SEOUL — Airline Cathay Pacific has bought back all warrants issued to the Hong Kong government in 2020, another step in repaying the government for a pandemic-related recapitalization package, the company said on Friday.
Cathay said the buyback was for HK$1.53 billion ($196.2 million).
At the end of July, the carrier carried out a buyback of the last part of HK$19.5 billion in preference shares issued to the Hong Kong government as part of the HK$39-billion rescue package in June 2020. It also paid a total of HK$2.44 billion in preference share dividends.
“Completing the buyback of the preference shares and the warrants marks the close of a significant chapter in Cathay’s history. Now, we are firmly focused on the future,” Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam said.
Cathay made heavy losses and layoffs during the Covid-19 pandemic and reported its first annual profit in four years in March, and paid its first dividend since 2019.
It reported a 15-percent drop in interim profit in August, mainly due to lower air fares, and announced a HK$100 billion ($12.8 billion) investment over seven years in the airline.
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