30.11.2012 Views

European Infrastructure Finance Yearbook - Investing In Bonds ...

European Infrastructure Finance Yearbook - Investing In Bonds ...

European Infrastructure Finance Yearbook - Investing In Bonds ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

Accounting<br />

BAA changed its reporting date to Dec. 31<br />

(previously March 31) to align with Grupo<br />

Ferrovial S.A., its ultimate majority shareholder.<br />

Auditors issued an unqualified audit report for<br />

the last fiscal period.<br />

The consolidated financial statements for BAA<br />

Ltd. (formerly BAA PLC) are prepared in<br />

accordance with IFRS and under the historical<br />

cost convention, with the exception of investment<br />

properties, available-for-sale assets, derivative<br />

financial instruments, and financial liabilities that<br />

qualify as hedged items under a fair value hedge<br />

accounting system.<br />

During the course of 2006, BAA changed its<br />

accounting treatment for joint venture entities to<br />

proportionately consolidate the financial<br />

performance for the reporting period and the<br />

financial position at Dec. 31, 2006 (previously<br />

joint venture entities were equity accounted).<br />

This change in policy has no impact on net profit<br />

or reserves.<br />

The financial information presented in this<br />

report is based on the segregation of the fourth<br />

quarter of the fiscal year ended March 2006 from<br />

the financial report for the nine months to<br />

December 2006, and reflects the balance sheet at<br />

December 2006. Comparability with the fiscal<br />

year ended March 2006 must be considered in<br />

view of the three-month crossover.<br />

The main adjustments to the company’s<br />

reported debt figures concern leases,<br />

postretirement obligations (£192 million), and<br />

contingent liabilities.<br />

BAA has changed the disclosure of its lease<br />

obligations under IFRS. Comparing the previous<br />

2004/2005 accounts with the 2005/2006<br />

accounts, the amounts payable in 2005/2006 did<br />

not correlate to the previous disclosure or the<br />

actual charge in the accounts. The accounts for<br />

the year to December 2006 (with restated figures<br />

at March 2006) show a large lease liability. For<br />

comparison purposes, the adjustment of future<br />

lease obligations for the net present value at 6%<br />

has also been made for the years ended March<br />

2005 and March 2006.<br />

Our adjustments to operating income (before<br />

D&A) and EBITDA (see table 1 on previous<br />

page) reflect three key components: the operating<br />

income contribution for three months (£216<br />

million) less the gain on investments (£206<br />

STANDARD & POOR’S EUROPEAN INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCE YEARBOOK<br />

TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE<br />

million) plus the derivatives losses (£21 million)<br />

recognized in operating income. The adjustments<br />

to EBIT reflect the same items along with three<br />

months of depreciation (£81 million) and interest<br />

income (£10 million). The adjustments to interest<br />

expense, cash flow from operations, funds from<br />

operations, and capital expenditure relate entirely<br />

to the three-month pro forma adjustment.<br />

Corporate governance/Risk tolerance/<br />

Financial policies<br />

ADIL’s strategy and intention is to migrate<br />

existing bondholders into an investment-grade<br />

ring-fenced entity backed by BAA’s three<br />

designated airports. BAA’s other airports in the<br />

U.K. (Southampton, Aberdeen, Glasgow, and<br />

Edinburgh) will remain outside of the ringfence<br />

and are expected to be financed on a standalone<br />

basis.<br />

We expect the future ring-fenced structure<br />

financing to be supported by:<br />

• A strong overall covenant package;<br />

•Limitations on additional debt and business<br />

activities, such as a rating confirmation<br />

requirement for acquisitions above certain<br />

thresholds (the latter creating certainty that<br />

the revenue profile will not change);<br />

• Restrictions on upstream distributions<br />

outside the ring-fence;<br />

•Likely achievable fixed and floating charges<br />

on the assets of the three designated<br />

airports; and<br />

•The stability provided by BAA’s designated<br />

airports business.<br />

BAA’s main financial policy objectives are:<br />

• To maintain a minimum of 70% of existing<br />

debt on fixed rates.<br />

• To use foreign currency forward contracts to<br />

hedge capital expenditure in foreign<br />

currency once a project is certain to go<br />

ahead. At December 2006, there were no<br />

significant unmatched exposures.<br />

• To ensure that the company is not exposed<br />

to excessive refinancing risk in any one year.<br />

<strong>In</strong> addition:<br />

•Covenants are standardized wherever<br />

possible and are monitored on an ongoing<br />

basis. BAA continues to comply with all<br />

borrowing obligations and financial<br />

covenants.<br />

NOVEMBER 2007 ■ 63

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!