Expedia is raising US$3.2 billion in new capital as the coronavirus pandemic has stalled travel around the world, reported Wall Street Journal.
The company is raising US$1.2 billion in private placement of perpetual preferred stock and US$2 billion in new debt financing. Funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management and Silver Lake will provide the equity investment and will each get a spot on the company’s board, according to Expedia. The funding is expected to close May 5.
Expedia stated it expects the new funds to strengthen its financial flexibility and liquidity position.
The travel industry at large has been among the hardest hit during the COVID-19 crisis. Airports appear nearly empty and airlines and hotels alike have been forced to deal with a huge wave of cancellations.
Like Expedia, Airbnb has recently raised debt financing to help it ride through the crisis. It raised two separate rounds of US$1 billion each this month, one of which included equity and had Silver Lake as a backer. Airbnb has been struggling to make up for losses incurred by hosts due to guest cancellations.
Full Content: Wall Street Journal
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