S-3
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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 11, 2020

Registration No. 333-______

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

MESA AIR GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Nevada   85-0302351

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

410 North 44th Street, Suite 700

Phoenix, Arizona 85008

(602) 685-4000

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

Brian S. Gillman

Executive Vice President and General Counsel

Mesa Air Group, Inc.

410 North 44th Street, Suite 700

Phoenix, Arizona 85008

(602) 685-4000

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

Gregory R. Hall

Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

1144 15th Street, Suite 3400

Denver, Colorado 80202

(303) 607-3705

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box.  ☐

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box.  ☒

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  ☐

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (Check one):

 

Large accelerated filer      Accelerated filer  

Non-accelerated filer      Smaller reporting company  
     Emerging growth company  

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☒

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

Title of each class of

securities to be registered

 

Amount

to be

registered(1)

 

Proposed

maximum

offering price

per unit(2)

 

Proposed

maximum

aggregate

offering price(2)

 

Amount of

registration fee

Common stock, no par value, underlying warrants

  4,899,497   $7.45(1)   $36,501,252.65(1)   $3,982.29(1)

Warrants to purchase common stock(3)

  4,899,497   —     —     —  

 

 

 

(1) 

Pursuant to Rule 416 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this Registration Statement also covers an indeterminable number of shares of common stock as may be issuable from time to time as a result of stock splits, stock dividends, capitalizations or similar events.

(2) 

Estimated solely for the purposes of computing the registration fee in accordance with Rule 457(c) and 457(g) under the Securities Act, based upon the higher of (i) $3.98, the price at which the warrants may be exercised, and (ii) $7.45, the average of the high and low prices of the registrant’s common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on December 9, 2020 (a date within five business days prior to the filing of this registration statement).

(3) 

Pursuant to Rule 457(g) of the Securities Act, no separate fee is recorded for the warrants and the entire fee is allocated to the underlying common stock.

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment that specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 


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The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. The selling securityholders may not sell these securities or accept an offer to buy these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities, and it is not soliciting offers to buy these securities, in any state where such offer or sale is not permitted.

 

 

Subject to Completion Dated December 11, 2020

Prospectus

MESA AIR GROUP, INC.

 

LOGO

4,899,497 Shares of Common Stock

Warrants to Purchase 4,899,497 Shares of Common Stock

 

 

This prospectus covers the offer, resale or other disposition from time by the selling securityholder named herein of (i) warrants (each, a “Warrant” and, collectively, the “Warrants”) to purchase up to 4,899,497 shares of our common stock, no par value (“common stock”), and (ii) 4,899,497 shares of our common stock underlying the Warrants (the “Warrant Shares”). The Warrants and Warrant Shares are collectively referred to herein as the “Securities”. We are not selling any Warrants or Warrant Shares under this prospectus and will not receive any proceeds from the sale of Warrants or Warrant Shares by the selling securityholder. The selling securityholder will bear all commissions and discounts, if any, attributable to the sale of the shares of common stock. We will bear all costs, expenses and fees in connection with the registration of the shares of common stock.

On October 30, 2020 (the “Treasury Loan Closing Date”), we, along with Mesa Airlines, Inc., our wholly-owned subsidiary, and certain other parties thereto entered into a Loan and Guarantee Agreement (the “Treasury Loan Agreement”) with the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) with respect to the loan program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”). In connection with our entry into the Treasury Loan Agreement, on the Treasury Loan Closing Date, we entered into a Warrant Agreement (“Warrant Agreement”) with Treasury.

Pursuant to the Treasury Loan Agreement, we received financial assistance from Treasury in the aggregate amount of $195.0 million. As compensation to Treasury for the provision of financial assistance under the Treasury Loan Agreement, we issued Warrants to Treasury to purchase up to an aggregate of 4,899,497 shares of our common stock at an initial exercise price of $3.98 per share, which was the closing price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on April 9, 2020. The number of Warrant Shares to be issued is subject to adjustment as a result of anti-dilution adjustments contained in the Warrants.

Pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, we agreed to file a registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) to register the disposition of the maximum number of Warrants and Warrant Shares.

The Warrants and Warrant Shares may be sold by the selling securityholder to or through underwriters or dealers, directly to purchasers or through agents designated from time to time. For additional information regarding the methods of sale, you should refer to the section of this prospectus entitled “Plan of Distribution” on page 10.

We may amend or supplement this prospectus from time to time by filing amendments or supplements as required. You should read the entire prospectus and any amendments or supplements carefully before you make your investment decision.

INVESTING IN THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED IN THIS PROSPECTUS INVOLVES RISKS. YOU SHOULD CAREFULLY READ AND CONSIDER “RISK FACTORS” BEGINNING ON PAGE 5 OF THIS PROSPECTUS AS WELL AS THE RISK FACTORS CONTAINED IN DOCUMENTS WE FILE WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, WHICH ARE INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE INTO THIS PROSPECTUS, BEFORE INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES.

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “MESA.” The last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on December 9, 2020 was $7.23 per share. There is no established trading market for the Warrants and we do not expect a market to develop. In addition, we do not intend to list the Warrants on any securities exchange or automated quotation system.

Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.    

The date of this prospectus is    , 2020.


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

     1  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

     2  

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

     2  

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     3  

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

     4  

RISK FACTORS

     5  

USE OF PROCEEDS

     6  

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

     6  

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

     9  

SELLING SECURITYHOLDER

     12  

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

     13  

LEGAL MATTERS

     15  

EXPERTS

     15  


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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is a part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the SEC using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, the selling securityholder may, from time to time, sell the Securities in one or more offerings or resales.

The rules of the SEC allow us to incorporate by reference information into this prospectus. This information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC, to the extent incorporated by reference, will automatically update and supersede this information. See “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” set forth below. You should read both this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement together with the additional information about our company described under the caption “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Neither we nor any agent or selling securityholder has authorized any person to give any information or to make any representation other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the registered securities to which they relate, nor does this prospectus constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation in such jurisdiction. You should read this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement together with additional information described below under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” before you decide to invest in our securities.

This prospectus contains summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described under the caption “Where You Can Find More Information” in this prospectus.

Neither the delivery of this prospectus nor any sale made using this prospectus implies that there has been no change in our affairs or that the information in this prospectus is correct as of any date after the date of this prospectus. You should not assume that the information in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus prepared by us is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of this prospectus. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

As used in this prospectus, unless the context indicates otherwise, the terms “we,” “our,” “us,” the “Company,” or “registrant” refer to Mesa Air Group, Inc. and includes its subsidiaries. Unless otherwise stated or indicated by context, the phrase “this prospectus” refers to the prospectus.

 

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We are subject to the information reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and, in accordance with these requirements, we are required to file periodic reports and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains an Internet website at www.sec.gov that contains our filed reports, proxy and information statements, and other information we file electronically with the SEC.

Additionally, we make our SEC filings available on our website at http://investor.mesa-air.com as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such materials with, or furnish them to, the SEC. The information on our website, other than the filings incorporated by reference in this prospectus, is not, and should not be, considered part of this prospectus, is not incorporated by reference into this document, and should not be relied upon in connection with making any investment decision with respect to the Securities.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus, and later information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and their amendments, except information furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K, which is neither deemed filed nor incorporated by reference herein and any future filings made with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act until this offering is completed:

 

   

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019, filed with the SEC on December 17, 2019;

 

   

Our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended December 31, 2019, March 31, 2020, and June 30, 2020, filed with the SEC on February  10, 2020, May  11, 2020, and August 10, 2020, respectively;

 

   

Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October  3, 2019, December  3, 2019, December  18, 2019, December  31, 2019, February  5, 2020, March  31, 2020, April  7, 2020, April  22, 2020, May  6, 2020, June  16, 2020, October  13, 2020, October  15, 2020, November  2, 2020, November  9, 2020, November  16, 2020, November  20, 2020, and November 24, 2020;

 

   

The information from our definitive proxy statement filed on December  31, 2019 specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2019; and

 

   

The description of our capital stock in our Form 8-A filed with the SEC on August 9, 2018, and any amendment or report filed with the SEC for the purpose of updating the description.

We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus all documents (other than current reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits filed on such form that are related to such items) that are filed by us with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (i) after the date of the initial filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and prior to effectiveness of the registration statement, or (ii) after the date of this prospectus but prior to the termination of the offering. These documents include periodic reports, such as Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as proxy statements.

We will furnish without charge to you, on written or oral request, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated by reference herein, other than exhibits to such documents that are not specifically incorporated by reference therein. You should direct any requests for documents to us at the following address or telephone number:

Investor Relations

Mesa Air Group, Inc.

410 North 44th Street, Suite 700

Phoenix, Arizona 85008

Telephone: (602) 685-4000

You should rely only on the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any document which we incorporate by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date on its cover.

 

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein contain statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act and are subject to the safe harbor created thereby. All statements contained herein and in the documents incorporated by reference herein other than statements of historical facts, including statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, our business strategy and plans and our objectives for future operations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can also be identified by words such as “future,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects”, “intends,” “plans,” “predicts,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “can,” “may,” and similar terms. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and our actual results may differ significantly from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 17, 2019 under the heading “Risk Factors” as well as those discussed in Part II, Item 1A of our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 11, 2020 and August 10, 2020 under the heading “Risk Factors,” which are incorporated herein by reference. All information presented herein is based on our fiscal calendar. Unless otherwise stated, references to particular years, quarters, months or periods refer to our fiscal years ended September 30 and the associated quarters, months, and periods of those fiscal years. Each of the terms the “Company,” “Mesa Airlines,” “we,” “us” and “our” as used herein refers collectively to Mesa Air Group, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, unless otherwise stated.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, achievements or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will occur. We cannot assure you that forward-looking statements in this prospectus or the documents incorporated herein will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us to any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame, or at all.

The cautionary statements made in this prospectus and the documents incorporated herein are intended to be applicable to all related forward-looking statements wherever they may appear in this prospectus. We urge you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update our forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information from this prospectus and does not contain all of the information that you need to consider in making your investment decision. You should carefully read the entire prospectus, especially the risks of investing in our securities discussed under “Risk Factors” in this prospectus beginning on page 5 and in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as they may be amended, and any accompanying prospectus supplement, as well as the risk factors discussed in the documents incorporated by reference herein. See “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” on page 2 of this prospectus for a further discussion on incorporation by reference.

Overview

Mesa Airlines is a regional air carrier providing scheduled flight service to 102 cities in 39 states, the District of Columbia, Canada and Mexico. As of September 30, 2020, we operated a fleet of 146 aircraft with approximately 373 daily departures and 3,200 employees. All of our flights are operated as either American Eagle or United Express flights pursuant to the terms of capacity purchase agreements entered into with American Airlines, Inc., United Airlines, Inc. and DHL Express. We have a significant presence in several of our major airline partners’ key domestic hubs and focus cities, including Dallas, Houston, Phoenix and Washington-Dulles. Our principal executive offices are located at 410 North 44th Street, Suite 700, Phoenix, Arizona 85008 and our phone number is (602) 685-4000.

The Offering

 

Issuer securities to be offered by the selling securityholder    Warrants to purchase up to 4,899,497 shares of common stock (and up to 4,899,497 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants). The Warrants have an exercise price of $3.98 per share and are exercisable until the fifth anniversary of the issuance date of the applicable Warrant. The Warrants are exercisable either through net share settlement or cash, at the Company’s option. The number of Warrant Shares to be issued is subject to adjustment as a result of certain anti-dilution provisions contained in the Warrants. You should carefully consider the information under “Description of Capital Stock” and “Description of Warrants” and all other information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus before investing in our securities.
Listing    Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “MESA.” On December 9, the last reported sale price of our common stock was $7.23.
Use of Proceeds    We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the Warrants or the Warrant Shares covered by this prospectus. See “Use of Proceeds.”
Risk Factors    An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider all of the information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and, in particular, you should evaluate the risk factors identified in this prospectus under “Risk Factors” beginning on page 2 of this prospectus.


 

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RISK FACTORS

Investment in the Securities involves risks. Before you invest in the Securities, you should carefully consider the risk factors below and those incorporated into this prospectus by reference to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2019 and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and the other information contained in this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and risk factors and other information contained in any applicable prospectus supplement. The occurrence of any of the events described in the risk factors might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the Securities.

Risk Factors Relating to the Warrants

There is no public market for the Warrants to purchase common stock being offered in this offering.

There is no established public trading market for the Warrants being offered in this offering, and we do not expect a market to develop. In addition, we do not intend to apply for listing of the Warrants on any national securities exchange or automated quotation system. Without an active market, the liquidity of the Warrants will be limited.

Holders of our Warrants will have no rights as a common stockholder until such holders exercise their Warrants and acquire our common stock.

Until you acquire shares of our common stock upon exercise of your Warrants, you will have no rights with respect to the shares of our common stock underlying such Warrants. Upon exercise of your Warrants, you will be entitled to exercise the rights of a common stockholder only as to matters for which the record date occurs after the exercise date.

The Warrants do not automatically exercise, and any Warrant not exercised prior to the expiration date will expire unexercised.

The Warrants do not automatically exercise upon expiration. You are entitled to exercise the full number of Warrants registered in your name or any portion thereof. Any Warrant that you do not exercise prior to the expiration date will expire unexercised and you will not receive any shares of our common stock.

The United States Treasury is a federal agency and your ability to bring a claim against Treasury as a selling securityholder under the federal securities laws may be limited.

The doctrine of sovereign immunity, as limited by the Federal Tort Claims Act (the “FTCA”), provides that claims may not be brought against the United States of America or any agency or instrumentality thereof unless specifically permitted by act of Congress. The FTCA bars claims for fraud or misrepresentation. At least one federal court, in a case involving a federal agency, has held that the United States may assert its sovereign immunity to claims brought under the federal securities laws. In addition, Treasury and its officers, agents, and employees are exempt from liability for any violation or alleged violation of the anti-fraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act, by virtue of Section 3(c) thereof. Accordingly, any attempt to assert such a claim against the officers, agents or employees of Treasury for a violation of the Securities Act, or the Exchange Act resulting from an alleged material misstatement in or material omission from this prospectus, the accompanying prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or resulting from any other act or omission in connection with this offering of the Warrants by Treasury or the shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise thereof, would likely be barred.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We are registering the Warrants and the Warrant Shares on behalf of the selling securityholder, to be offered and sold by the selling securityholder from time to time. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the Warrants or the Warrant Shares by the selling securityholder in the offering described in this prospectus nor from the exercise of Warrants described in this prospectus, as the Warrant Agreement governing the terms of such Warrants provides for “net share settlement” or “net cash settlement.” See “Description of Warrants—Exercise of the Warrants” herein.

We have agreed to bear all of the expenses incurred in connection with the registration of the Warrants and the Warrant Shares. The selling securityholder will pay or assume discounts, commissions, fees of underwriters, selling brokers or dealer managers and similar expenses, if any, incurred for the sale of the Warrants and the Warrant Shares.

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

Authorized Shares of Capital Stock

Our authorized capital stock consists of 125,000,000 shares of common stock, no par value per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, no par value per share. As of November 30, 2020, there were 35,532,405 shares of common stock issued and outstanding and no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding. The outstanding shares of our common stock are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

Listing

Our common stock trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “MESA.”

Voting Rights

Each holder of our common stock is entitled to one vote for each share on all matters submitted to a vote of the shareholders, including the election of directors, subject to any exclusive voting or director designation rights of the holders of shares of any series of our preferred stock that we may designate in the future. The rights, preferences and privileges that may be granted to holders of our preferred stock, were we to issue such preferred stock, could include dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation preferences, sinking fund terms and the number of shares constituting any series or the designation of such series, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of common stock. Our issuance of preferred stock could adversely affect the voting power of holders of common stock and the likelihood that such holders will receive dividend payments and payments upon liquidation. In addition, the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of the Company or other corporate action. We have no present plan to issue any such shares of preferred stock, although our board of directors (the “Board”) has the authority to do so without any action by our shareholders, and to fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of such preferred stock. Our shareholders do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors.

Dividend Rights

Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by our Board out of legally available funds, subject to preferences that may be applicable to any then-outstanding preferred stock and limitations under the RASPRO Lease Facility, GECAS Lease Facility (each as defined in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2019) and the applicable provisions of the Nevada Revised Statutes (“NRS”).

Rights upon Liquidation

In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock will be entitled to the net assets legally available for distribution to shareholders after the payment of all of our debts and other liabilities and the satisfaction of any liquidation preference granted to the holders of any then-outstanding shares of preferred stock.

 

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Other Rights and Preferences

Our common stock has no sinking fund, redemption provisions, or preemptive, conversion, subscription or exchange rights. Holders of our common stock entitled to vote on a matter, other than with respect to the election of directors, may only take action at special or annual meetings of the shareholders where the number of votes cast in favor of the action exceeds the number of votes cast in opposition to the action, unless voting by classes or series is required for any action of the shareholders by the NRS, our Second Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (the “Articles”) or our Amended and Restated Bylaws (the “Bylaws”), in which case the number of votes cast in favor of the action by the voting power of each such class or series must exceed the number of votes cast in opposition to the action by the voting power of each such class or series. Shareholders entitled to vote on the election of directors at a special or annual meeting of the shareholders at which a quorum is present may elect directors by a plurality of the votes cast. We reserve the right at any time, and from time to time, to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in our Articles, with the exception of Article 11, in the manner, and subject to approval by shareholders as now or hereafter prescribed by statute, and all rights conferred upon holders of our common stock are granted subject to this reservation.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

ComputerShare is the transfer agent and registrar for our common stock and its telephone number is (212) 805-7100.

