October 26, 2022
Good news! ASEAN and the European Union finally signed an accord on 17 October 2022, that allows more passenger and cargo flights to be chartered between the two regions. This opens up many opportunities for the various airlines and aerospace services companies in the region with higher expected flight frequencies in the region. In Singapore and Malaysia, there are 4 such aviation companies that could stand to benefit the most from this...
#1 Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines (SIA) is an airline company mainly involved in the transport of passengers and cargo to various countries around the world.- Dominant position in the airline market in Singapore.
- Strong revenue exposure for passenger and cargo flights to Europe in line with the EU accord signing.
- Recovery back to pre-pandemic levels. Revenue expected to recover to S$16.0 billion in 2023 in line with 2020 level of S$15.8 billion.
#2 SATS Singapore
SATS Singapore (SATS) is a provider of food and gateway services to airlines companies mainly. In its food division, it provides food to airlines, foodservice chains, retailers and institutions. Meanwhile, it also provide gateway services such as airfreight handling, passenger services, ramp handling, baggage handling, security services, and aircraft interior & exterior cleaning. SATS stands to benefit from the increased flight frequencies from the EU accord. The deal to acquire France-based Worldwide Flight Services would make it the world's biggest global air cargo handler.- Possibility of being the world's biggest global air cargo handler with the deal to acquire Worldwide Flight Services (although some short-term pain is expected).
- Expected recovery back to pre-pandemic levels. Revenue expected to rebound to S$1.7 billion in 2023, similar to 2020 (S$1.9 billion).
#3 A-Sonic Aerospace
A-Sonic Aerospace (ASA) is involved mainly in the business of providing aerospace engineering and logistic solutions services. Despite being a small cap stock, ASA's main customers include the big names like: Singapore Airlines, Air China Group, China Eastern Group, Shanghai Airlines, Eva Airways, Malaysian Airlines and many other more. With an expected increase in passenger and cargo flight frequencies due to the EU accord, demand for ASA's services is expected to increase in line with more maintenance and logistics services required. With such a diversified revenue base in other countries, ASA weathered the pandemic pretty convincingly. Revenue actually continued to grow from S$276.1 million in 2019 to S$617.2 million in 2021 - almost 300% jump in 2 years! In the 1H2022, net profits also soared to a record high of S$7.6 million. This is a stark contrast to its 4 consecutive years of losses from 2014 to 2017, before returning to profitability in 2018. Currently, ASA is trading at a low price-to-book ratio of 0.6 times, compared to the historical average (2018 to 2021) of 0.8 times. Meanwhile, dividend yield is at 1.6%. ASA could be worth a good look at for the following reasons:- Diversified revenue base, with services spanning airlines across the region.
- Opportunity for rapid revenue expansion in accordance to higher flight services demand from the EU accord.
- Cheap valuations due to investors' unfamiliarity with this small cap stock
#4: Capital A Berhad (Air Asia)
Capital A Berhad (or formerly known as AirAsia) is mainly a low cost air travel company with flights to 128 destinations around the world. It has recently also diversified into the businesses of online travel agent (flight + hotel), food & beverage, e-hailing, fintech (BigPay), and aerospace engineering.- Reputation as the best low-cost aircraft carrier in the world.
- A pivot away from an airline company to digital lifestyle and travel company.
- Potential to benefit from increased flight frequencies to Europe.