JAL’s Banks Said to Reject Restructuring Plan

Creditors of Japan Airlines have rejected the struggling carrier’s restructuring plan and are pushing for a cut in debt waivers and details of theuse of state funds, Reuters reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.
Shares in Asia’s biggest airline by revenue jumped nearly 12 percent on Monday after losing more than a quarter of their value last week. The jump followed reports that the carrier had resumed talks with Delta Air Lines and AMR’s American Airlines over a possible capital infusion and that it was gearing up to release a revised restructuring plan.

JAL’s benchmark spreads in the credit derivatives market were at extreme levels, suggesting market players were bracing for a debt restructuring that could be deemed a “credit event” — leading to a payout on the insurance-type contracts offering protection against such restructurings.

The airline, under the supervision of a government-appointed task force, has reportedly asked banks for 300 billion yen ($3.3 billion) in debt waivers and debt-for-equity swaps.

Creditors rejected that plan on Sunday and requested a new one with less debt forgiveness as well as clarity on how the airline will cut pension obligations and how much the state will provide in capital and loans, according to Reuters, which cited a source with knowledge of the meeting.

A JAL spokesman declined to comment on whether its creditors had rejected the plan, the news service said.

JAL shares ended up 11.9 percent at 113 yen, while the Nikkei average eased 0.2 percent. More than 118 million JAL shares changed hands, 11 times the daily average this year.

“Investors are just buying back the stock after it was oversold last week,” Takahiko Kishi, an analyst covering JAL at Mizuho Investors Securities, told Reuters.

JAL is headed for its second straight annual loss, weighed down by $15 billion in debt and a bloated cost base that makes it less efficient than rival All Nippon Airways.

JAL’s largest creditor is the state-owned Development Bank of Japan with 230 billion yen in loans outstanding as of March 31.

Other lenders include a unit of the Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group , with 57 billion yen in loans, a unit of the Mizuho Financial Group, with 53 billion yen, and a unit ofSumitomo Mitsui Financial, with 37 billion yen.

JAL has been restructuring under state supervision since it received a 100 billion yen government-guaranteed loan in June.

It put forward a plan last month that included axing 6,800 jobs and 50 routes and a 30 percent cut in operating costs, but was forced back to the drawing board after the government said the steps were not enough.

The latest plan, which would increase the job cuts to around 10,000, has not satisfied creditors who feel they are being asked to carry too much of the burden while the plan does not clearly address the state’s plans for injecting public funds.

It also fails to offer a viable plan for reducing pension payouts to retirees, Reuters said, citing the source. Creditors expect a revised turnaround plan as early as this week, the news service said.