Certain Transfer Restrictions

Our Articles impose limits on certain transfers of our stock, which limits are intended to preserve our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards. Specifically, our Articles prohibit the transfer of any shares of our capital stock that would result in (i) any person or entity owning 4.75% or more of our then-outstanding capital stock, or (ii) an increase in the percentage ownership of any person or entity owning 4.75% or more of our then-outstanding capital stock. These transfer restrictions expire upon the earliest of (i) the repeal of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or any successor statute if our Board determines that such restrictions are no longer necessary to preserve our ability to use our net operating loss carryforwards, (ii) the beginning of a fiscal year to which our Board determines that no net operating losses may be carried forward, or (iii) such other date as determined by our Board. These transfer restrictions apply to the beneficial owner of the shares of our capital stock. The clients of an investment advisor are treated as the beneficial owners of stock for this purpose if the clients have the right to receive dividends, if any, the power to acquire or dispose of the shares of our capital stock, and the right to proceeds from the sale of our capital stock. Certain transactions approved by our Board, such as mergers and consolidations meeting certain requirements set forth in our Articles, are exempt from the above-described transfer restrictions. Our Board also has the ability to grant waivers, in its discretion, with respect to transfers of our stock that would otherwise be prohibited. Our Board has agreed to waive the above-referenced restrictions in our Articles to those persons or entities that acquire shares of our common stock in excess of the 4.75% threshold in this offering. Any transfer of common stock in violation of these restrictions will be void and will be treated as if such transfer never occurred.

Limited Ownership and Voting by Foreign Owners

To comply with restrictions imposed by federal law on foreign ownership of U.S. airlines, our Articles restrict the ownership and voting of shares of our common stock by people and entities who are not “citizens of the United States” as that term is defined in 49 U.S.C. § 40102(a). That statute defines “citizen of the United States” as, among other things, a U.S. corporation, of which the president and at least two-thirds of the board of directors and other managing officers are individuals who are citizens of the United States, which is under the actual control of citizens of the United States and in which at least 75% of the voting interest is owned or controlled by persons who are citizens of the United States. Our Articles prohibit any non-U.S. citizen from owning or controlling more than 24.9% of the aggregate votes of all outstanding shares of our common stock or 49.0% of the total number of outstanding shares of our capital stock. The restrictions imposed by the above-described ownership caps are applied to each non-U.S. citizen in reverse chronological order based on the date of registration on our foreign stock record. At no time may shares of our capital stock held by non-U.S. citizens be voted unless such shares are reflected on the foreign stock record. The voting rights of non-U.S. citizens having voting control over any shares of our capital stock are subject to automatic suspension to the extent required to ensure that we are in compliance with applicable law. In the event any transfer or issuance of shares of our capital stock to a non-U.S. citizen would result in non-U.S. citizens owning more than the above-described cap amounts, such transfer or issuance will be void and of no effect.

 

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Anti-Takeover Provisions of Our Articles, Our Bylaws and the NRS

Certain provisions of the NRS deter hostile takeovers. Specifically, NRS 78.411 through 78.444 prohibit a publicly held Nevada corporation from engaging in a “combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of two years following the date the person first became an interested shareholder, unless (with certain exceptions) the “combination” or the transaction by which the person became an interested shareholder is approved in a prescribed manner. Generally, a “combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or certain other transactions resulting in a financial benefit to the interested shareholder. Generally, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, beneficially owns or within two years prior to becoming an “interested shareholder” did own, 10% or more of a corporation’s voting power. Our Articles exclude us from the restrictions imposed by these statutes.

Nevada’s “acquisition of controlling interest” statutes, NRS 78.378 through 78.3793, contain provisions governing the acquisition of a controlling interest in certain Nevada corporations. These “control share” laws provide generally that any person that acquires a “controlling interest” in certain Nevada corporations may be denied voting rights, unless a majority of the disinterested stockholders of the corporation elects to restore such voting rights. These statutes provide that a person acquires a “controlling interest” whenever a person acquires shares of a subject corporation that, but for the application of these provisions of the NRS, would enable that person to exercise (1) one-fifth or more, but less than one-third, (2) one-third or more, but less than a majority or (3) a majority or more, of all of the voting power of the corporation in the election of directors. Once an acquirer crosses one of these thresholds, shares that it acquired in the transaction taking it over the threshold and within the 90 days immediately preceding the date when the acquiring person acquired or offered to acquire a controlling interest become “control shares” to which the voting restrictions described above apply. Our Articles provide that these statutes do not apply to us or to any acquisition of our common stock.

Section 78.139 of the NRS, to which we are subject, provides that directors may resist a change or potential change in control if the directors, by majority vote of a quorum, determine that the change is opposed to, or not in, the best interests of the corporation.

In order to ensure that our capacity purchase agreements are not subject to early termination, our Articles prohibit the sale, transfer or assignment of our capital stock to the extent that such transfer would result in a change of control. Our Articles also grant our Board the ability to establish one or more series of preferred stock (including convertible preferred stock), to determine, with respect to any series of preferred stock, the voting powers, designations, preferences, limitations, restrictions and relative rights of each such series, and to authorize the issuance of shares of any such series, making it possible for our Board to issue preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences that could impede the success of any attempt to change control of the Company Mesa Airlines. These and other provisions may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers or delaying changes in control or management of the Company Mesa Airlines.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

The following is a brief description of the terms of the Warrants being offered by the selling securityholder. This summary does not purport to be complete in all respects. This description is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, the form of Warrant and Warrant Agreement filed by us with the SEC.

Exercise of the Warrants

The initial exercise price applicable to each Warrant is $3.98 per share of common stock for which the Warrant may be exercised. All or any portion of each series of Warrants may be exercised in whole or in part by surrendering the Warrant and delivering to us a completed notice of exercise attached as an annex to the Warrant at any time or from time to time on or before 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the fifth anniversary of the date of issuance.

Upon exercise of the applicable Warrant, we will elect to pay or deliver, as the case may be, to the exercising holder (a) cash (“Net Cash Settlement”) or (b) shares of common stock, together with cash, if applicable, in lieu of delivering any fractional shares (“Net Share Settlement”). If we elect Net Cash Settlement, we will pay the exercising holder cash equal to (i) the average market price (as defined in the Warrant) of a share of our common stock as of the date of exercise less $3.98 multiplied by (ii) the number of shares of our common stock that are issuable upon exercise of each Warrant (the “Warrant Shares”). If we elect Net Share Settlement, we will deliver to the exercising holder a number of shares of common stock equal to the product of (i) the quotient of (x) the average market price of a share of our common stock determined on the date of exercise less $3.98 divided by (y) the average market price of a share of our common stock determined on the date of exercise, multiplied by (ii) the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrant, together with cash, if applicable, in lieu of delivering any fractional shares.

No Fractional Shares

No fractional shares or scrip representing fractional shares will be issued upon the exercise of the Warrants. In lieu of any fractional share to which the holder would otherwise be entitled, the holder will be entitled to receive a cash payment determined according to the formula set forth in the Warrant.

Right as a Stockholder

Holders of the Warrants will not have the rights or privileges of holders of our common stock, including any voting rights, until they exercise their Warrants.

Adjustments to the Warrants

Pursuant to the terms of the Warrants, Warrant Shares and the exercise price will be adjusted upon occurrence of certain events as follows.

 

   

In the case of stock splits, subdivisions, reclassifications or combinations of common stock. If we declare and pay a dividend or make a distribution on our common stock in shares of our common stock, subdivide or reclassify the outstanding shares of our common stock into a greater number of shares, or combine or reclassify the outstanding shares of our common stock into a smaller number of shares, the number of Warrant Shares at the time of the record date for such dividend or distribution or the effective date of such subdivision, combination or reclassification will be proportionately adjusted so that the holder of a Warrant after such date will be entitled to purchase the number of shares of our common stock that it would have owned or been entitled to receive in respect of the number of Warrant Shares had such Warrant been exercised immediately prior to such date. The exercise price in effect at the time of the record date for such dividend or distribution or the effective date of such subdivision, combination or reclassification will be adjusted to the number obtained by dividing (x) the product of (1) the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon the exercise of the Warrant before such adjustment and (2) the exercise price in effect immediately prior to the record or effective date, as the case may be, for the dividend, distribution, subdivision, combination or reclassification giving rise to the adjustment by (y) the new number of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrant determined pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence.

 

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In the case of certain issuances of common stock or convertible securities. If we issue shares of common stock (or rights or warrants or other securities exercisable or convertible into or exchangeable (collectively, a “conversion”) for shares of common stock) (collectively, “convertible securities”) (other than in permitted transactions (as defined below) or a transaction to which subsection (A) of this bullet point is applicable) without consideration or at a consideration per share (or having a conversion price per share) that is less than 90% of the average market price determined as of the date of the agreement on pricing such shares (or such convertible securities) then, in such event:

(A) the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon the exercise of the Warrant immediately prior to the date of the agreement on pricing of such shares (or of such convertible securities) (the “initial number”) will be increased to the number obtained by multiplying the initial number by a fraction (A) the numerator of which will be the sum of (x) the number of shares of common stock outstanding on such date and (y) the number of additional shares of common stock issued (or into which convertible securities may be exercised or convert) and (B) the denominator of which will be the sum of (I) the number of shares of common stock outstanding on such date and (II) the number of shares of common stock which the aggregate consideration receivable by us for the total number of shares of common stock so issued (or into which convertible securities may be exercised or convert) would purchase at the average market price determined as of the date of the agreement on pricing such shares (or such convertible securities); and (B) the exercise price payable upon exercise of the Warrant will be adjusted by multiplying such exercise price in effect immediately prior to the date of the agreement on pricing of such shares (or of such convertible securities) by a fraction, the numerator of which will be the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrant prior to such date and the denominator of which will be the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrant immediately after the adjustment described in the first bullet point above; and

(B) for purposes of the foregoing, the aggregate consideration receivable by us in connection with the issuance of such shares of common stock or convertible securities will be deemed to be equal to the sum of the net offering price (including the fair market value (as defined in the Warrant) of any non-cash consideration and after deduction of any related expenses payable to third parties) of all such securities plus the minimum aggregate amount, if any, payable upon exercise or conversion of any such convertible securities into shares of common stock and “permitted transactions” will mean issuances (i) as consideration for or to fund the acquisition of businesses and/or related assets, (ii) in connection with employee benefit plans and compensation related arrangements in the ordinary course and consistent with past practice approved by the Board, (iii) in connection with a public or broadly marketed offering and sale of common stock or convertible securities for cash conducted by us or one of our affiliates pursuant to registration under the Securities Act or Rule 144A thereunder on a basis consistent with capital raising transactions by comparable institutions and (iv) in connection with the exercise of preemptive rights on terms existing as of the issue date. Any adjustment made pursuant to this provision will become effective immediately upon the date of such issuance.

 

   

In the case of other distributions. If we fix a record date for the making of a distribution to all holders of shares of our common stock of securities, evidences of indebtedness, assets, cash, rights or warrants (excluding dividends of our common stock and other dividends or distributions referred to in the first bullet point above), in each such case, the exercise price in effect prior to such record date will be reduced immediately thereafter to the price determined by multiplying the exercise price in effect immediately prior to the reduction by the quotient of (x) the average market price of the common stock determined as of the first date on which the common stock trades regular way on the principal national securities exchange on which the common stock is listed or admitted to trading without the right to receive such distribution, minus the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of the securities, evidences of indebtedness, assets, rights or warrants to be so distributed in respect of one share of common stock (such amount and/or fair market value, the “per share fair market value”) divided by (y) the average market price specified in clause (x). Any such adjustment will be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed. In such event, the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon the exercise of the Warrant will be increased to the number obtained by dividing (x) the product of (1) the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon the exercise of the Warrant before such adjustment, and (2) the exercise price in effect immediately prior to the distribution giving rise to this adjustment by (y) the new exercise price determined in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence. In the event that such distribution is not so made, the exercise price and the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrant then in effect will be readjusted, effective as of the date when the Board determines not to distribute such shares, evidences of indebtedness, assets, rights, cash or warrants, as the case may be, to the exercise price that would then be in effect and the number of Warrant Shares that would then be issuable upon exercise of the Warrant if such record date had not been fixed.

 

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In the case of a pro rata repurchase of common stock. A “pro rata repurchase” is defined as any purchase of shares of our common stock by us or an affiliate of ours pursuant to any tender offer or exchange offer subject to Section 13(e) or 14(e) of the Exchange Act, or Regulation 14E thereunder, or any other offer available to substantially all holders of our common stock effected while the Warrant is outstanding. If we effect a pro rata repurchase of common stock, then the exercise price will be reduced to the price determined by multiplying the exercise price in effect immediately prior to the effective date of such pro rata repurchase by a fraction of which the numerator will be (i) the product of (x) the number of shares of common stock outstanding immediately before such pro rata repurchase and (y) the average market price of a share of common stock determined as of the date of the first public announcement by us or any of our affiliates of the intent to effect such pro rata repurchase, minus (ii) the aggregate purchase price of the pro rata repurchase, and of which the denominator will be the product of (i) the number of shares of common stock outstanding immediately prior to such pro rata repurchase minus the number of shares of common stock so repurchased and (ii) the average market price per share of common stock determined as of the date of the first public announcement by us or any of our affiliates of the intent to effect such pro rata repurchase. In such event, the number of shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Warrant will be increased to the number obtained by dividing (x) the product of (1) the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon the exercise of the Warrant before such adjustment, and (2) the exercise price in effect immediately prior to the pro rata repurchase giving rise to this adjustment by (y) the new exercise price determined in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence. The “effective date” of a pro rata repurchase means the date of acceptance of shares for purchase or exchange by us under any tender offer or exchange offer which is a pro rata repurchase or the date of purchase of any pro rata repurchase that is not a tender offer or exchange offer.

 

   

In the case of a merger, consolidation, statutory share exchange or similar transaction that requires the approval of our stockholders (any such transaction, a “business combination”) or a reclassification of our common stock. In the event of any business combination or reclassification of common stock (other than a reclassification of common stock referred to in the first bullet point above), the holder’s right to receive Warrant Shares upon exercise of the Warrant will be converted into the right to exercise the Warrant to acquire the number of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) which the common stock issuable (at the time of such business combination or reclassification) upon exercise of the Warrant immediately prior to such business combination or reclassification would have been entitled to receive upon consummation of such business combination or reclassification. In determining the kind and amount of stock, securities or the property receivable upon exercise of the Warrant following the consummation of such business combination, if the holders of common stock have the right to elect the kind or amount of consideration receivable upon consummation of such business combination, then the consideration that the holder will be entitled to receive upon exercise will be deemed to be the types and amounts of consideration received by the majority of all holders of the shares of common stock that affirmatively make an election (or of all such holders if none make an election).

If more than one adjustment provision applies to a single event, the adjustment provision that produces the largest adjustment with respect to such event will be applied, and no single event will cause an adjustment under more than one adjustment provision so as to result in duplication. All such adjustments will be made to the nearest one-tenth (1/10th) of a cent or to the nearest one-hundredth (1/100th) of a share, as the case may be. No adjustment in the exercise price or the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a Warrant will be made if the amount of such adjustment would be less than $0.01 or one-tenth (1/10th) of a share of our common stock, but any such amount will be carried forward and an adjustment with respect thereto will be made at the time of and together with any subsequent adjustment which, together with such amount and any other amount or amounts so carried forward, will aggregate $0.01 or 1/10th of a share of our common stock, or more.

If an adjustment in the exercise price made in accordance with the adjustment provisions above would reduce the exercise price to an amount below the par value of our common stock, then that adjustment will reduce the exercise price to that par value.

Waivers, Amendments and Assignments

Any term of the Warrant may be amended or waived only with our written consent and the written consent of the holder. Purchasers of the Warrants will have no rights under the Warrant Agreement unless we agree to assign such rights, except with respect to certain registration rights provided for under the Warrant Agreement.

 

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SELLING SECURITYHOLDER

In October 2020, we agreed to issue in a private placement to Treasury Warrants to purchase a number of shares of our common stock determined by a formula set forth in the Warrant Agreement. Treasury acquired the Warrants in consideration for providing financial assistance to us pursuant to the Treasury Loan Agreement.. We are registering the resale or other disposition from time to time by the selling securityholder named herein of (i) Warrants to purchase up to 4,899,497 shares of our common stock and (ii) 4,899,497 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws and the terms of the Warrant Agreement, Treasury is permitted to transfer, sell, assign or otherwise dispose of all or a portion of the Warrants (or the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants) at any time. The Warrants are exercisable until the fifth anniversary of the issuance date of the applicable Warrant.

Pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, we agreed to file a registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, with the SEC to register the disposition of the maximum number of Warrants and Warrant Shares that may be issued to Treasury pursuant to the Warrant Agreement and the Warrants.

The table below sets forth information as of November 30, 2020, with respect to the selling securityholder for whom we are registering Warrants and Warrant Shares for sale to the public, the number of shares of common stock owned by the selling securityholder prior to this offering, the percentage of common stock owned by the selling securityholder prior to this offering, the number of Warrants and Warrant Shares being offered pursuant to this prospectus, the number of shares of our common stock owned by the selling securityholder upon completion of this offering, assuming all such shares are sold, and the percentage of common stock owned by the selling securityholder after this offering, assuming all such shares are sold.

