Frontier Group Holdings, the holding company for Frontier Airlines, is waiving its planned IPO. The low-cost American airline has been working on a stock exchange listing since March 2017, but due to the current market situation, the company does not consider it advisable to continue the plans.
Frontier Airlines is owned by Indigo Partners, which also has significant interests in among others Spirit Airlines and Wizz. An IPO would allow Frontier to raise additional capital and to continue growing. The holding company has filed a request for withdrawal of its registration statement, which was initially filed on March 31, 2017. The withdrawal is to be effective as early as possible.
In a statement, the company says plans have been called off in the interest of current investors. The economic crisis resulting from the coronavirus pandemic has reduced the value of many airlines’ shares. As a result, they could easily fall prey to venture capital investors. In March, Indigo Partners’ managing partner Bill Franke stated that the crisis would be a great opportunity for investors to acquire a significant stake in airlines at a relatively low price. Frontier’s move circumvents any such circumstances.