Finance
BAE Systems halves stake in Kazakh carrier Air Astana
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on December 16, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Global Banking and Finance Review
Posted on December 16, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 20, 2026
BAE Systems halves its stake in Air Astana, now holding about 8% of shares, while maintaining its position as the second-largest shareholder.
Dec 16 (Reuters) - Britain's BAE Systems said on Tuesday it will cut its stake in Kazakh carrier Air Astana by nearly half.
The aircraft maker, which currently holds about 16.95% stake in Air Astana, is selling global depository receipts representing about 8% of the company's outstanding common shares.
BAE, whose main business is making fighter jets and submarines, invested less than $10 million in 2001 to help fund Air Astana's launch at a time when it was bidding to sell a radar system to Kazakhstan.
The company reduced its stake in Air Astana from 49% last year after it floated its dual IPO in London and Kazakhstan.
Following the latest sale, BAE Systems is expected to maintain its position as the second-largest shareholder in Air Astana, according to LSEG data.
(Reporting by Unnamalai L in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Shinjini Ganguli)
Equity refers to the ownership value in an asset or company, representing the shareholders' stake in the business after all liabilities have been deducted.
Corporate governance is the system of rules, practices, and processes by which a company is directed and controlled, focusing on the relationships among stakeholders.
The London Stock Exchange is one of the world's oldest and largest stock exchanges, where shares of publicly traded companies are bought and sold.
Global depository receipts (GDRs) are financial instruments that represent shares in a foreign company, allowing investors to trade them on local exchanges.
An IPO, or initial public offering, is the process through which a private company offers its shares to the public for the first time to raise capital.
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