In the table below, the number of shares of common stock that may be offered pursuant to this prospectus is the number of shares of common stock issuable pursuant to the Warrants. Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, this prospectus also covers any additional shares of our common stock that may become issuable in connection with shares of common stock by reason of a stock dividend, stock split or other similar transaction effected without our receiving any cash or other value, which results in an increase in the number of shares of our common stock outstanding.

As used in this prospectus, the term “selling securityholder” includes the selling securityholder listed below, and any donees, pledgees, transferees or other successors in interest selling the Warrants or Warrant Shares received after the date of this prospectus from the selling securityholder as a gift, pledge, or other non-sale related transfer. The number of shares in the column “Number of Warrant Shares Offered” represents all of the Warrant Shares that the selling securityholder may offer under this prospectus. The selling securityholder may sell some, all or none of its Warrants or Warrant Shares. The selling securityholder may sell or transfer all or a portion of its Warrants or Warrant Shares pursuant to an available exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. We do not know how long the selling securityholder will hold the Warrants or Warrant Shares before selling them, and we currently have no agreements, arrangements or other understandings with the selling securityholder regarding the sale of any of the Securities. Pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, Treasury must provide 30 days’ notice to us prior to the sale of the Warrants or any portion thereof.

Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3(d) promulgated by the SEC under the Exchange Act. The percentage of shares beneficially owned prior to the offering is based on 35,532,405 shares of our common stock outstanding as of November 30, 2020.

 

     Shares Beneficially
Owned Prior to the
Offering
    Number of
Warrant
Shares
Offered
            Shares Beneficially
Owned After the
Offering (1)
 

Selling Securityholder

   Number     %      Number of
Warrants
Offered
     Number      %  

United States Department of the Treasury

     4,899,497 (2)      13.7     4,899,497        4,899,497        —          0.0

 

(1)

Assumes the selling securityholder sells all of its Warrants or shares of our common stock offered pursuant to this prospectus.

(2)

Represents 4,899,497 Warrant Shares issuable to Treasury pursuant to the Warrants.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We are registering the Warrants previously issued and the Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants to permit the resale of these Warrants and the Warrant Shares by the holders thereof and holders of the Warrants and Warrant Shares from time to time after the date of this prospectus. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale by the selling securityholder of the Securities. We will bear all fees and expenses incident to our obligation to register the Securities.

The selling securityholder, which as used herein includes any of its pledgees, donees, transferees, assignees and successors, may from time to time offer and sell some or all of the Warrants or Warrant Shares covered by this prospectus. To the extent required, this prospectus may be amended and supplemented from time to time to describe a specific plan of distribution.

The selling securityholder may offer the Securities from time to time, either in increments or in a single transaction. The selling securityholder may also decide not to sell all the Securities it is allowed to sell under this prospectus. The selling securityholder will act independently of us in making decisions with respect to the timing, manner and size of each sale.

The selling securityholder and any of its pledgees, donees, transferees, assignees and successors-in-interest may, from time to time, sell any or all of their Securities on any stock exchange, market or trading facility on which the Securities are traded or quoted, in the over the counter market or in private transactions. These sales may be at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices, at fixed prices or negotiated prices. The selling securityholder may use any one or more of the following methods when selling the Securities:

 

   

ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which a broker-dealer solicits purchasers;

 

   

block trades in which a broker-dealer will attempt to sell the shares as agent but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;

 

   

purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its account;

 

   

an exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable exchange;

 

   

privately negotiated transactions;

 

   

to cover short sales made after the date that this registration statement becomes effective;

 

   

an agreement with broker-dealers to sell as agent for the selling securityholders a specified number of such shares at a stipulated price per share or otherwise at the prevailing market price;

 

   

through put or call options, including the writing of exchange-traded call options, or other hedging transactions related to ordinary shares;

 

   

a combination of any such methods of sale; and

 

   

any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law.

The selling securityholder may also sell the Securities under Rule 144 under the Securities Act, if available, rather than under this prospectus.

Broker-dealers engaged by the selling securityholder may arrange for other brokers-dealers to participate in sales. Broker-dealers may receive commissions or discounts from the selling securityholder (or, if any broker-dealer acts as agent for the purchaser of Warrants or Warrant Shares, from the purchaser) in amounts to be negotiated, but, except as set forth in a supplement to this prospectus, in the case of an agency transaction not in excess of a customary brokerage commission in compliance with FINRA Rule 2440; and in the case of a principal transaction a markup or markdown in compliance with FINRA IM-2440-1.

 

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In connection with the sale of the Securities covered hereby, the selling securityholder may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions, which may in turn engage in short sales of the securities in the course of hedging the positions they assume. The selling securityholder may also sell securities short and deliver these securities to close out their short positions, or loan or pledge the Securities to broker-dealers that in turn may sell these securities. The selling securityholder may also enter into option or other transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions or create one or more derivative securities which require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of securities offered by this prospectus, which securities such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this prospectus.

The selling securityholder and any broker-dealers or agents that are involved in selling the Securities may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act in connection with such sales. In such event, any commissions received by such broker-dealers or agents and any profit on the resale of the Securities purchased by them may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts under the Securities Act. We are requesting that the selling securityholder inform us that it does not have any written or oral agreement or understanding, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute the Securities. We will pay certain fees and expenses incurred by us incident to the registration of the Securities.

Because the selling securityholder may be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act, it may be subject to the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act, including Rule 172 thereunder.

We intend to keep this prospectus effective until the earliest of the date on which the Securities (i) have been sold pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, (ii) may be sold pursuant to Rule 144 without limitation thereunder on volume or manner of sale, without the requirement for us to be in compliance with the current public information requirement under Rule 144 under the Securities Act or any other rule of similar effect, (iii) shall have ceased to be outstanding or (iv) have been sold in a private transaction in which the transferor’s rights under the Warrant Agreement are not assigned to the transferee of the Securities. The resale securities will be sold only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers if required under applicable state securities laws. In addition, in certain states, the resale securities covered hereby may not be sold unless they have been registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.

Under applicable rules and regulations under the Exchange Act, any person engaged in the distribution of the resale securities may not simultaneously engage in market making activities with respect to the common stock for the applicable restricted period, as defined in Regulation M, prior to the commencement of the distribution. In addition, the selling securityholder will be subject to applicable provisions of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, including Regulation M, which may limit the timing of purchases and sales of the common stock by the selling securityholder or any other person. We will make copies of this prospectus available to the selling securityholder and are informing the selling securityholder of the need to deliver a copy of this prospectus to each purchaser at or prior to the time of the sale (including by compliance with Rule 172 under the Securities Act).

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The legality of the Securities in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered will be passed on for us by Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, Denver, Colorado.

EXPERTS

The financial statements incorporated in this Prospectus by reference from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2019, have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference. Such financial statements have been so incorporated in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

ITEM 14. OTHER EXPENSES OF ISSUANCE AND DISTRIBUTION.

The following table sets forth the estimated expenses in connection with the Securities being registered hereby, all of which will be borne by the Company (other than any underwriting discounts, commissions and transfer taxes, which will be borne by the selling securityholders). Other than the SEC registration fee, all of the amounts listed are estimates.

All of the amounts shown are estimates.

 

Registration Fee

   $ 3982.29  

Accountants’ Fees

     7500 (1) 

Legal Fees and Expenses

     30,000 (1) 

Printing and Miscellaneous Expenses

  
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 41482.29  
  

 

 

 

 

(1)

Estimated. Actual amounts to be determined from time to time.

ITEM 15. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

Nevada law provides that our directors and officers will not be individually liable to us, our shareholders or our creditors for any damages for any act or omission of a director or officer other than in circumstances where the presumption that the director or officer acted in good faith and with a view to the interests of the Registrant has been rebutted, and it is proven that the director or officer breaches his or her fiduciary duty to us or our shareholders and such breach involves intentional misconduct, fraud or a knowing violation of law.

Nevada law also allows a corporation to indemnify officers and directors for actions for which a director or officer either would not be liable pursuant to the limitation of liability provisions of Nevada law or where he or she acted in good faith and in a manner which he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to our best interests, and, in the case of an action not by or in the right of the Registrant and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the conduct was unlawful. Our second amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide indemnification for our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by Nevada law. We have entered into, and expect to continue to enter into, agreements to indemnify our directors as determined by our Board of Directors. We have entered into, and in the future may enter into, indemnification agreements with each of our directors that may, in some cases, be broader than the specific indemnification provisions under Nevada law. In addition, as permitted by Nevada law, our second amended and restated articles of incorporation include provisions that eliminate the personal liability of our directors and officers for monetary damages resulting from certain breaches of fiduciary duties as a director or officer. The effect of these provisions is to restrict our rights and the rights of our shareholders in derivative suits to recover monetary damages against a director for breach of fiduciary duties as a director, except that a director will be personally liable for acts or omissions not in good faith or in a manner which he or she did not reasonably believe to be in or not opposed to our best interest if, subject to certain exceptions, the act or failure to act constituted a breach of fiduciary duty and such breach involved intentional misconduct, fraud or knowing violations of law. We are also authorized to carry directors’ and officers’ insurance to protect our directors, officers, employees and agents against certain liabilities.

The limitation of liability and indemnification provisions in our second amended and restated articles of incorporation, amended and restated bylaws and indemnification agreements may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against directors or officers for breach of their fiduciary duties. These provisions may also reduce the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though an action, if successful, might benefit us and our shareholders. A shareholder’s investment may be harmed to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions. However, these provisions do not limit or eliminate our rights, or those of any shareholder, to seek non-monetary relief such as injunction or rescission in the event of a breach of a director’s or officer’s fiduciary duties. Moreover, the provisions do not alter the liability of directors under federal securities laws. At present, there is no pending litigation or proceeding involving any of our directors or officers as to which indemnification is required or permitted, and we are not aware of any threatened litigation or proceeding that may result in a claim for indemnification.

 

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ITEM 16. EXHIBITS.

The following exhibits are filed as part of this registration statement:

 

Exhibit

No.

  

Exhibit Description

  

Incorporated By Reference

  

Filed

Herewith

  

Form

  

Date

  

Number

3.1

   Second Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of the Registrant    8-K    08/14/18    3.1   

3.2

   Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Registrant    8-K    08/14/18    3.2   

4.1

   Form of Common Stock Certificate    S-1/A    08/06/18    4.1   

4.2

   Warrant Agreement, dated as of October 30, 2020 by and between Mesa Air Group, Inc. and the U.S. Department of the Treasury             X

4.3

   Form of Warrant             X

5.1

   Opinion of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP(1)            

23.1

   Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP – Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm             X

23.2

   Consent of Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP (contained in Exhibit 5.1).(1)            

24.1

   Power of Attorney (included on signature page)             X

 

(1)

To be filed by amendment to this registration statement.

 

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ITEM 17. UNDERTAKINGS.

(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this registration statement or any material change to such information in this registration statement; provided, however, that the undertakings set forth in paragraphs (a)(1)(i), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser:

(i) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

(ii) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

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Table of Contents

(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Phoenix, Arizona, on the 11th day of December, 2020.

 

MESA AIR GROUP, INC.
By  

/s/ Jonathan G. Ornstein

  Jonathan G. Ornstein
 

Chairman, Chief Executive Officer

(Principal Executive Officer)

 

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Table of Contents

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Jonathan G. Ornstein and Michael J. Lotz as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this registration statement, and to sign any registration statement for the same offering covered by this registration statement that is to be effective upon filing pursuant to Rule 462(b) promulgated under the Securities Act, and all post-effective amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and all documents in connection therewith, with the SEC, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent, and full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming that said attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature

  

Title

  

Date

/s/ Jonathan G. Ornstein

Jonathan G. Ornstein

  

Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Director

(Principal Executive Officer)

   December 11, 2020

/s/ Michael J. Lotz

Michael J. Lotz

  

President and Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial Officer and Principal

Accounting Officer)

   December 11, 2020

/s/ Ellen N. Artist

Ellen N. Artist

   Director    December 11, 2020

/s/ Mitchell Gordon

Mitchell Gordon

   Director    December 11, 2020

/s/ Dana J. Lockhart

Dana J. Lockhart

   Director    December 11, 2020

/s/ Harvey W. Schiller

Harvey W. Schiller

   Director    December 11, 2020

/s/ Spyridon Skiados

Spyridon Skiados

   Director    December 11, 2020

/s/ Daniel McHugh

Daniel McHugh

   Director    December 11, 2020

 

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EX-4.2

Exhibit 4.2

 

 

 

WARRANT AGREEMENT

 

 

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page  

Article I

 

Closing

 

1.1

 

Issuance

     1  

1.2

 

Initial Closing; Warrant Closing Date

     1  

1.3

 

Interpretation

     2  

Article II

 

Representations and Warranties

 

2.1

 

Representations and Warranties of the Company

     2  

Article III

 

Covenants

 

3.1

 

Commercially Reasonable Efforts

     6  

3.2

 

Expenses

     7  

3.3

 

Sufficiency of Authorized Common Stock; Exchange Listing

     8  

Article IV

 

Additional Agreements

 

4.1

 

Investment Purposes

     8  

4.2

 

Legends

     8  

4.3

 

Certain Transactions

     9  

4.4

 

Transfer of Warrants and Warrant Shares

     9  

4.5

 

Registration Rights

     9  

4.6

 

Voting of Warrant Shares

     20  

Article V

 

Miscellaneous

 

5.1

 

Survival of Representations and Warranties

     20  

5.2

 

Amendment

     21  

5.3

 

Waiver of Conditions

     21  

5.4

 

Governing Law: Submission to Jurisdiction, Etc.

     21  

5.5

 

Notices

     21  

5.6

 

Definitions

     22  

5.7

 

Assignment

     22  

5.8

 

Severability

     22  

5.9

 

No Third Party Beneficiaries

     23  

 

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LIST OF ANNEXES

 

ANNEX A:    FORM OF OPINION
ANNEX B:    FORM OF WARRANT
SCHEDULE 1:    WARRANT SHARES FORMULA
SCHEDULE 2:    CAPITALIZATION
SCHEDULE 3:    SHAREHOLDER APPROVALS

 

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INDEX OF DEFINED TERMS

 

Term

  

Location of

Definition

Affiliate    Annex B
Agreement    Recitals
Appraisal Procedure    Annex B
Board of Directors    2.1(i)
Business Combination    Annex B
Business Day    Annex B
Capitalization Date    2.1(b)
Closing    1.2(a)
Common Stock    Annex B
Company    Recitals
Company Reports    2.1(j)(i)
Exchange Act    Annex B
Governmental Authority    5.6(a)
Holder    4.5(k)(i)
Indemnitee    4.5(g)(i)
Initial Closing    1.2(a)
Lien    5.6(c)
Loan Agreement    Recitals
Material Adverse Effect    5.6(d)
Organizational Documents    5.6(e)
Pending Underwritten Offering    4.5(l)
Piggyback Registration    4.5(a)(iv)
register; registered; registration    4.5(k)(ii)
Registrable Securities    4.5(k)(iii)
Registration Commencement Date    4.5(a)(i)
Registration Expenses    4.5(k)(iv)
Rule 144; Rule 144A; Rule 159A; Rule 405; Rule 415    4.5(k)(v)
SEC    2.1(c)
Securities Act    Annex B
Selling Expenses    4.5(k)(vi)
Shelf Registration Statement    4.5(a)(ii)
Special Registration    4.5(i)
Stockholder Proposals    3.1(b)
Subsidiary    5.6(f)
Transfer    4.4
Treasury    Recitals
Warrant Closing Date    1.2(a)
Warrants    Recitals
Warrant Shares    Annex B

 

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WARRANT AGREEMENT dated as of October 30, 2020 (this “Agreement”), between MESA AIR GROUP, INC., a corporation organized under the laws of Nevada (the “Company”) and the UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (“Treasury”).

WHEREAS, the Borrower (as defined in the Loan Agreement) has requested that Treasury make a Loan (as defined in the Loan Agreement) to the Borrower as is permissible under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, Pub. L. 116-136 (Mar. 27, 2020), as the same may be amended from time to time, and Treasury is willing to do so on the terms and conditions set forth in the Loan and Guarantee Agreement dated as of October 30, 2020, between Mesa Airlines, Inc. and Treasury (the “Loan Agreement”); and

WHEREAS, as appropriate financial protection of the Federal Government of the United States of America for the Loan, and as a condition to the effectiveness of the Loan Agreement, Mesa Air Group, Inc. has agreed to enter into this Agreement to issue in a private placement warrants to purchase the number of shares of its Common Stock determined in accordance with Schedule 1 to this Agreement (the “Warrants”) to Treasury;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises, and of the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements set forth herein, the parties agree as follows:

Article I

Closing

1.1 Issuance.

(a) On the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement, the Company agrees to issue to Treasury, on each Warrant Closing Date, Warrants for a number of shares of Common Stock determined by the formula set forth in Schedule 1.

1.2 Initial Closing; Warrant Closing Date.

(a) On the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement, the closing of the initial issuance of the Warrants (the “Initial Closing”) will take place on the Closing Date (as defined in the Loan Agreement). After the Initial Closing, the closing of any subsequent issuance will take place on the date of each subsequent Borrowing (as defined in the Loan Agreement), if any, of the Loan (each subsequent closing, together with the Initial Closing, a “Closing” and each such date a “Warrant Closing Date”).

