Bristow Group Inc. has announced an update on the company’s Chapter 11 court proceedings, and continued progress on its plan to emerge from Chapter 11 in the fourth quarter of 2019.
The company has filed an Amended Joint Plan of Reorganization and the related disclosure statement for the amended plan with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.
In addition, the court has approved the proposed Superpriority Secured Debtor-in-Possession Credit Agreement in an aggregate principal amount of $150 million. Bristow expects to execute and fund the borrowings under the DIP credit agreement on Aug. 26, 2019, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The funding of the DIP credit agreement will satisfy the financing condition for the company’s previously announced tender offer to purchase for cash a portion of its outstanding 8.75 percent Senior Secured Notes due 2023.
Bristow’s ad hoc groups of secured and unsecured creditors provided a statement to the court in support of the company’s fiscal year 2020 performance incentive plan and the fiscal year 2020 non-executive incentive plan, and the court has approved these employee incentive plans.
L. Don Miller, president and chief executive officer of Bristow, said, “These positive developments represent significant progress toward de-levering our balance sheet, optimizing our fleet and raising new capital, as we continue to execute our strategy to improve our competitive positioning and build on our industry-leading culture of safety and performance. We remain on course to achieve an accelerated and efficient emergence from Chapter 11, with the support and partnership of our lenders, creditors and new capital providers.”
The amendments to the original plan, which had been filed with the Court on Aug. 1, 2019, include:
- A comprehensive settlement under which the official committee of unsecured creditors agreed to join the ad hoc groups of secured and unsecured noteholders in supporting the amended plan.
- A settlement with PK AirFinance S.à r.l., Milestone Aviation Group and certain of their affiliates providing for, among other things, a restructuring of the basic economic terms of certain of the Company’s aircraft leases, an amendment of the terms of the term loan credit agreement with PKA, mutual releases between the parties and continued use of certain aircraft important to the company’s operations. The terms of the Milestone settlement remain subject to agreement on definitive documentation and approval of the court.
- Modifications to the treatment of claims arising from the 6.25 percent senior notes due 2022 and the 4.50 percent convertible senior notes due 2023, as well as claims from general unsecured creditors, trade vendors and certain of the debtors’ equipment lenders.
The court has also conditionally approved the amended disclosure statement and the debtors’ commencement of solicitation of votes on the amended plan. Bristow will promptly distribute the amended plan and the amended disclosure statement to voting creditors for their consideration.
