Singapore, May 06, 2019 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned a Ba2 senior secured rating to
Delhi International Airport Limited's (DIAL, Ba2 stable) proposed
10 year senior secured bond of up to USD350 million.
Proceeds from the proposed bond will be used to help fund a major expansion
to increase the passenger handling capacity of Indira Gandhi International
Airport to up to 100 million passengers per annum, which the company
expects will cost up to INR98 billion over a three-year development
phase.
RATINGS RATIONALE
The proposed bond's Ba2 senior secured rating reflects the airport's
strong market position and robust passenger traffic, which will
likely grow at a high single-digit percentage per annum over the
next 18 months under Moody's base case scenario.
At the same time, Delhi Airport's ratings are constrained
by (1) its planned capacity expansion, which will exert downward
pressure on its financial metrics; (2) the evolving regulatory environment
in India; and (3) its obligation to pay 45.99% of its
revenue to the Airports Authority of India as a concession fee.
After accounting for the proposed USD notes, Moody's expects that
DIAL's funds from operations/debt will remain weak over the next 2-3
years, with a very limited buffer above the minimum tolerance level
of 3%-4%.
Moody's base case financial projections assume that (1) aeronautical tariffs
will stay at the current level during the third regulatory period between
April 2019 and March 2024; and (2) there is no material uplift to
the airport's financial position arising from its arbitration proceedings
with the Airports Authority of India on the calculation of the 45.99%
concession fee.
Despite its elevated leverage position, DIAL's liquidity position
is strong, with cash holdings and short-term investments
totaling INR26 billion as at March 2019. These assets provide the
airport with additional financial flexibility over the next 12-18
months.
Proceeds from the proposed bond issuance — which management intends
to retain as cash on DIAL's balance sheet — will further strengthen
DIAL's liquidity position and reduce the additional funding it will
need to complete the planned expansion.
The stable outlook reflects Moody's expectation that DIAL's credit
metrics will remain above the minimum tolerance level for its credit ratings
over the next 12-18 months, backed by the airport's strong
liquidity position and solid passenger traffic growth.
Upward ratings movement in the near term is unlikely, given that
the airport's financial leverage will remain elevated during the expansion
phase under Moody's base case assumptions.
On the other hand, DIAL's ratings could face downward pressure if
the airport's funds from operations to debt fall below 3%-4%
on a sustained basis, which could result from: (1) a further
increase in the cost of the expansion or delay to the current expansion
program; (2) underperformance in DIAL's aeronautical or non-aeronautical
revenue relative to Moody's expectation; or (3) lack of progress
in further land monetization.
Moody's could also downgrade the ratings if there is a reduction in the
available funds at the airport for the expansion, because of dividend
payments or related-party transactions.
Moody's has used its Joint Default Analysis approach for Government Related
Issuers in assessing DIAL's ratings, because the company is more
than 20% government-owned through the Airports Authority
of India, a government agency.
DIAL's Ba2 corporate family rating combines: (1) the company's Baseline
Credit Assessment (BCA) of ba2; and (2) the low likelihood of support
that Moody's believes the Government of India (Baa2 stable) will provide
to DIAL in the event that extraordinary financial support is required.
This assumption of support results in the absence of uplift to the company's
BCA.
The methodologies used in this rating were Privately Managed Airports
and Related Issuers published in September 2017, and Government-Related
Issuers published in June 2018. Please see the Rating Methodologies
page on www.moodys.com for a copy of these methodologies.
Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) is the concessionaire for Indira
Gandhi International Airport, under an Operations, Management
and Development Agreement, entered into in 2006 with the Airports
Authority of India, a government agency.
The concession is for a 30-year period, and DIAL has the
option to extend it for another 30 years, subject to meeting defined
performance criteria.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
For ratings issued on a program, series or category/class of debt,
this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation
to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series
or category/class of debt or pursuant to a program for which the ratings
are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's
rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider,
this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation
to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to
each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their
credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating.
For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory
disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and
in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to
the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction
structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive
rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further
information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the
respective issuer on www.moodys.com.
For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit
support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action,
and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action,
the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity.
Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures,
if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure
to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.
Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit
rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating
review.
Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to
the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued
the rating.
Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com
for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.
Spencer Ng
Vice President - Senior Analyst
Project & Infrastructure Finance
Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd.
50 Raffles Place #23-06
Singapore Land Tower
Singapore 48623
Singapore
JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350
Client Service: 852 3551 3077
Terry Fanous
MD-Public Proj & Infstr Fin
Project & Infrastructure Finance
JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350
Client Service: 852 3551 3077
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd.
50 Raffles Place #23-06
Singapore Land Tower
Singapore 48623
Singapore
JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350
Client Service: 852 3551 3077