(b) On each Warrant Closing Date, the Company will issue to Treasury a duly executed Warrant or Warrants for a number of shares of Common Stock determined by the formula set forth in Schedule 1, as evidenced by one or more certificates dated the Warrant Closing Date and bearing appropriate legends as hereinafter provided for and in substantially the form attached hereto as Annex B.

(c) On each Warrant Closing Date, the Company shall deliver to Treasury (i) a written opinion from counsel to the Company (which may be internal counsel) addressed to Treasury and dated as of such Warrant Closing Date, in substantially the form attached hereto as Annex A and (ii) a certificate executed by the chief executive officer, president, executive vice


president, chief financial officer, principal accounting officer, treasurer or controller confirming that the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of such Warrant Closing Date and the Company has complied with all agreements on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to such Closing.

(d) On the initial Warrant Closing Date, the Company shall deliver to Treasury (i) such customary certificates of resolutions or other action, incumbency certificates and/or other certificates of the chief executive officer, president, executive vice president, chief financial officer, principal accounting officer, treasurer or controller as Treasury may require evidencing the identity, authority and capacity of each such officer thereof authorized to act as such officer in connection with this Agreement and (ii) customary resolutions or evidence of corporate authorization, secretary’s certificates and such other documents and certificates (including Organizational Documents and good standing certificates) as Treasury may reasonably request relating to the organization, existence and good standing of the Company and any other legal matters relating to the Company, this Agreement, the Warrants or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby.

1.3 Interpretation.

(a) When a reference is made in this Agreement to “Recitals,” “Articles,” “Sections,” or “Annexes” such reference shall be to a Recital, Article or Section of, or Annex to, this Warrant Agreement, unless otherwise indicated. The terms defined in the singular have a comparable meaning when used in the plural, and vice versa. References to “herein”, “hereof”, “hereunder” and the like refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular section or provision, unless the context requires otherwise. The table of contents and headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and are not part of this Agreement. Whenever the words “include,” “includes” or “including” are used in this Agreement, they shall be deemed followed by the words “without limitation.” No rule of construction against the draftsperson shall be applied in connection with the interpretation or enforcement of this Agreement, as this Agreement is the product of negotiation between sophisticated parties advised by counsel. All references to “$” or “dollars” mean the lawful currency of the United States of America. Except as expressly stated in this Agreement, all references to any statute, rule or regulation are to the statute, rule or regulation as amended, modified, supplemented or replaced from time to time (and, in the case of statutes, include any rules and regulations promulgated under the statute) and to any section of any statute, rule or regulation include any successor to the section.

(b) Capitalized terms not defined herein have the meanings ascribed thereto in Annex B.

Article II

Representations and Warranties

2.1 Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to Treasury that as of the date hereof and each Warrant Closing Date (or such other date specified herein):

(a) Existence, Qualification and Power. The Company is duly organized or formed, validly existing and, if applicable, in good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, and the Company and each Subsidiary (a) has all requisite power and authority and all requisite governmental licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals to (i) own or lease its assets and carry on its business and (ii) execute, deliver and perform its obligations under the this Agreement and the Warrants, and (b) is duly qualified and is licensed and, as applicable, in good standing under the Laws of each jurisdiction where its ownership, lease or operation of properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification or license, except, in each case referred to in clause (a)(i) or (b), to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

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(b) Capitalization. The authorized capital stock of the Company, and the outstanding capital stock of the Company (including securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, capital stock of the Company) as of the most recent fiscal month-end preceding the date hereof (the “Capitalization Date”) is set forth in Schedule 2. The outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly authorized and are validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and nonassessable, and subject to no preemptive rights (and were not issued in violation of any preemptive rights). Except as provided in the Warrants, as of the date hereof, the Company does not have outstanding any securities or other obligations providing the holder the right to acquire Common Stock that is not reserved for issuance as specified on Schedule 2, and the Company has not made any other commitment to authorize, issue or sell any Common Stock. Since the Capitalization Date, the Company has not issued any shares of Common Stock, other than (i) shares issued upon the exercise of stock options or delivered under other equity-based awards or other convertible securities or warrants which were issued and outstanding on the Capitalization Date and disclosed on Schedule 2 and (ii) shares disclosed on Schedule 2 as it may be updated by written notice from the Company to Treasury in connection with each Warrant Closing Date.

(c) Listing. The Common Stock has been registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and the shares of the Common Stock outstanding on the date hereof are listed on a national securities exchange. The Company has taken no action designed to, or likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Common Stock under the Exchange Act or the listing of the Common Stock on such national securities exchange, nor has the Company received any notification that the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) or such exchange is contemplating terminating such registration or listing. The Company is in compliance with applicable continued listing requirements of such exchange in all material respects.

(d) Governmental Authorization; Other Consents. No approval, consent, exemption, authorization, or other action by, or notice to, or filing with, any Governmental Authority or any other Person is necessary or required in connection with the execution, delivery or performance by, or enforcement against, the Company of this Agreement, except for such approvals, consents, exemptions, authorizations, actions or notices that have been duly obtained, taken or made and are in full force and effect.

(e) Execution and Delivery; Binding Effect. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company. This Agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its

 

- 3 -


terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, moratorium or other Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general principles of equity.

(f) The Warrants and Warrant Shares. Each Warrant has been duly authorized and, when executed and delivered as contemplated hereby, will constitute a valid and legally binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, moratorium or other Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general principles of equity. The Warrant Shares have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance upon exercise of the Warrants and when so issued in accordance with the terms of the Warrants will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, subject, if applicable, to the approvals of its stockholders set forth on Schedule 3.

(g) Authorization, Enforceability.

(i) The Company has the corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and the Warrants and, subject, if applicable, to the approvals of its stockholders set forth on Schedule 3, to carry out its obligations hereunder and thereunder (which includes the issuance of the Warrants and Warrant Shares). The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the Warrants and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other organizational action on the part of the Company and its stockholders, and no further approval or authorization is required on the part of the Company, subject, in each case, if applicable, to the approvals of its stockholders set forth on Schedule 3.

(ii) The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement do not and will not (a) contravene the terms of its Organizational Documents, (b) conflict with or result in any breach or contravention of, or the creation of any Lien (as defined in the Loan Agreement) under, or require any payment to be made under (i) any material Contractual Obligation to which the Company is a party or affecting the Company or the properties of the Company or any Subsidiary or (ii) any material order, injunction, writ or decree of any Governmental Authority or any arbitral award to which the Company or any Subsidiary or its property is subject or (c) violate any Law, except to the extent that such violation could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(iii) Other than any current report on Form 8-K required to be filed with the SEC (which shall be made on or before the date on which it is required to be filed), such filings and approvals as are required to be made or obtained under any state “blue sky” laws, the filing of any proxy statement contemplated by Section 3.1 and such filings and approvals as have been made or obtained, no notice to, filing with, exemption or review by, or authorization, consent or approval of, any Governmental Authority is required to be made or obtained by the Company in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the consummation by the Company of the issuance of the Warrants except for any such notices, filings, exemptions, reviews,

 

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authorizations, consents and approvals the failure of which to make or obtain would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(h) Anti-takeover Provisions and Rights Plan. The Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board of Directors”) has taken all necessary action, and will in the future take any necessary action, to ensure that the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Warrants and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, including the exercise of the Warrants in accordance with their terms, will be exempt from any anti-takeover or similar provisions of the Company’s Organizational Documents, and any other provisions of any applicable “moratorium”, “control share”, “fair price”, “interested stockholder” or other anti-takeover laws and regulations of any jurisdiction, whether existing on the date hereof or implemented after the date hereof. The Company has taken all actions necessary, and will in the future take any necessary action, to render any stockholders’ rights plan of the Company inapplicable to this Agreement and the Warrants and the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, including the exercise of the Warrants by Treasury in accordance with its terms.

(i) Reports.

(i) Since December 31, 2017, the Company and each Subsidiary has timely filed all reports, registrations, documents, filings, statements and submissions, together with any amendments thereto, that it was required to file with any Governmental Authority (the foregoing, collectively, the “Company Reports”) and has paid all fees and assessments due and payable in connection therewith, except, in each case, as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. As of their respective dates of filing, the Company Reports complied in all material respects with all statutes and applicable rules and regulations of the applicable Governmental Authority. In the case of each such Company Report filed with or furnished to the SEC, such Company Report (A) did not, as of its date or if amended prior to the date hereof, as of the date of such amendment, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and (B) complied as to form in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act. With respect to all other Company Reports, the Company Reports were complete and accurate in all material respects as of their respective dates. No executive officer of the Company or any Subsidiary has failed in any respect to make the certifications required of him or her under Section 302 or 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

(ii) The Company (A) has implemented and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act) to ensure that material information relating to the Company, including its Subsidiaries, is made known to the chief executive officer and the chief financial officer of the Company by others within those entities, and (B) has disclosed, based on its most recent evaluation prior to the date hereof, to the Company’s outside auditors and the audit committee of the Board of Directors (x) any significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or

 

- 5 -


operation of internal controls over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information and (y) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting.

(j) Offering of Securities. Neither the Company nor any person acting on its behalf has taken any action (including any offering of any securities of the Company under circumstances which would require the integration of such offering with the offering of any of the Warrants under the Securities Act, and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) promulgated thereunder), which might subject the offering, issuance or sale of any of the Warrants to Treasury pursuant to this Agreement to the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

(k) Brokers and Finders. No broker, finder or investment banker is entitled to any financial advisory, brokerage, finder’s or other fee or commission in connection with this Agreement or the Warrants or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby based upon arrangements made by or on behalf of the Company or any Subsidiary for which Treasury could have any liability.

Article III

Covenants

3.1 Commercially Reasonable Efforts.

(a) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, each of the parties will use its commercially reasonable efforts in good faith to take, or cause to be taken, all actions, and to do, or cause to be done, all things necessary, proper or desirable, or advisable under applicable laws, to enable consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cooperate with the other party to that end.

(b) If the Company is required to obtain any stockholder approvals, then the Company shall comply with this Section 3.1(b) and Section 3.1(c). The Company shall call a special meeting of its stockholders, as promptly as practicable following the Initial Closing, to vote on proposals (collectively, the “Stockholder Proposals”) to (i) approve the exercise of the Warrants for Common Stock for purposes of the rules of the national securities exchange on which the Common Stock is listed and/or (ii) amend the Company’s Organizational Documents to increase the number of authorized shares of Common Stock to at least such number as shall be sufficient to permit the full exercise of the Warrants for Common Stock and comply with the other provisions of this Section 3.1(b) and Section 3.1(c). The Board of Directors shall recommend to the Company’s stockholders that such stockholders vote in favor of the Stockholder Proposals. In connection with such meeting, the Company shall prepare (and Treasury will reasonably cooperate with the Company to prepare) and file with the SEC as promptly as practicable (but in no event more than ten Business Days after the Initial Closing) a preliminary proxy statement, shall use its reasonable best efforts to respond to any comments of the SEC or its staff thereon and to cause a definitive proxy statement related to such stockholders’ meeting to be mailed to the Company’s stockholders not more than five Business

 

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Days after clearance thereof by the SEC, and shall use its reasonable best efforts to solicit proxies for such stockholder approval of the Stockholder Proposals. The Company shall notify Treasury promptly of the receipt of any comments from the SEC or its staff with respect to the proxy statement and of any request by the SEC or its staff for amendments or supplements to such proxy statement or for additional information and will supply Treasury with copies of all correspondence between the Company or any of its representatives, on the one hand, and the SEC or its staff, on the other hand, with respect to such proxy statement. If at any time prior to such stockholders’ meeting there shall occur any event that is required to be set forth in an amendment or supplement to the proxy statement, the Company shall as promptly as practicable prepare and mail to its stockholders such an amendment or supplement. Each of Treasury and the Company agrees promptly to correct any information provided by it or on its behalf for use in the proxy statement if and to the extent that such information shall have become false or misleading in any material respect, and the Company shall as promptly as practicable prepare and mail to its stockholders an amendment or supplement to correct such information to the extent required by applicable laws and regulations. The Company shall consult with Treasury prior to filing any proxy statement, or any amendment or supplement thereto, and provide Treasury with a reasonable opportunity to comment thereon. In the event that the approval of any of the Stockholder Proposals is not obtained at such special stockholders meeting, the Company shall include a proposal to approve (and the Board of Directors shall recommend approval of) each such proposal at a meeting of its stockholders no less than once in each subsequent six-month period beginning on January 1, 2021 until all such approvals are obtained or made.

(c) None of the information supplied by the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries for inclusion in any proxy statement in connection with any such stockholders meeting of the Company will, at the date it is filed with the SEC, when first mailed to the Company’s stockholders and at the time of any stockholders meeting, and at the time of any amendment or supplement thereof, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading.

3.2 Expenses. The Company shall pay (i) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Treasury (including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for Treasury) in connection with the preparation, negotiation, execution, delivery and administration of this Agreement and the Warrants, any other agreements or documents executed in connection herewith or therewith, or any amendments, modifications or waivers of the provisions hereof or thereof (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be consummated), and (ii) all out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Treasury (including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for Treasury), in connection with the enforcement or protection of its rights in connection with this Agreement and the Warrants, any other agreements or documents executed in connected herewith or therewith, or any amendments, modifications or waivers of the provisions hereof or thereof (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be consummated), including all such out-of-pocket expenses incurred during any workout, restructuring, negotiations or enforcement in respect of such Warrant Agreement, Warrant and other agreements or documents executed in connection herewith or therewith.

 

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3.3 Sufficiency of Authorized Common Stock; Exchange Listing.

During the period from each Warrant Closing Date (or, if the approval of the Stockholder Proposals is required, the date of such approval) until the date on which no Warrants remain outstanding, the Company shall at all times have reserved for issuance, free of preemptive or similar rights, a sufficient number of authorized and unissued Warrant Shares to effectuate such exercise. Nothing in this Section 3.3 shall preclude the Company from satisfying its obligations in respect of the exercise of the Warrants by delivery of shares of Common Stock which are held in the treasury of the Company. As soon as reasonably practicable following each Warrant Closing Date, the Company shall, at its expense, cause the Warrant Shares to be listed on the same national securities exchange on which the Common Stock is listed, subject to official notice of issuance, and shall maintain such listing for so long as any Common Stock is listed on such exchange. The Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the listing of Common Stock on such national securities exchange so long as any Warrants or Warrant Shares remain outstanding. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries shall take any action which would be reasonably expected to result in the delisting or suspension of the Common Stock on such exchange. The foregoing shall not preclude the Company from undertaking any transaction set forth in Section 4.3 subject to compliance with that provision.

Article IV

Additional Agreements

4.1 Investment Purposes. Treasury acknowledges that the Warrants and the Warrant Shares have not been registered under the Securities Act or under any state securities laws. Treasury (a) is acquiring the Warrants pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act solely for investment without a view to sell and with no present intention to distribute them to any person in violation of the Securities Act or any applicable U.S. state securities laws; (b) will not sell or otherwise dispose of any of the Warrants or the Warrant Shares, except in compliance with the registration requirements or exemption provisions of the Securities Act and any applicable U.S. state securities laws; and (c) has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters and in investments of this type that it is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of the Warrants and the Warrant Shares and of making an informed investment decision.

4.2 Legends.

(a) Treasury agrees that all certificates or other instruments representing the Warrants and the Warrant Shares will bear a legend substantially to the following effect:

“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS INSTRUMENT HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE AND MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED, SOLD OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF EXCEPT WHILE A REGISTRATION STATEMENT RELATING THERETO IS IN EFFECT UNDER SUCH ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER SUCH ACT AND SUCH LAWS.”

(b) In the event that any Warrants or Warrant Shares (i) become registered under the Securities Act or (ii) are eligible to be transferred without restriction in accordance with Rule 144

 

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or another exemption from registration under the Securities Act (other than Rule 144A), the Company shall issue new certificates or other instruments representing such Warrants or Warrant Shares, which shall not contain the legend in Section 4.2(a) above; provided that Treasury surrenders to the Company the previously issued certificates or other instruments.

4.3 Certain Transactions. The Company will not merge or consolidate with, or sell, transfer or lease all or substantially all of its property or assets to, any other party unless the successor, transferee or lessee party (or its ultimate parent entity), as the case may be (if not the Company), expressly assumes the due and punctual performance and observance of each and every covenant, agreement and condition of this Agreement and the Warrants to be performed and observed by the Company.

4.4 Transfer of Warrants and Warrant Shares. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, Treasury shall be permitted to transfer, sell, assign or otherwise dispose of (“Transfer”) all or a portion of the Warrants or Warrant Shares at any time, and the Company shall take all steps as may be reasonably requested by Treasury to facilitate the Transfer of the Warrants and the Warrant Shares.

4.5 Registration Rights.

(a) Registration.

(i) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Company covenants and agrees that on or before the earlier of (A) 30 days after the date on which all Warrants that may be issued pursuant to this Agreement have been issued and (B) June 30, 2021 (the end of such period, the “Registration Commencement Date”), the Company shall prepare and file with the SEC a Shelf Registration Statement covering the maximum number of Registrable Securities (or otherwise designate an existing Shelf Registration Statement filed with the SEC to cover the Registrable Securities) that may be issued pursuant to this Agreement and any Warrants outstanding at that time, and, to the extent the Shelf Registration Statement has not theretofore been declared effective or is not automatically effective upon such filing, the Company shall use reasonable best efforts to cause such Shelf Registration Statement to be declared or become effective and to keep such Shelf Registration Statement continuously effective and in compliance with the Securities Act and usable for resale of such Registrable Securities for a period from the date of its initial effectiveness until such time as there are no Registrable Securities remaining (including by refiling such Shelf Registration Statement (or a new Shelf Registration Statement) if the initial Shelf Registration Statement expires). So long as the Company is a well-known seasoned issuer (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) at the time of filing of the Shelf Registration Statement with the SEC, such Shelf Registration Statement shall be designated by the Company as an automatic Shelf Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if on the date hereof the Company is not eligible to file a registration statement on Form S-3, then the Company shall not be obligated to file a Shelf Registration Statement unless and until it is so eligible and is requested to do so in writing by Treasury.

