiency, and the Corporation benefits from a well-respected brand that customers love, as well as committed staff members and a strong distribution network.

 

Discussions with third parties

In addition, now that the Arrangement Agreement has been terminated, Transat is free to hold discussions with potential strategic and financial acquirers, including Mr. Pierre Karl Péladeau, whose investment company, Gestion MTRHP Inc., previously made (and since reiterated) a proposal to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Transat for 5$ a share. The Board intends to examine available strategic alternatives, including the pursuit of the Corporation's stand-alone business plan.

 

“The global air transportation and tourism industry has been among those most affected by the COVID-19 crisis. However, the arrival of vaccines brings us a light at the end of the tunnel, and Transat is well positioned to bounce back. In close to 40 years of existence, we have traversed numerous crises and each time, we emerged stronger than before, demonstrating our resilience as an organization. We look forward to a safe and healthy future, as we hopefully put this pandemic behind us,” concluded Mr. Eustache.

 

 

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