Time To Bargain Hunt Airlines?
City Index | Mar 17, 2020 06:24
With more countries closing their borders and restricting movement the impact on the aviation industry will be unprecedented, worse than 9/11. The same industry which helped spread the virus is also being hit the hardest by Covid-19.
Over the weekend, President Trump added the UK to list of countries from which it will no longer accept travelers. Italy has also closed its borders along, whilst Spain and Germany among other countries impose stringent measures preventing travel in a bid to control the spread of COVID-19.
Impact so far
The speed and the depth of the impact on the aviation industry is breath taking.British Airways (LU:BAYpref) axed 75% of its flights as EasyJet (LON:EZJ) and Ryanair (LON:RYA) grounded aircrafts, with the latter saying it could ground its entire fleet; TUI has suspended most of its operations as the industry struggles to survive the impact of the flight restrictions and waning demand.
Unions are warning that thousands of jobs could be wiped out as global airline alliances call on governments for intervention to shore up an industry that staring down the barrel to collapse.
This is no longer the smaller players like Flybe which are being hit. British Airways has also indicated that there is a chance that it won’t survive extended travel bans. On 5th March the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicted that a possible hit to worldwide aviation revenue would be in the region of $113 billion this year. That equates to around 20% of last years’ revenue.
The pain of the industry is clearly evident in share prices. European and US air carriers have dived at a faster rate than the broader stock market. British Airways parent company IAG (LON:ICAG) has plunged 70% over the past 3 weeks whilst the FTSE has shed 37% at the time of writing
A rebound coming?
We all know not to try to catch a falling knife. A rebound in aviation stocks depend largely on the duration of the outbreak.
Most airlines should survive if the travel restriction and low booking levels are for just one or two quarters.
Some carriers, such as Cathy Pacific are already showing early signs of life. Hong Kong arrivals were heavily affected by the coronavirus outbreak with 80% of the fleet grounded on travel restrictions and waning demand. However quick smart action has seen the spread of the virus and the fatality rate come quickly under control. The number of flights is cautiously increasing. Using past outbreaks as a guide tourism and leisure travel return fast after a virus outbreak, potentially as soon as the summer, easily stimulated by fare sales
Get The App
Business travel, however, could see more permanent changes as companies cut right back and focus on teleconferencing over business travel.
Time for bargain hunting?
It is still too early to call the bottom on airline stocks. This could well get worse before it gets better. The IAG has dropped 70% but the outlook is not 70% worse today than at the start of the year. Let's not forget IAG made £2.89 billion operating profit last year. The share price drop is a drop driven by sentiment rather than financials. There will be a time for hunting Airline bargains. But it is not quite yet.
Norwegian Air (LON:0FGH) is considered to be particularly at risk, potentially only surviving the next few weeks.
US airline Delta (NYSE:DAL) is considered to be in a strong position as a highly profitable airline.
"Disclaimer: The information and opinions in this report are for general information use only and are not intended as an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any currency or CFD contract. All opinions and information contained in this report are subject to change without notice. This report has been prepared without regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any particular recipient.
Any references to historical price movements or levels is informational based on our analysis and we do not represent or warrant that any such movements or levels are likely to reoccur in the future. While the information contained herein was obtained from sources believed to be reliable, the author does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness, nor does the author assume any liability for any direct, indirect or consequential loss that may result from the reliance by any person upon any such information or opinions."
Original Post
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.