 

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(ii) Any registration pursuant to Section 4.5(a)(i) shall be effected by means of a shelf registration on an appropriate form under Rule 415 under the Securities Act (a “Shelf Registration Statement”). If Treasury or any other Holder intends to distribute any Registrable Securities by means of an underwritten offering it shall promptly so advise the Company and the Company shall take all reasonable steps to facilitate such distribution, including the actions required pursuant to Section 4.5(c); provided that the Company shall not be required to facilitate an underwritten offering of Registrable Securities unless the total number of Warrant Shares and Warrants expected to be sold in such offering exceeds, or are exercisable for, at least 20% of the total number of Warrant Shares for which Warrants issued under this Agreement could be exercised (giving effect to the anti-dilution adjustments in Warrants); and provided, further that the Company shall not be required to facilitate more than two completed underwritten offerings within any 12-month period. The lead underwriters in any such distribution shall be selected by the Holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities to be distributed.

(iii) The Company shall not be required to effect a registration (including a resale of Registrable Securities from an effective Shelf Registration Statement) or an underwritten offering pursuant to Section 4.5(a): (A) prior to the Registration Commencement Date; (B) with respect to securities that are not Registrable Securities; or (C) if the Company has notified Treasury and all other Holders that in the good faith judgment of the Board of Directors, it would be materially detrimental to the Company or its securityholders for such registration or underwritten offering to be effected at such time, in which event the Company shall have the right to defer such registration or offering for a period of not more than 45 days after receipt of the request of Treasury or any other Holder; provided that such right to delay a registration or underwritten offering shall be exercised by the Company (1) only if the Company has generally exercised (or is concurrently exercising) similar black-out rights against holders of similar securities that have registration rights and (2) not more than three times in any 12-month period and not more than 90 days in the aggregate in any 12-month period. The Company shall notify the Holders of the date of any anticipated termination of any such deferral period prior to such date.

(iv) If during any period when an effective Shelf Registration Statement is not available, the Company proposes to register any of its equity securities, other than a registration pursuant to Section 4.5(a)(i) or a Special Registration, and the registration form to be filed may be used for the registration or qualification for distribution of Registrable Securities, the Company will give prompt written notice to Treasury and all other Holders of its intention to effect such a registration (but in no event less than ten days prior to the anticipated filing date) and will include in such registration all Registrable Securities with respect to which the Company has received written requests for inclusion therein within ten Business Days after the date of the Company’s notice (a “Piggyback Registration”). Any such person that has made such a written request may withdraw its Registrable Securities from such Piggyback Registration by giving written notice to the Company and the managing underwriter, if any, on or before the fifth Business Day prior to the planned effective date of such Piggyback Registration. The Company may terminate or withdraw any registration under this Section 4.5(a)(iv) prior to the effectiveness of such registration, whether or not Treasury or any other Holders have elected to include Registrable Securities in such registration.

 

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(v) If the registration referred to in Section 4.5(a)(iv) is proposed to be underwritten, the Company will so advise Treasury and all other Holders as a part of the written notice given pursuant to Section 4.5(a)(iv). In such event, the right of Treasury and all other Holders to registration pursuant to Section 4.5(a) will be conditioned upon such persons’ participation in such underwriting and the inclusion of such person’s Registrable Securities in the underwriting if such securities are of the same class of securities as the securities to be offered in the underwritten offering, and each such person will (together with the Company and the other persons distributing their securities through such underwriting) enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the underwriter or underwriters selected for such underwriting by the Company; provided that Treasury (as opposed to other Holders) shall not be required to indemnify any person in connection with any registration. If any participating person disapproves of the terms of the underwriting, such person may elect to withdraw therefrom by written notice to the Company, the managing underwriters and Treasury (if Treasury is participating in the underwriting).

(vi) If either (x) the Company grants “piggyback” registration rights to one or more third parties to include their securities in an underwritten offering under the Shelf Registration Statement pursuant to Section 4.5(a)(ii) or (y) a Piggyback Registration under Section 4.5(a)(iv) relates to an underwritten offering on behalf of the Company, and in either case the managing underwriters advise the Company that in their reasonable opinion the number of securities requested to be included in such offering exceeds the number which can be sold without adversely affecting the marketability of such offering (including an adverse effect on the per share offering price), the Company will include in such offering only such number of securities that in the reasonable opinion of such managing underwriters can be sold without adversely affecting the marketability of the offering (including an adverse effect on the per share offering price), which securities will be so included in the following order of priority: (A) first, in the case of a Piggyback Registration under Section 4.5(a)(iv), the securities the Company proposes to sell, (B) then the Registrable Securities of Treasury and all other Holders who have requested inclusion of Registrable Securities pursuant to Section 4.5(a)(ii) or Section 4.5(a)(iv), as applicable, pro rata on the basis of the aggregate number of such securities or shares owned by each such person and (C) lastly, any other securities of the Company that have been requested to be so included, subject to the terms of this Agreement; provided, however, that if the Company has, prior to the date hereof, entered into an agreement with respect to its securities that is inconsistent with the order of priority contemplated hereby then it shall apply the order of priority in such conflicting agreement to the extent that this Agreement would otherwise result in a breach under such agreement.

(b) Expenses of Registration. All Registration Expenses incurred in connection with any registration, qualification or compliance hereunder shall be borne by the Company. All Selling Expenses incurred in connection with any registrations hereunder shall be borne by the holders of the securities so registered pro rata on the basis of the aggregate offering or sale price of the securities so registered.

 

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(c) Obligations of the Company. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts, for so long as there are Registrable Securities outstanding, to take such actions as are under its control to not become an ineligible issuer (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) and to remain a well-known seasoned issuer (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) if it has such status on the date hereof or becomes eligible for such status in the future. In addition, whenever required to effect the registration of any Registrable Securities or facilitate the distribution of Registrable Securities pursuant to an effective Shelf Registration Statement, the Company shall, as expeditiously as reasonably practicable:

(i) Prepare and file with the SEC a prospectus supplement with respect to a proposed offering of Registrable Securities pursuant to an effective registration statement, subject to Section 4.5(d), keep such registration statement effective and keep such prospectus supplement current until the securities described therein are no longer Registrable Securities. The plan of distribution included in such registration statement, or, as applicable, prospectus supplement thereto, shall include, among other things, an underwritten offering, ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker-dealer solicits purchasers, block trades, privately negotiated transactions, the writing or settlement of options or other derivative transactions and any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law, and any combination of any such methods of sale.

(ii) Prepare and file with the SEC such amendments and supplements to the applicable registration statement and the prospectus or prospectus supplement used in connection with such registration statement as may be necessary to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act with respect to the disposition of all securities covered by such registration statement.

(iii) Furnish to the Holders and any underwriters such number of copies of the applicable registration statement and each such amendment and supplement thereto (including in each case all exhibits) and of a prospectus, including a preliminary prospectus, in conformity with the requirements of the Securities Act, and such other documents as they may reasonably request in order to facilitate the disposition of Registrable Securities owned or to be distributed by them.

(iv) Use its reasonable best efforts to register and qualify the securities covered by such registration statement under such other securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as shall be reasonably requested by the Holders or any managing underwriter(s), to keep such registration or qualification in effect for so long as such registration statement remains in effect, and to take any other action which may be reasonably necessary to enable such seller to consummate the disposition in such jurisdictions of the securities owned by such Holder; provided that the Company shall not be required in connection therewith or as a condition thereto to qualify to do business or to file a general consent to service of process in any such states or jurisdictions.

(v) Notify each Holder of Registrable Securities at any time when a prospectus relating thereto is required to be delivered under the Securities Act of the happening of any event as a result of which the applicable prospectus, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in light of the circumstances then existing.

 

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(vi) Give written notice to the Holders:

(A) when any registration statement filed pursuant to Section 4.5(a) or any amendment thereto has been filed with the SEC (except for any amendment effected by the filing of a document with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act) and when such registration statement or any post-effective amendment thereto has become effective;

(B) of any request by the SEC for amendments or supplements to any registration statement or the prospectus included therein or for additional information;

(C) of the issuance by the SEC of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose;

(D) of the receipt by the Company or its legal counsel of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Common Stock for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose;

(E) of the happening of any event that requires the Company to make changes in any effective registration statement or the prospectus related to the registration statement in order to make the statements therein not misleading (which notice shall be accompanied by an instruction to suspend the use of the prospectus until the requisite changes have been made); and

(F) if at any time the representations and warranties of the Company contained in any underwriting agreement contemplated by Section 4.5(c)(x) cease to be true and correct.

(vii) Use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance or obtain the withdrawal of any order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement referred to in Section 4.5(c)(vi)(C) at the earliest practicable time.

(viii) Upon the occurrence of any event contemplated by Section 4.5(c)(v), 4.5(c)(vi)(E) or 4.5(d), promptly prepare a post-effective amendment to such registration statement or a supplement to the related prospectus or file any other required document so that, as thereafter delivered to the Holders and any underwriters, the prospectus will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. If the Company notifies the Holders in accordance with Section 4.5(c)(vi)(E) to suspend the use of the prospectus until the requisite changes to the prospectus have been made, then the Holders and any underwriters shall suspend use of such prospectus and use their reasonable best efforts to return to the Company all

 

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copies of such prospectus (at the Company’s expense) other than permanent file copies then in such Holders’ or underwriters’ possession. The total number of days that any such suspension may be in effect in any 12-month period shall not exceed 90 days. The Company shall notify the Holders of the date of any anticipated termination of any such suspension period prior to such date.

(ix) Use reasonable best efforts to procure the cooperation of the Company’s transfer agent in settling any offering or sale of Registrable Securities, including with respect to the transfer of physical stock certificates into book-entry form in accordance with any procedures reasonably requested by the Holders or any managing underwriter(s).

(x) If an underwritten offering is requested pursuant to Section 4.5(a)(ii), enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form, scope and substance and take all such other actions reasonably requested by the Holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities being sold in connection therewith or by the managing underwriter(s), if any, to expedite or facilitate the underwritten disposition of such Registrable Securities, and in connection therewith in any underwritten offering (including making members of management and executives of the Company available to participate in “road shows”, similar sales events and other marketing activities), (A) make such representations and warranties to the Holders that are selling stockholders and the managing underwriter(s), if any, with respect to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, and the Shelf Registration Statement, prospectus and documents, if any, incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein, in each case, in customary form, substance and scope, and, if true, confirm the same if and when requested, (B) use its reasonable best efforts to furnish the underwriters with opinions and “10b-5” letters of counsel to the Company, addressed to the managing underwriter(s), if any, covering the matters customarily covered in such opinions and letters requested in underwritten offerings, (C) use its reasonable best efforts to obtain “cold comfort” letters from the independent certified public accountants of the Company (and, if necessary, any other independent certified public accountants of any business acquired by the Company for which financial statements and financial data are included in the Shelf Registration Statement) who have certified the financial statements included in such Shelf Registration Statement, addressed to each of the managing underwriter(s), if any, such letters to be in customary form and covering matters of the type customarily covered in “cold comfort” letters, (D) if an underwriting agreement is entered into, the same shall contain indemnification provisions and procedures customary in underwritten offerings (provided that Treasury shall not be obligated to provide any indemnity), and (E) deliver such documents and certificates as may be reasonably requested by the Holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities being sold in connection therewith, their counsel and the managing underwriter(s), if any, to evidence the continued validity of the representations and warranties made pursuant to clause (A) above and to evidence compliance with any customary conditions contained in the underwriting agreement or other agreement entered into by the Company.

(xi) Make available for inspection by a representative of Holders that are selling stockholders, the managing underwriter(s), if any, and any attorneys or

 

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accountants retained by such Holders or managing underwriter(s), at the offices where normally kept, during reasonable business hours, financial and other records, pertinent corporate documents and properties of the Company, and cause the officers, directors and employees of the Company to supply all information in each case reasonably requested (and of the type customarily provided in connection with due diligence conducted in connection with a registered public offering of securities) by any such representative, managing underwriter(s), attorney or accountant in connection with such Shelf Registration Statement.

(xii) Use reasonable best efforts to cause all such Registrable Securities to be listed on each national securities exchange on which similar securities issued by the Company are then listed or, if no similar securities issued by the Company are then listed on any national securities exchange, use its reasonable best efforts to cause all such Registrable Securities to be listed on such securities exchange as Treasury may designate.

(xiii) If requested by Holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities being registered and/or sold in connection therewith, or the managing underwriter(s), if any, promptly include in a prospectus supplement or amendment such information as the Holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities being registered and/or sold in connection therewith or managing underwriter(s), if any, may reasonably request in order to permit the intended method of distribution of such securities and make all required filings of such prospectus supplement or such amendment as soon as practicable after the Company has received such request.

(xiv) Timely provide to its security holders earning statements satisfying the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 thereunder.

(d) Suspension of Sales. Upon receipt of written notice from the Company that a registration statement, prospectus or prospectus supplement contains or may contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omits or may omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or that circumstances exist that make inadvisable use of such registration statement, prospectus or prospectus supplement, Treasury and each Holder of Registrable Securities shall forthwith discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities until Treasury and/or Holder has received copies of a supplemented or amended prospectus or prospectus supplement, or until Treasury and/or such Holder is advised in writing by the Company that the use of the prospectus and, if applicable, prospectus supplement may be resumed, and, if so directed by the Company, Treasury and/or such Holder shall deliver to the Company (at the Company’s expense) all copies, other than permanent file copies then in Treasury and/or such Holder’s possession, of the prospectus and, if applicable, prospectus supplement covering such Registrable Securities current at the time of receipt of such notice. The total number of days that any such suspension may be in effect in any 12-month period shall not exceed 90 days. The Company shall notify Treasury prior to the anticipated termination of any such suspension period of the date of such anticipated termination

(e) Termination of Registration Rights. A Holder’s registration rights as to any securities held by such Holder shall not be available unless such securities are Registrable Securities.

 

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(f) Furnishing Information.

(i) Neither Treasury nor any Holder shall use any free writing prospectus (as defined in Rule 405) in connection with the sale of Registrable Securities without the prior written consent of the Company.

(ii) It shall be a condition precedent to the obligations of the Company to take any action pursuant to Section 4.5(c) that Treasury and/or the selling Holders and the underwriters, if any, shall furnish to the Company such information regarding themselves, the Registrable Securities held by them and the intended method of disposition of such securities as shall be required to effect the registered offering of their Registrable Securities.

(g) Indemnification.

(i) The Company agrees to indemnify each Holder and, if a Holder is a person other than an individual, such Holder’s officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives and Affiliates, and each Person, if any, that controls a Holder within the meaning of the Securities Act (each, an “Indemnitee”), against any and all losses, claims, damages, actions, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable fees, expenses and disbursements of attorneys and other professionals incurred in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such losses, claims, damages, actions, liabilities, costs and expenses), joint or several, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of material fact contained in any registration statement, including any preliminary prospectus or final prospectus contained therein or any amendments or supplements thereto or any documents incorporated therein by reference or contained in any free writing prospectus (as such term is defined in Rule 405) prepared by the Company or authorized by it in writing for use by such Holder (or any amendment or supplement thereto); or any omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, that the Company shall not be liable to such Indemnitee in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage, liability (or action or proceeding in respect thereof) or expense arises out of or is based upon (A) an untrue statement or omission made in such registration statement, including any such preliminary prospectus or final prospectus contained therein or any such amendments or supplements thereto or contained in any free writing prospectus (as such term is defined in Rule 405) prepared by the Company or authorized by it in writing for use by such Holder (or any amendment or supplement thereto), in reliance upon and in conformity with information regarding such Indemnitee or its plan of distribution or ownership interests which was furnished in writing to the Company by such Indemnitee for use in connection with such registration statement, including any such preliminary prospectus or final prospectus contained therein or any such amendments or supplements thereto, or (B) offers or sales effected by or on behalf of such Indemnitee “by means of” (as defined in Rule 159A) a “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405) that was not authorized in writing by the Company.

 

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(ii) If the indemnification provided for in Section 4.5(g)(i) is unavailable to an Indemnitee with respect to any losses, claims, damages, actions, liabilities, costs or expenses referred to therein or is insufficient to hold the Indemnitee harmless as contemplated therein, then the Company, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnitee, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnitee as a result of such losses, claims, damages, actions, liabilities, costs or expenses in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the Indemnitee, on the one hand, and the Company, on the other hand, in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages, actions, liabilities, costs or expenses as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and of the Indemnitee, on the other hand, shall be determined by reference to, among other factors, whether the untrue statement of a material fact or omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Indemnitee and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission; the Company and each Holder agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 4.5(g)(ii) were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in Section 4.5(g)(i). No Indemnitee guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from the Company if the Company was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

(h) Assignment of Registration Rights. The rights of Treasury to registration of Registrable Securities pursuant to Section 4.5(a) may be assigned by Treasury to a transferee or assignee of Registrable Securities in connection with a transfer of a total number of Warrant Shares and/or Warrants exercisable for at least 20% of the total number of Warrant Shares for which Warrants issued and to be issued under this Agreement could be exercised (giving effect to the anti-dilution adjustments in Warrants); provided, however, the transferor shall, within ten days after such transfer, furnish to the Company written notice of the name and address of such transferee or assignee and the number and type of Registrable Securities that are being assigned.

