Goyal in talks for Jet stake sale and other Stories from UTVi

Goyal in talks for Jet stake sale

Naresh Goyal is left with little choice but to share his precious stake in the country's largest private airline Jet Airways. Sources tell UTVi that Goyal is in preliminary talks with steel baron Lakshmi N. Mittal and telecom czar Sunil Mittal for a stake sale.

After refusing to dilute his 80% promoter stake till about a year back, experts say Goyal may now be willing to bring his stake down to 51%. They also say aviation in India has great potential, and it may make sense for big businessmen with deep pockets to invest in it at this stage when valuations are plummeting. Investment bankers say Jet could fetch a valution of $1.5-2 billion.
Jayesh Desai, director, Ernst and Young, says: "Jet is still one of the most successful airlines in the Indian aviation market. People like Sunil Mittal and Lakshmi N. Mittal would be keen to participate in the growth story of the Indian aviation market."

This comes after Goyal has exhausted all other options of raising money. He has had little luck with private equity players who are not willing to give the valuations Goyal has been demanding. The capital markets have been playing spoil sport for Jet - it has not managed to rasie $400 million through the rights issue that has been indefinitely deferred.

Desai adds: "Investors have been shying away from Indian airlines but Jet could be a standard core infrastructure investment..." Jet Airways, like other airlines, is currently struggling, and it has already put its international expansion on hold. The airline is also cutting all possible corners to reduce costs.

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