Founder & Managing Director, AIR Control Tower, AIR Control Tower

Neil Glynn

Neil Glynn, FCA, CFA, is Founder and Managing Director of AIR Control Tower.

Neil has near to 20 years of aviation experience, based in Dublin and London, including the roles of Credit Officer at CIT Aerospace and head of global transport equity research at Credit Suisse. 

The quality of Neil’s industry-leading research and forecasting across the value chain is long-recognized by investors (long track record of top tier placing in Institutional investor European Transport analyst survey; ranked #3 in last survey in 2021) and corporates (regular management team/board workshops, conference presentations around the world). 

Neil has also led 10 initial public offering (IPO) processes, assessing the investment case of corporates seeking to attract new investors.

Founder & Managing Director, AIR Control Tower

Korean Air - US Blocking of JetBlue/Spirit Continues Trend of M&A Opposition

Korean Air - Another US Example Of A Ruling Against Consolidation Raises Asiana Merger Questions

Korean Air - Plan B Should Asiana Merger Fail to Gain Approval

Korean Air: European Approval for Asiana Merger Reportedly Imminent

AIR Control Tower

AIR Control Tower is an independent research and analysis platform. Its mission is to provide impactful insight and analysis across the global airline industry at a company and market level via detailed financial models to aid decision making for key stake holders at a time when risks have seldom, if ever, been higher and the global sector grapples with the imperative of funding de-carbonisation. Unique analysis forecasting global carrier-level earnings/cash flows, and restructuring/de-leveraging prospects, is designed to dynamically assess the health of the industry, predict surprises and identify potential requirements for third party support.

Insights on the global airline industry

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>Korean Air has reported a 4Q23 net loss of KRW235bn, which is down from a profit of KRW354bn in 4Q22. We had expected KRW264bn profit but higher opex/financing costs weighed</li>
<li>We highlight 4Q23 saw KRW409bn in other financial expenses, which compared to an income of KRW322bn in 9M23. Without this, KAL would have generated profit of around KRW200bn in 4Q23</li>
<li>Pre-Pandemic, 4Q saw a near-breakeven performance (KRW17-38bn losses in 4Q18-4Q19) so a KRW184bn profit in 4Q23 still remains strong relative to pre-pandemic levels</li>
</ul>


Korean Air has reported a 4Q23 net loss of KRW235bn, which is down from a profit of KRW354bn in 4Q22. We had expected KRW264bn profit but higher opex/financing costs weighed
We highlight 4Q23 saw KRW409bn in other financial expenses, which compared to an income of KRW322bn in 9M23. Without this, KAL would have generated profit of around KRW200bn in 4Q23
Pre-Pandemic, 4Q saw a near-breakeven performance (KRW17-38bn losses in 4Q18-4Q19) so a KRW184bn profit in 4Q23 still remains strong relative to pre-pandemic levels


Korean Air - 4Q Loss Driven by Exceptional Financial Costs; Underlying Picture Healthier

Korean Air Lines

Korean Air - 4Q Loss Driven by Exceptional Financial Costs; Underlying Picture Healthier