(i) Clear Market. With respect to any underwritten offering of Registrable Securities by Treasury or other Holders pursuant to this Section 4.5, the Company agrees not to effect (other than pursuant to such registration or pursuant to a Special Registration) any public sale or distribution, or to file any Shelf Registration Statement (other than such registration or a Special Registration) covering, in the case of an underwritten offering of Common Stock or Warrants, any of its equity securities, or, in each case, any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for such securities, during the period not to exceed 30 days following the effective date of such offering. The Company also agrees to cause such of its directors and senior executive officers to execute and deliver customary lock-up agreements in such form and for such time period up to 30 days as may be requested by the managing underwriter. “Special Registration” means the registration of (A) equity securities and/or options or other rights in respect thereof solely registered on Form S-4 or Form S-8 (or successor form) or (B) shares of equity securities and/or options or other rights in respect thereof to be offered to directors, members of management, employees, consultants, customers, lenders or vendors of the Company or Company Subsidiaries or in connection with dividend reinvestment plans.

 

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(j) Rule 144; Rule 144A. With a view to making available to Treasury and Holders the benefits of certain rules and regulations of the SEC which may permit the sale of the Registrable Securities to the public without registration, the Company agrees to use its reasonable best efforts to:

(i) make and keep adequate public information available, as those terms are understood and defined in Rule 144(c)(1) or any similar or analogous rule promulgated under the Securities Act, at all times after the date hereof;

(ii) (A) file with the SEC, in a timely manner, all reports and other documents required of the Company under the Exchange Act, and (B) if at any time the Company is not required to file such reports, make available, upon the request of any Holder, such information necessary to permit sales pursuant to Rule 144A (including the information required by Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act);

(iii) so long as Treasury or a Holder owns any Registrable Securities, furnish to Treasury or such Holder forthwith upon request: a written statement by the Company as to its compliance with the reporting requirements of Rule 144 under the Securities Act, and of the Exchange Act; a copy of the most recent annual or quarterly report of the Company; and such other reports and documents as Treasury or Holder may reasonably request in availing itself of any rule or regulation of the SEC allowing it to sell any such securities to the public without registration; provided, however, that the availability of the foregoing reports on the EDGAR filing system of the SEC will be deemed to satisfy the foregoing delivery requirements; and

(iv) take such further action as any Holder may reasonably request, all to the extent required from time to time to enable such Holder to sell Registrable Securities without registration under the Securities Act.

(k) As used in this Section 4.5, the following terms shall have the following respective meanings:

(i) “Holder” means Treasury and any other holder of Registrable Securities to whom the registration rights conferred by this Agreement have been transferred in compliance with Section 4.5(h) hereof.

(ii) “Register,” “registered,” and “registration” shall refer to a registration effected by preparing and (A) filing a registration statement in compliance with the Securities Act and applicable rules and regulations thereunder, and the declaration or ordering of effectiveness of such registration statement or (B) filing a prospectus and/or prospectus supplement in respect of an appropriate effective registration statement on Form S-3.

(iii) “Registrable Securities” means (A) the Warrants (subject to Section 4.5(p)) and (B) any equity securities issued or issuable directly or indirectly with respect to the securities referred to in the foregoing clause (A) by way of conversion, exercise or exchange thereof, including the Warrant Shares, or share dividend or share split or in connection with a combination of shares, recapitalization, reclassification, merger,

 

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amalgamation, arrangement, consolidation or other reorganization, provided that, once issued, such securities will not be Registrable Securities when (1) they are sold pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, (2) except as provided below in Section 4.5(o), they may be sold pursuant to Rule 144 without limitation thereunder on volume or manner of sale, (3) they shall have ceased to be outstanding or (4) they have been sold in a private transaction in which the transferor’s rights under this Agreement are not assigned to the transferee of the securities. No Registrable Securities may be registered under more than one registration statement at any one time.

(iv) “Registration Expenses” mean all expenses incurred by the Company in effecting any registration pursuant to this Agreement (whether or not any registration or prospectus becomes effective or final) or otherwise complying with its obligations under this Section 4.5, including all registration, filing and listing fees, printing expenses, fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company, blue sky fees and expenses, expenses incurred in connection with any “road show”, the reasonable fees and disbursements of Treasury’s counsel (if Treasury is participating in the registered offering), and expenses of the Company’s independent accountants in connection with any regular or special reviews or audits incident to or required by any such registration, but shall not include Selling Expenses.

(v) “Rule 144”, “Rule 144A”, “Rule 159A”, “Rule 405” and “Rule 415” mean, in each case, such rule promulgated under the Securities Act (or any successor provision), as the same shall be amended from time to time.

(vi) “Selling Expenses” mean all discounts, selling commissions and stock transfer taxes applicable to the sale of Registrable Securities and fees and disbursements of counsel for any Holder (other than the fees and disbursements of Treasury’s counsel included in Registration Expenses).

(l) At any time, any holder of Securities (including any Holder) may elect to forfeit its rights set forth in this Section 4.5 from that date forward; provided, that a Holder forfeiting such rights shall nonetheless be entitled to participate under Section 4.5(a)(iv) – (vi) in any Pending Underwritten Offering to the same extent that such Holder would have been entitled to if the holder had not withdrawn; and provided, further, that no such forfeiture shall terminate a Holder’s rights or obligations under Section 4.5(f) with respect to any prior registration or Pending Underwritten Offering. “Pending Underwritten Offering” means, with respect to any Holder forfeiting its rights pursuant to this Section 4.5(l), any underwritten offering of Registrable Securities in which such Holder has advised the Company of its intent to register its Registrable Securities either pursuant to Section 4.5(a)(ii) or 4.5(a)(iv) prior to the date of such Holder’s forfeiture.

(m) Specific Performance. The parties hereto acknowledge that there would be no adequate remedy at law if the Company fails to perform any of its obligations under this Section 4.5 and that Treasury and the Holders from time to time may be irreparably harmed by any such failure, and accordingly agree that Treasury and such Holders, in addition to any other remedy to which they may be entitled at law or in equity, to the fullest extent permitted and enforceable under applicable law shall be entitled to compel specific performance of the obligations of the Company under this Section 4.5 in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Section 4.5.

 

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(n) No Inconsistent Agreements. The Company shall not, on or after the date hereof, enter into any agreement with respect to its securities that may impair the rights granted to Treasury and the Holders under this Section 4.5 or that otherwise conflicts with the provisions hereof in any manner that may impair the rights granted to Treasury and the Holders under this Section 4.5. In the event the Company has, prior to the date hereof, entered into any agreement with respect to its securities that is inconsistent with the rights granted to Treasury and the Holders under this Section 4.5 (including agreements that are inconsistent with the order of priority contemplated by Section 4.5(a)(vi)) or that may otherwise conflict with the provisions hereof, the Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to amend such agreements to ensure they are consistent with the provisions of this Section 4.5. Any transaction entered into by the Company that would reasonably be expected to require the inclusion in a Shelf Registration Statement or any Company Report filed with the SEC of any separate financial statements pursuant to Rule 3-05 of Regulation S-X or pro forma financial statements pursuant to Article 11 of Regulation S-X shall include provisions requiring the Company’s counterparty to provide any information necessary to allow the Company to comply with its obligation hereunder.

(o) Certain Offerings by Treasury. In the case of any securities held by Treasury that cease to be Registrable Securities solely by reason of clause (2) in the definition of “Registrable Securities,” the provisions of Sections 4.5(a)(ii), clauses (iv), (ix) and (x)-(xii) of Section 4.5(c), Section 4.5(g) and Section 4.5(i) shall continue to apply until such securities otherwise cease to be Registrable Securities. In any such case, an “underwritten” offering or other disposition shall include any distribution of such securities on behalf of Treasury by one or more broker-dealers, an “underwriting agreement” shall include any purchase agreement entered into by such broker-dealers, and any “registration statement” or “prospectus” shall include any offering document approved by the Company and used in connection with such distribution.

(p) Registered Sales of the Warrants. The Holders agree to sell the Warrants or any portion thereof under the Shelf Registration Statement only beginning 30 days after notifying the Company of any such sale, during which 30-day period Treasury and all Holders of the Warrants shall take reasonable steps to agree to revisions to the Warrants, at the expense of the Company, to permit a public distribution of the Warrants, including entering into a revised warrant agreement, appointing a warrant agent, and making the securities eligible for book entry clearing and settlement at the Depositary Trust Company.

4.6 Voting of Warrant Shares. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, Treasury shall not exercise any voting rights with respect to the Warrant Shares.

Article V

Miscellaneous

5.1 Survival of Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company made herein or in any certificates delivered in connection with the Initial Closing or any subsequent Closing shall survive such Closing without limitation.

 

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5.2 Amendment. No amendment of any provision of this Agreement will be effective unless made in writing and signed by an officer or a duly authorized representative of each party; provided that Treasury may unilaterally amend any provision of this Agreement to the extent required to comply with any changes after the date hereof in applicable federal statutes. No failure or delay by any party in exercising any right, power or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof nor shall any single or partial exercise thereof preclude any other or further exercise of any other right, power or privilege. The rights and remedies herein provided shall be cumulative of any rights or remedies provided by law.

5.3 Waiver of Conditions. No waiver will be effective unless it is in a writing signed by a duly authorized officer of the waiving party that makes express reference to the provision or provisions subject to such waiver.

5.4 Governing Law: Submission to Jurisdiction, Etc. This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the federal law of the United States if and to the extent such law is applicable, and otherwise in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to contracts made and to be performed entirely within such State. Each of the parties hereto agrees (a) to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and the United States Court of Federal Claims for any and all civil actions, suits or proceedings arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the Warrants or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, and (b) that notice may be served upon (i) the Company at the address and in the manner set forth for notices to the Company in Section 5.5 and (ii) Treasury in accordance with federal law. To the extent permitted by applicable law, each of the parties hereto hereby unconditionally waives trial by jury in any civil legal action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or the Warrants or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby.

5.5 Notices. Any notice, request, instruction or other document to be given hereunder by any party to the other will be in writing and will be deemed to have been duly given (a) on the date of delivery if delivered personally, or by facsimile, upon confirmation of receipt, or (b) on the second Business Day following the date of dispatch if delivered by a recognized next day courier service. All notices to the Company shall be delivered as set forth below, or pursuant to such other instruction as may be designated in writing by the Company to Treasury. All notices to Treasury shall be delivered as set forth below, or pursuant to such other instructions as may be designated in writing by Treasury to the Company.

If to the Company:

Mesa Air Group, Inc.

410 N. 44th Street

Suite 700

Phoenix, Arizona 85008

Attention: Brian S. Gillman, Executive Vice President & General Counsel

Telephone: 602.685.4000

Facsimile: 602.685.4350

 

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If to Treasury:

United States Department of the Treasury

1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 2312

Washington, D.C. 20220

Attention: Assistant General Counsel (Banking and Finance)

5.6 Definitions.

(a) The term “Governmental Authority” means the government of the United States of America or any other nation, or of any political subdivision thereof, whether state or local, and any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body, court, central bank or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative powers or functions of or pertaining to government (including any supra-national bodies such as the European Union or the European Central Bank).

(b) The term “Laws” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Loan Agreement.

(c) The term “Lien” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Loan Agreement.

(d) The term “Material Adverse Effect” means (a) a material adverse change in, or a material adverse effect on, the operations, business, properties, liabilities (actual or contingent), condition (financial or otherwise) or prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole; or (b) a material adverse effect on (i) the ability of the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement or any Warrant or (ii) the legality, validity, binding effect or enforceability against the Company of this Agreement or any Warrant to which it is a party.

(e) The term “Organizational Documents” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Loan Agreement.

(f) The term “Subsidiary” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Loan Agreement.

5.7 Assignment. Neither this Agreement nor any right, remedy, obligation nor liability arising hereunder or by reason hereof shall be assignable by any party hereto without the prior written consent of the other party, and any attempt to assign any right, remedy, obligation or liability hereunder without such consent shall be void, except (a) an assignment, in the case of a Business Combination where such party is not the surviving entity, or a sale of substantially all of its assets, to the entity which is the survivor of such Business Combination or the purchaser in such sale and (b) as provided in Section 4.5.

5.8 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement or the Warrants, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remaining provisions hereof, or the application of such provision to persons or circumstances other than those as to which it has been held invalid or unenforceable, will remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated thereby, so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any party. Upon such determination, the parties shall negotiate in good faith in an effort to agree upon a suitable and equitable substitute provision to effect the original intent of the parties.

 

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5.9 No Third Party Beneficiaries. Nothing contained in this Agreement, expressed or implied, is intended to confer upon any person or entity other than the Company and Treasury any benefit, right or remedies, except that the provisions of Section 4.5 shall inure to the benefit of the persons referred to in that Section.

* * *

[Signature page follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized, as of the date first above written.

 

THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  
MESA AIR GROUP, INC.
By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  


ANNEX A

FORM OF OPINION

(a) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the state of its incorporation.

(b) Each of the Warrants has been duly authorized and, when executed and delivered as contemplated by the Agreement, will constitute a valid and legally binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the same may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and general equitable principles, regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding at law or in equity.

(c) The shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance upon exercise of the Warrants and when so issued in accordance with the terms of the Warrants will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable [insert, if applicable: , subject to the approvals of the Company’s stockholders set forth on Schedule 3].

(d) The Company has the corporate power and authority to execute and deliver the Agreement and the Warrants and [insert, if applicable: , subject to the approvals of the Company’s stockholders set forth on Schedule 3] to carry out its obligations thereunder (which includes the issuance of the Warrants and Warrant Shares).

(e) The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Agreement and the Warrants and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company and its stockholders, and no further approval or authorization is required on the part of the Company [insert, if applicable: , subject, in each case, to the approvals of the Company’s stockholders set forth on Schedule 3].

(f) The Agreement is a valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the same may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and general equitable principles, regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding at law or in equity; provided, however, such counsel need express no opinion with respect to Section 4.5(g) or the severability provisions of the Agreement insofar as Section 4.5(g) is concerned.

(g) No registration of the Warrant and the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrant under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, is required for the offer and sale of the Warrant or the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrant by the Company to the Holder pursuant to and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement.

(h) The Company is not required to be registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

 

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ANNEX B

FORM OF WARRANT

[SEE ATTACHED]

 

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SCHEDULE 1

WARRANT SHARES FORMULA

The number of Warrant Shares for which Warrants issued on each Warrant Closing Date shall be exercisable shall equal:

 

  (i)

On the Closing Date, the quotient of (x) the product of the principal amount of the initial Borrowing multiplied by 0.1 divided by (y) the Exercise Price (as defined in Annex B); and

 

  (ii)

On each subsequent Warrant Closing Date, the quotient of (x) the product of the principal amount of the subsequent Borrowing multiplied by 0.1 divided by (y) the Exercise Price.

 

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SCHEDULE 2

CAPITALIZATION

1. The authorized capital stock of Mesa Air Group, Inc. consists of:

125,000,000 shares of common stock, no par value; and

5,000,000 shares of preferred stock

2. The outstanding capital stock of the Company (including securities convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, capital stock of the Company) as of September 30, 2020 is as follow:

 

   

At September 30, 2020, there were 35,526,918 shares of common stock issued and outstanding.

3. At September 30, 2020, there were:

 

   

3,500,000 shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the Mesa Air Group, Inc. 2018 Equity Incentive Plan. As of such date, 3,481,370 shares of restricted common stock have been issued under the 2018 Plan, 30,245 of which have been cancelled and are thus available for issuance under the 2018 Plan. Note, under the terms of the 2018 Plan, the number of shares issuable thereunder shall be cumulatively increased on January 1, 2020, and on each subsequent January 1 through and including January 1, 2028, by a number of shares equal to the smaller of (a) 1% of the number of shares of common stock issued and outstanding on the immediately preceding December 31, or (b) and amount determined by the board of directors of Mesa Air Group, Inc.

 

   

500,000 shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the Mesa Air Group, Inc. 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan. As of such date, 99,644 shares had been issued under the 2019 Plan.

 

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SCHEDULE 3

SHAREHOLDER APPROVALS

None

 

- 5 -

EX-4.3

Exhibit 4.3

FORM OF WARRANT TO PURCHASE COMMON STOCK

THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS INSTRUMENT HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE AND MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED, SOLD OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF EXCEPT WHILE A REGISTRATION STATEMENT RELATING THERETO IS IN EFFECT UNDER SUCH ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER SUCH ACT AND SUCH LAWS.

WARRANT

to purchase []

Shares of Common Stock

of Mesa Air Group, Inc.

Issue Date:

1. Definitions. Unless the context otherwise requires, when used herein the following terms shall have the meanings indicated.

Affiliate” means, with respect to any person, any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with, such other person. For purposes of this definition, “control” (including, with correlative meanings, the terms “controlled by” and “under common control with”) when used with respect to any person, means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to cause the direction of management and/or policies of such person, whether through the ownership of voting securities by contract or otherwise.

Aggregate Net Cash Settlement Amount” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2(i).

Aggregate Net Share Settlement Amount” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2(ii).

