Discount airline Norse falls 33% on need to raise $45 million

Norse Atlantic ASA slumped the most in six months after the carrier said it was looking at raising an additional $45 million to tide it over the slower winter months and to pay a “key supplier.”

The stock plunged as much as 33% on Thursday in Oslo after Norse said it had hired Pareto Securities AS and SpareBank 1 Markets AS to advise on the carrier’s fundraising plan. The fledging transatlantic carrier also said it had been approached by possible suitors “seeking to explore industrial opportunities,” suggesting that it could sell a stake in the airline. 

Norse emerged in the midst of the pandemic and operates Boeing Co. 787 jets from the failed transatlantic arm of Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA. The carrier said it had its first profitable quarter this summer although “an adverse working capital movement led to a reduction of available liquidity compared to the previous quarter.”

BT Larsen & Co. and Scorpio Holdings Limited, the airline’s biggest shareholders, have expressed support in taking part in the planned fundraising, Norse said.