Appraisal Procedure” means a procedure whereby two independent appraisers, one chosen by the Company and one by the Original Warrantholder, shall mutually agree upon the determinations then the subject of appraisal. Each party shall deliver a notice to the other appointing its appraiser within 10 days after the Appraisal Procedure is invoked. If within 30 days after appointment of the two appraisers they are unable to agree upon the amount in question, a third independent appraiser shall be chosen within 10 days thereafter by the mutual consent of such first two appraisers. The decision of the third appraiser so appointed and chosen shall be given within 30 days after the selection of such third appraiser. If three appraisers shall be appointed and the determination of one appraiser is disparate from the middle determination by more than twice the amount by which the other determination is disparate from the middle determination, then the determination of such appraiser shall be excluded, the remaining two determinations shall be averaged and such average shall be binding and conclusive upon the


Company and the Original Warrantholder; otherwise, the average of all three determinations shall be binding upon the Company and the Original Warrantholder. The costs of conducting any Appraisal Procedure shall be borne by the Company.

Average Market Price” means, with respect to any security, the arithmetic average of the Market Price of such security for the 15 consecutive trading day period ending on and including the trading day immediately preceding the determination date.

Board of Directors” means the board of directors of the Company, including any duly authorized committee thereof.

Business Combination” means a merger, consolidation, statutory share exchange or similar transaction that requires the approval of the Company’s stockholders.

Business Day” means any day except Saturday, Sunday and any day on which banking institutions in the State of New York generally are authorized or required by law or other governmental actions to close; provided that banks shall be deemed to be generally open for business in the event of a “shelter in place” or similar closure of physical branch locations at the direction of any governmental entity if such banks’ electronic funds transfer system (including wire transfers) are open for use by customers on such day.

Capital Stock” means (A) with respect to any Person that is a corporation or company, any and all shares, interests, participations or other equivalents (however designated) of capital or capital stock of such Person and (B) with respect to any Person that is not a corporation or company, any and all partnership or other equity interests of such Person.

Charter” means, with respect to any Person, its certificate or articles of incorporation, articles of association, or similar organizational document.

Common Stock” means common stock of the Company, no par value, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 13(E).

Company” means the Person whose name, corporate or other organizational form and jurisdiction of organization is set forth in Item 1 of Schedule A hereto.

conversion” has the meaning set forth in Section 13(B).

convertible securities” has the meaning set forth in Section 13(B).

Depositary” means The Depositary Trust Company, its nominees and their respective successors.

Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any successor statute, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

Exercise Date” means each date a Notice of Exercise substantially in the form annexed hereto is delivered to the Company in accordance with Section 2 hereof.

 

2


Exercise Price” means the amount set forth in Item 2 of Schedule A hereto, subject to adjustment as contemplated herein.

Fair Market Value” means, with respect to any security or other property, the fair market value of such security or other property as determined by the Board of Directors, acting in good faith in reliance on an opinion of a nationally recognized independent investment banking firm retained by the Company for this purpose. For so long as the Original Warrantholder holds this Warrant or any portion thereof, it may object in writing to the Board of Director’s calculation of fair market value within 10 days of receipt of written notice thereof. If the Original Warrantholder and the Company are unable to agree on fair market value during the 10-day period following the delivery of the Original Warrantholder’s objection, the Appraisal Procedure may be invoked by either party to determine Fair Market Value by delivering written notification thereof not later than the 30th day after delivery of the Original Warrantholder’s objection.

Initial Number” has the meaning set forth in Section 13(B).

“Issue Date” means the date set forth in Item 3 of Schedule A hereto.

Market Price” means, with respect to a particular security, on any given day, the last reported sale price regular way or, in case no such reported sale takes place on such day, the average of the last closing bid and ask prices regular way, in either case on the principal national securities exchange on which the applicable securities are listed or admitted to trading, or if not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the average of the closing bid and ask prices as furnished by two members of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. selected from time to time by the Company for that purpose. “Market Price” shall be determined without reference to after hours or extended hours trading. If such security is not listed and traded in a manner that the quotations referred to above are available for the period required hereunder, the Market Price of such security shall be deemed to be (i) in the event that any portion of the Warrant is held by the Original Warrantholder, the fair market value per share of such security as determined in good faith by the Original Warrantholder or (ii) in all other circumstances, the fair market value per share of such security as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors in reliance on an opinion of a nationally recognized independent investment banking corporation retained by the Company for this purpose and certified in a resolution to the Warrantholder.

Original Warrantholder” means the United States Department of the Treasury. Any actions specified to be taken by the Original Warrantholder hereunder may only be taken by such Person and not by any other Warrantholder.

Permitted Transactions” has the meaning set forth in Section 13(B).

Per Share Net Cash Settlement Amount” means the Average Market Price of a share of Common Stock determined as of the relevant Exercise Date less the then applicable Exercise Price.

Per Share Net Share Settlement Amount” means the quotient of (i) the Average Market Price of a share of Common Stock determined as of the relevant Exercise Date less the then applicable Exercise Price divided by (ii) the Average Market Price of a share of Common Stock determined as of the relevant Exercise Date.

 

3


Person” has the meaning given to it in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act and as used in Sections 13(d)(3) and 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act.

Per Share Fair Market Value” has the meaning set forth in Section 13(C).

Pro Rata Repurchases” means any purchase of shares of Common Stock by the Company or any Affiliate thereof pursuant to (A) any tender offer or exchange offer subject to Section 13(e) or 14(e) of the Exchange Act or Regulation 14E promulgated thereunder or (B) any other offer available to substantially all holders of Common Stock, in the case of both (A) or (B), whether for cash, shares of Capital Stock of the Company, other securities of the Company, evidences of indebtedness of the Company or any other Person or any other property (including, without limitation, shares of Capital Stock, other securities or evidences of indebtedness of a subsidiary), or any combination thereof, effected while this Warrant is outstanding. The “Effective Date” of a Pro Rata Repurchase shall mean the date of acceptance of shares for purchase or exchange by the Company under any tender or exchange offer which is a Pro Rata Repurchase or the date of purchase with respect to any Pro Rata Repurchase that is not a tender or exchange offer.

Regulatory Approvals” with respect to the Warrantholder, means, to the extent applicable and required to permit the Warrantholder to exercise this Warrant for shares of Common Stock and to own such Common Stock without the Warrantholder being in violation of applicable law, rule or regulation, the receipt of any necessary approvals and authorizations of, filings and registrations with, notifications to, or expiration or termination of any applicable waiting period under, the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder.

SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any successor statute, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

“trading day” means (A) if the shares of Common Stock are not traded on any national or regional securities exchange or association or over-the-counter market, a Business Day or (B) if the shares of Common Stock are traded on any national or regional securities exchange or association or over-the-counter market, a Business Day on which such relevant exchange or quotation system is scheduled to be open for business and on which the shares of Common Stock (i) are not suspended from trading on any national or regional securities exchange or association or over-the-counter market for any period or periods aggregating one half hour or longer; and (ii) have traded at least once on the national or regional securities exchange or association or over-the-counter market that is the primary market for the trading of the shares of Common Stock.

U.S. GAAP” means United States generally accepted accounting principles.

Warrant” means this Warrant, issued pursuant to the Warrant Agreement.

 

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Warrant Agreement” means the Warrant Agreement, dated as of the date set forth in Item 4 of Schedule A hereto, as amended from time to time, between the Company and the United States Department of the Treasury.

Warrantholder” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.

Warrant Shares” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.

2. Number of Warrant Shares; Net Exercise. This certifies that, for value received, the United States Department of the Treasury or its permitted assigns (the “Warrantholder”) is entitled, upon the terms and subject to the conditions hereinafter set forth, to acquire from the Company, in whole or in part, after the receipt of all applicable Regulatory Approvals, if any, up to an aggregate of the number of fully paid and nonassessable shares of Common Stock set forth in Item 5 of Schedule A hereto. The number of shares of Common Stock (the “Warrant Shares”) issuable upon exercise of this Warrant and the Exercise Price are subject to adjustment as provided herein, and all references to “Common Stock,” “Warrant Shares” and “Exercise Price” herein shall be deemed to include any such adjustment or series of adjustments.

Upon exercise of the Warrant in accordance with Section 3 hereof, the Company shall elect to pay or deliver, as the case may be, to the exercising Warrantholder (a) cash (“Net Cash Settlement”) or (b) Warrant Shares together with cash, if applicable, in lieu of delivering any fractional shares in accordance with Section 5 of this Warrant (“Net Share Settlement”). The Company will notify the exercising Warrantholder of its election of a settlement method within one Business Day after the relevant Exercise Date and if it fails to deliver a timely notice shall be deemed to have elected Net Share Settlement.

(i) Net Cash Settlement. If the Company elects Net Cash Settlement, it shall pay to the Warrantholder cash equal to the Per Share Net Cash Settlement Amount multiplied by the number of Warrant Shares as to which the Warrant has been exercised as indicated in the Notice of Exercise (the “Aggregate Net Cash Settlement Amount”).

(ii) Net Share Settlement. If the Company elects Net Share Settlement, it shall deliver to the Warrantholder a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the Per Share Net Share Settlement Amount multiplied by the number of Warrant Shares as to which the Warrant has been exercised as indicated in the Notice of Exercise (the “Aggregate Net Share Settlement Amount”).

3. Term; Method of Exercise. Subject to Section 2, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, this Warrant is exercisable, in whole or in part by the Warrantholder, at any time or from time to time after the execution and delivery of this Warrant by the Company on the date hereof, but in no event later than 5:00 p.m., New York City time on the fifth anniversary of the Issue Date of this Warrant, by the surrender of this Warrant and delivery of the Notice of Exercise annexed hereto, duly completed and executed on behalf of the Warrantholder, at the principal executive office of the Company located at the address set forth in Item 6 of Schedule A hereto (or such other office or agency of the Company in the United States as it may designate by notice in writing to the Warrantholder at the address of the Warrantholder appearing on the books of the Company).

 

5


If the Warrantholder does not exercise this Warrant in its entirety, the Warrantholder will be entitled to receive from the Company within a reasonable time after the date on which this Warrant has been duly exercised in accordance with the terms of this Warrant, and in any event not exceeding three Business Days after the date thereof, a new warrant in substantially identical form for the purchase of that number of Warrant Shares equal to the difference between the number of Warrant Shares subject to this Warrant and the number of Warrant Shares as to which this Warrant is so exercised. Notwithstanding anything in this Warrant to the contrary, the Warrantholder hereby acknowledges and agrees that its exercise of this Warrant for Warrant Shares is subject to the condition that the Warrantholder will have first received any applicable Regulatory Approvals.

4. Method of Settlement.

(i) Net Cash Settlement. If the Company elects Net Cash Settlement, the Company shall, within a reasonable time, not to exceed five Business Days after the date on which this Warrant has been duly exercised in accordance with the terms of this Warrant, pay to the exercising Warrantholder the Aggregate Net Cash Settlement Amount.

(ii) Net Share Settlement. If the Company elects Net Share Settlement, shares of Common Stock equal to the Aggregate Net Share Settlement Amount shall be (x) issued in such name or names as the exercising Warrantholder may designate and (y) delivered by the Company or the Company’s transfer agent to such Warrantholder or its nominee or nominees (i) if the shares are then able to be so delivered, via book-entry transfer crediting the account of such Warrantholder (or the relevant agent member for the benefit of such Warrantholder) through the Depositary’s DWAC system (if the Company’s transfer agent participates in such system), or (ii) otherwise in certificated form by physical delivery to the address specified by the Warrantholder in the Notice of Exercise, within a reasonable time, not to exceed three Business Days after the date on which this Warrant has been duly exercised in accordance with the terms of this Warrant. The Company hereby represents and warrants that any Warrant Shares issued upon the exercise of this Warrant in accordance with the provisions of Section 3 will be duly and validly authorized and issued, fully paid and nonassessable and free from all taxes, liens and charges (other than liens or charges created by the Warrantholder, income and franchise taxes incurred in connection with the exercise of the Warrant or taxes in respect of any transfer occurring contemporaneously therewith). The Company agrees that the Warrant Shares so issued will be deemed to have been issued to the Warrantholder as of the close of business on the date on which this Warrant and payment of the Exercise Price are delivered to the Company in accordance with the terms of this Warrant, notwithstanding that the stock transfer books of the Company may then be closed or certificates representing such Warrant Shares may not be actually delivered on such date. The Company will at all times reserve and keep available, out of its authorized but unissued Common Stock, solely for the purpose of providing for the exercise of this Warrant, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock then issuable upon exercise of this Warrant at any time. The Company will (A) procure, at its sole expense, the listing of the Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant at any time, subject to issuance or notice of issuance, on all principal stock exchanges on which the Common Stock is then listed or traded and (B) maintain such listings of such Warrant Shares at all times after issuance. The Company will use reasonable best efforts to ensure that the Warrant Shares may be issued without violation of any applicable law or regulation or of any requirement of any securities exchange on which the Warrant Shares are listed or traded.

 

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5. No Fractional Warrant Shares or Scrip. No fractional Warrant Shares or scrip representing fractional Warrant Shares shall be issued upon any exercise of this Warrant. In lieu of any fractional Share to which the Warrantholder would otherwise be entitled, the Warrantholder shall be entitled to receive a cash payment equal to the Average Market Price of the Common Stock determined as of the Exercise Date multiplied by such fraction of a share, less the pro-rated Exercise Price for such fractional share.

6. No Rights as Stockholders; Transfer Books. This Warrant does not entitle the Warrantholder to any voting rights or other rights as a stockholder of the Company prior to the date of exercise hereof. The Company will at no time close its transfer books against transfer of this Warrant in any manner which interferes with the timely exercise of this Warrant.

7. Charges, Taxes and Expenses. Issuance of certificates for Warrant Shares to the Warrantholder upon the exercise of this Warrant shall be made without charge to the Warrantholder for any issue or transfer tax or other incidental expense in respect of the issuance of such certificates, all of which taxes and expenses shall be paid by the Company; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to pay any tax that may be payable in respect of any transfer involved in the issuance and delivery of any such certificate, or any certificates or other securities in a name other than that of the registered holder of the Warrant surrendered upon exercise of the Warrant.

8. Transfer/Assignment.

(A) Subject to compliance with clause (B) of this Section 8, this Warrant and all rights hereunder are transferable, in whole or in part, upon the books of the Company by the registered holder hereof in person or by duly authorized attorney, and a new warrant shall be made and delivered by the Company, of the same tenor and date as this Warrant but registered in the name of one or more transferees, upon surrender of this Warrant, duly endorsed, to the office or agency of the Company described in Section 3. All expenses (other than stock transfer taxes) and other charges payable in connection with the preparation, execution and delivery of the new warrants pursuant to this Section 8 shall be paid by the Company.

(B) If and for so long as required by the Warrant Agreement, this Warrant shall contain the legend as set forth in Sections 4.2(a) of the Warrant Agreement.

9. Exchange and Registry of Warrant. This Warrant is exchangeable, upon the surrender hereof by the Warrantholder to the Company, for a new warrant or warrants of like tenor and representing the right to purchase the same aggregate number of Warrant Shares. The Company shall maintain a registry showing the name and address of the Warrantholder as the registered holder of this Warrant. This Warrant may be surrendered for exchange or exercise in accordance with its terms, at the office of the Company, and the Company shall be entitled to rely in all respects, prior to written notice to the contrary, upon such registry.

10. Loss, Theft, Destruction or Mutilation of Warrant. Upon receipt by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of this

 

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Warrant, and in the case of any such loss, theft or destruction, upon receipt of a bond, indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to the Company, or, in the case of any such mutilation, upon surrender and cancellation of this Warrant, the Company shall make and deliver, in lieu of such lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated Warrant, a new Warrant of like tenor and representing the right to purchase the same aggregate number of Warrant Shares as provided for in such lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated Warrant.

11. Saturdays, Sundays, Holidays, etc. If the last or appointed day for the taking of any action or the expiration of any right required or granted herein shall not be a Business Day, then such action may be taken or such right may be exercised on the next succeeding day that is a Business Day.

12. Information. With a view to making available to Warrantholders the benefits of certain rules and regulations of the SEC which may permit the sale of the Warrants and Warrant Shares to the public without registration, the Company agrees to use its reasonable best efforts to:

(A) make and keep adequate public information available, as those terms are understood and defined in Rule 144(c) or any similar or analogous rule promulgated under the Securities Act, at all times after the date hereof;

(B) (x) file with the SEC, in a timely manner, all reports and other documents required of the Company under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, and (y) if at any time the Company is not required to file such reports, make available, upon the request of any Warrantholder, such information necessary to permit sales pursuant to Rule 144A (including the information required by Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act);

(C) furnish to any holder of Warrants or Warrant Shares forthwith upon request: a written statement by the Company as to its compliance with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and Rule 144(c)(1); a copy of the most recent annual or quarterly report of the Company; and such other reports and documents as the Warrantholder may reasonably request in availing itself of any rule or regulation of the SEC allowing it to sell any such securities to the public without registration; and

(D) take such further action as any Warrantholder may reasonably request, all to the extent required from time to time to enable such Warantholder to sell Warrants or Warrant Shares without registration under the Securities Act.

13. Adjustments and Other Rights. The Exercise Price and the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrant shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as follows; provided, that if more than one subsection of this Section 13 is applicable to a single event, the subsection shall be applied that produces the largest adjustment and no single event shall cause an adjustment under more than one subsection of this Section 13 so as to result in duplication:

(A) Stock Splits, Subdivisions, Reclassifications or Combinations. If the Company shall (i) declare and pay a dividend or make a distribution on its Common Stock in shares of Common Stock, (ii) subdivide or reclassify the outstanding shares of Common Stock into a

 

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greater number of shares, or (iii) combine or reclassify the outstanding shares of Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant at the time of the record date for such dividend or distribution or the effective date of such subdivision, combination or reclassification shall be proportionately adjusted so that the Warrantholder after such date shall be entitled to acquire the number of shares of Common Stock which such holder would have owned or been entitled to receive in respect of the shares of Common Stock subject to this Warrant after such date had this Warrant been exercised immediately prior to such date. In such event, the Exercise Price in effect at the time of the record date for such dividend or distribution or the effective date of such subdivision, combination or reclassification shall be adjusted to the number obtained by dividing (x) the product of (1) the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon the exercise of this Warrant before such adjustment and (2) the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to the record or effective date, as the case may be, for the dividend, distribution, subdivision, combination or reclassification giving rise to this adjustment by (y) the new number of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrant determined pursuant to the immediately preceding sentence.

(B) Certain Issuances of Common Stock or Convertible Securities. If the Company shall issue shares of Common Stock (or rights or warrants or other securities exercisable or convertible into or exchangeable (collectively, a “conversion”) for shares of Common Stock) (collectively, “convertible securities”) (other than in Permitted Transactions (as defined below) or a transaction to which subsection (A) of this Section 13 is applicable) without consideration or at a consideration per share (or having a conversion price per share) that is less than 90% of the Average Market Price determined as of the date of the agreement on pricing such shares (or such convertible securities) then, in such event:

(A) the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon the exercise of this Warrant immediately prior to the date of the agreement on pricing of such shares (or of such convertible securities) (the “Initial Number”) shall be increased to the number obtained by multiplying the Initial Number by a fraction (A) the numerator of which shall be the sum of (x) the number of shares of Common Stock of the Company outstanding on such date and (y) the number of additional shares of Common Stock issued (or into which convertible securities may be exercised or convert) and (B) the denominator of which shall be the sum of (I) the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on such date and (II) the number of shares of Common Stock which the aggregate consideration receivable by the Company for the total number of shares of Common Stock so issued (or into which convertible securities may be exercised or convert) would purchase at the Average Market Price determined as of the date of the agreement on pricing such shares (or such convertible securities); and

(B) the Exercise Price payable upon exercise of the Warrant shall be adjusted by multiplying such Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to the date of the agreement on pricing of such shares (or of such convertible securities) by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of this Warrant prior to such date and the denominator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of this Warrant immediately after the adjustment described in clause (A) above.

 

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For purposes of the foregoing, the aggregate consideration receivable by the Company in connection with the issuance of such shares of Common Stock or convertible securities shall be deemed to be equal to the sum of the net offering price (including the Fair Market Value of any non-cash consideration and after deduction of any related expenses payable to third parties) of all such securities plus the minimum aggregate amount, if any, payable upon exercise or conversion of any such convertible securities into shares of Common Stock; and “Permitted Transactions” shall mean issuances (i) as consideration for or to fund the acquisition of businesses and/or related assets, (ii) in connection with employee benefit plans and compensation related arrangements in the ordinary course and consistent with past practice approved by the Board of Directors, (iii) in connection with a public or broadly marketed offering and sale of Common Stock or convertible securities for cash conducted by the Company or its affiliates pursuant to registration under the Securities Act or Rule 144A thereunder on a basis consistent with capital raising transactions by comparable institutions and (iv) in connection with the exercise of preemptive rights on terms existing as of the Issue Date. Any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 13(B) shall become effective immediately upon the date of such issuance.

(C) Other Distributions. In case the Company shall fix a record date for the making of a distribution to all holders of shares of its Common Stock of securities, evidences of indebtedness, assets, cash, rights or warrants (excluding dividends of its Common Stock and other dividends or distributions referred to in Section 13(A)), in each such case, the Exercise Price in effect prior to such record date shall be reduced immediately thereafter to the price determined by multiplying the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to the reduction by the quotient of (x) the Average Market Price of the Common Stock determined as of the first date on which the Common Stock trades regular way on the principal national securities exchange on which the Common Stock is listed or admitted to trading without the right to receive such distribution, minus the amount of cash and/or the Fair Market Value of the securities, evidences of indebtedness, assets, rights or warrants to be so distributed in respect of one share of Common Stock (such amount and/or Fair Market Value, the “Per Share Fair Market Value”) divided by (y) the Average Market Price specified in clause (x); such adjustment shall be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed. In such event, the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon the exercise of this Warrant shall be increased to the number obtained by dividing (x) the product of (1) the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon the exercise of this Warrant before such adjustment, and (2) the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to the distribution giving rise to this adjustment by (y) the new Exercise Price determined in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence. In the event that such distribution is not so made, the Exercise Price and the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant then in effect shall be readjusted, effective as of the date when the Board of Directors determines not to distribute such shares, evidences of indebtedness, assets, rights, cash or warrants, as the case may be, to the Exercise Price that would then be in effect and the number of Warrant Shares that would then be issuable upon exercise of this Warrant if such record date had not been fixed.

(D) Certain Repurchases of Common Stock. In case the Company effects a Pro Rata Repurchase of Common Stock, then the Exercise Price shall be reduced to the price determined by multiplying the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to the Effective Date of such Pro Rata Repurchase by a fraction of which the numerator shall be (i) the product of (x) the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately before such Pro Rata Repurchase and (y) the Average Market Price of a share of Common Stock determined as of the date of the first

 

10


public announcement by the Company or any of its Affiliates of the intent to effect such Pro Rata Repurchase, minus (ii) the aggregate purchase price of the Pro Rata Repurchase, and of which the denominator shall be the product of (i) the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to such Pro Rata Repurchase minus the number of shares of Common Stock so repurchased and (ii) the Average Market Price per share of Common Stock determined as of the date of the first public announcement by the Company or any of its Affiliates of the intent to effect such Pro Rata Repurchase. In such event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of this Warrant shall be increased to the number obtained by dividing (x) the product of (1) the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon the exercise of this Warrant before such adjustment, and (2) the Exercise Price in effect immediately prior to the Pro Rata Repurchase giving rise to this adjustment by (y) the new Exercise Price determined in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence. For the avoidance of doubt, no increase to the Exercise Price or decrease in the number of Warrant Shares issuable upon exercise of this Warrant shall be made pursuant to this Section 13(D).

(E) Business Combinations. In case of any Business Combination or reclassification of Common Stock (other than a reclassification of Common Stock referred to in Section 13(A)), the Warrantholder’s right to receive Warrant Shares upon exercise of this Warrant shall be converted into the right to exercise this Warrant to acquire the number of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) which the Common Stock issuable (at the time of such Business Combination or reclassification) upon exercise of this Warrant immediately prior to such Business Combination or reclassification would have been entitled to receive upon consummation of such Business Combination or reclassification; and in any such case, if necessary, the provisions set forth herein with respect to the rights and interests thereafter of the Warrantholder shall be appropriately adjusted so as to be applicable, as nearly as may reasonably be, to the Warrantholder’s right to exercise this Warrant in exchange for any shares of stock or other securities or property pursuant to this paragraph. In determining the kind and amount of stock, securities or the property receivable upon exercise of this Warrant following the consummation of such Business Combination, if the holders of Common Stock have the right to elect the kind or amount of consideration receivable upon consummation of such Business Combination, then the consideration that the Warrantholder shall be entitled to receive upon exercise shall be deemed to be the types and amounts of consideration received by the majority of all holders of the shares of common stock that affirmatively make an election (or of all such holders if none make an election).

(F) Rounding of Calculations; Minimum Adjustments. All calculations under this Section 13 shall be made to the nearest one-tenth (1/10th) of a cent or to the nearest one- hundredth (1/100th) of a share, as the case may be. Any provision of this Section 13 to the contrary notwithstanding, no adjustment in the Exercise Price or the number of Warrant Shares shall be made if the amount of such adjustment would be less than $0.01 or one-tenth (1/10th) of a share of Common Stock, but any such amount shall be carried forward and an adjustment with respect thereto shall be made at the time of and together with any subsequent adjustment which, together with such amount and any other amount or amounts so carried forward, shall aggregate $0.01 or 1/10th of a share of Common Stock, or more.

(G) Timing of Issuance of Additional Common Stock Upon Certain Adjustments. In any case in which the provisions of this Section 13 shall require that an adjustment shall become

 

11


effective immediately after a record date for an event, the Company may defer until the occurrence of such event (i) issuing to the Warrantholder of this Warrant exercised after such record date and before the occurrence of such event the additional shares of Common Stock issuable upon such exercise by reason of the adjustment required by such event over and above the shares of Common Stock issuable upon such exercise before giving effect to such adjustment and (ii) paying to such Warrantholder any amount of cash in lieu of a fractional share of Common Stock; provided, however, that the Company upon request shall deliver to such Warrantholder a due bill or other appropriate instrument evidencing such Warrantholder’s right to receive such additional shares, and such cash, upon the occurrence of the event requiring such adjustment.

(H) Other Events. For so long as the Original Warrantholder holds this Warrant or any portion thereof, if any event occurs as to which the provisions of this Section 13 are not strictly applicable or, if strictly applicable, would not, in the good faith judgment of the Board of Directors of the Company, fairly and adequately protect the purchase rights of the Warrants in accordance with the essential intent and principles of such provisions, then the Board of Directors shall make such adjustments in the application of such provisions, in accordance with such essential intent and principles, as shall be reasonably necessary, in the good faith opinion of the Board of Directors, to protect such purchase rights as aforesaid. The Exercise Price or the number of Warrant Shares shall not be adjusted in the event of a change in the par value of the Common Stock or a change in the jurisdiction of incorporation of the Company.

(I) Statement Regarding Adjustments. Whenever the Exercise Price or the number of Warrant Shares shall be adjusted as provided in Section 13, the Company shall forthwith file at the principal office of the Company a statement showing in reasonable detail the facts requiring such adjustment and the Exercise Price that shall be in effect and the number of Warrant Shares after such adjustment, and the Company shall also cause a copy of such statement to be sent by mail, first class postage prepaid, to each Warrantholder at the address appearing in the Company’s records.

(J) Notice of Adjustment Event. In the event that the Company shall propose to take any action of the type described in this Section 13 (but only if the action of the type described in this Section 13 would result in an adjustment in the Exercise Price or the number of Warrant Shares or a change in the type of securities or property to be delivered upon exercise of this Warrant), the Company shall give notice to the Warrantholder, in the manner set forth in Section 13(J), which notice shall specify the record date, if any, with respect to any such action and the approximate date on which such action is to take place. Such notice shall also set forth the facts with respect thereto as shall be reasonably necessary to indicate the effect on the Exercise Price and the number, kind or class of shares or other securities or property which shall be deliverable upon exercise of this Warrant. In the case of any action which would require the fixing of a record date, such notice shall be given at least 10 days prior to the date so fixed, and in case of all other action, such notice shall be given at least 15 days prior to the taking of such proposed action. Failure to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of any such action.

(K) Proceedings Prior to Any Action Requiring Adjustment. As a condition precedent to the taking of any action which would require an adjustment pursuant to this Section 13, the

 

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Company shall take any action which may be necessary, including obtaining regulatory, New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ Stock Market or other applicable national securities exchange or stockholder approvals or exemptions, as applicable, in order that the Company may thereafter validly and legally issue as fully paid and nonassessable all shares of Common Stock that the Warrantholder is entitled to receive upon exercise of this Warrant pursuant to this Section 13.

(L) Adjustment Rules. Any adjustments pursuant to this Section 13 shall be made successively whenever an event referred to herein shall occur. If an adjustment in Exercise Price made hereunder would reduce the Exercise Price to an amount below par value of the Common Stock, then such adjustment in Exercise Price made hereunder shall reduce the Exercise Price to the par value of the Common Stock.

14. No Impairment. The Company will not, by amendment of its Charter or through any reorganization, transfer of assets, consolidation, merger, dissolution, issue or sale of securities or any other voluntary action, avoid or seek to avoid the observance or performance of any of the terms to be observed or performed hereunder by the Company, but will at all times in good faith assist in the carrying out of all the provisions of this Warrant and in taking of all such action as may be necessary or appropriate in order to protect the rights of the Warrantholder.

15. Governing Law. This Warrant will be governed by and construed in accordance with the federal law of the United States if and to the extent such law is applicable, and otherwise in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to contracts made and to be performed entirely within such State. Each of the Company and the Warrantholder agrees (a) to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for any civil action, suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Warrant or the transactions contemplated hereby, and (b) that notice may be served upon the Company at the address in Section 19 below and upon the Warrantholder at the address for the Warrantholder set forth in the registry maintained by the Company pursuant to Section 9 hereof. To the extent permitted by applicable law, each of the Company and the Warrantholder hereby unconditionally waives trial by jury in any civil legal action or proceeding relating to the Warrant or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby.

16. Binding Effect. This Warrant shall be binding upon any successors or assigns of the Company.

17. Amendments. This Warrant may be amended and the observance of any term of this Warrant may be waived only with the written consent of the Company and the Warrantholder.

18. Prohibited Actions. The Company agrees that it will not take any action which would entitle the Warrantholder to an adjustment of the Exercise Price if the total number of shares of Common Stock issuable after such action upon exercise of this Warrant, together with all shares of Common Stock then outstanding and all shares of Common Stock then issuable upon the exercise of all outstanding options, warrants, conversion and other rights, would exceed the total number of shares of Common Stock then authorized by its Charter.

 

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19. Notices. Any notice, request, instruction or other document to be given hereunder by any party to the other will be in writing and will be deemed to have been duly given (a) on the date of delivery if delivered personally, or by facsimile, upon confirmation of receipt, or (b) on the second Business Day following the date of dispatch if delivered by a recognized next day courier service. All notices hereunder shall be delivered as set forth in Item 7 of Schedule A hereto, or pursuant to such other instructions as may be designated in writing by the party to receive such notice.

20. Entire Agreement. This Warrant, the forms attached hereto and Schedule A hereto (the terms of which are incorporated by reference herein), and the Warrant Agreement (including all documents incorporated therein), contain the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior and contemporaneous arrangements or undertakings with respect thereto.

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

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[Form of Notice of Exercise]

Date:                    

 

TO:

[Company]

 

RE:

Exercise of Warrant

The undersigned, pursuant to the provisions set forth in the attached Warrant, hereby notifies the Company of its intention to exercise its option with respect to the number of shares of the Common Stock set forth below covered by such Warrant. Pursuant to Section 4 of the Warrant, the undersigned acknowledges that the Company may settle this exercise in net cash or shares. Cash to be paid pursuant to a Net Cash Settlement or payment of fractional shares in connection with a Net Share Settlement should be deposited to the account of the Warrantholder set forth below. Common Stock to be delivered pursuant to a Net Share Settlement shall be delivered to the Warrantholder as indicated below. A new warrant evidencing the remaining shares of Common Stock covered by such Warrant, but not yet subscribed for and purchased, if any, should be issued in the name set forth below.

 

Number of Warrant Shares:   

 

Aggregate Exercise Price:   

 

Address for Delivery of Warrant Shares:   

 

Wire Instructions:   

 

Proceeds to be delivered:

   $        

Name of Bank:

  

City/ State of Bank:

  

ABA Number of Bank

  

SWIFT#

  

Name of Account:

  

Account Number at Bank:

  

Securities to be issued to:

 

If in book-entry form through the Depositary:  

Depositary Account Number:

 

 

Name of Agent Member:

 

 

If in certificated form:  

Social Security Number or Other Identifying Number:

 

 

 

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Name:

 

 

Street Address:

 

 

City, State and Zip Code:

 

 

 

Any unexercised Warrants evidenced by the exercising Warrantholder’s interest in the Warrant:

Social Security Number or Other Identifying Number:

 

 

Name:

 

 

Street Address:

 

 

City, State and Zip Code:

 

 

 

Holder:

 

 

By:

 

 

Name:

 

 

Title:

 

 

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Warrant to be duly executed by a duly authorized officer.

Dated: [●]

 

COMPANY: MESA AIR GROUP, INC.
By:  

 

  Name:   Michael J. Lotz
  Title:   President and Chief Financial Officer
Attest:
By:  

 

  Name:   Brian S. Gillman
  Title:   EVP and General Counsel

[Signature Page to Warrant]


SCHEDULE A

Item 1

Name: Mesa Air Group, Inc.

Corporate or other organizational form: Corporation

Jurisdiction of organization: Nevada

Item 2

Exercise Price: $3.98

Item 3

Issue Date: November 13, 2020

Item 4

Date of Warrant Agreement between the Company and the United States Department of the Treasury: October 30, 2020

Item 5

Number of shares of Common Stock: [●]

Item 6

Company’s address:

Mesa Air Group, Inc.

410 N. 44th Street

Suite 700

Phoenix, Arizona 85008

Item 7

Notice information:

Mesa Air Group, Inc.

410 N. 44th Street

Suite 700

Phoenix, Arizona 85008

Attention: Brian S. Gillman, Executive Vice President and General Counsel

Fax: 602.685.4350

EX-23.1

Exhibit 23.1

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-3 of our report dated December 16, 2019 relating to the financial statements of Mesa Air Group, Inc., appearing in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Mesa Air Group, Inc. for the year ended September 30, 2019. We also consent to the reference to us under the heading “Experts” in such Registration Statement.

 

/s/ DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
Phoenix, Arizona
December 11, 2020