Paris, March 31, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") today
changed the outlook on Brussels Airport Company NV/SA ("BAC")'s
Baa1 guaranteed senior secured rating and (P)Baa1 long-term guaranteed
senior secured rating for the company's Euro Medium Term Note programme
to negative from stable.
A full list of affected ratings is provided towards the end of this press
release.
RATINGS RATIONALE
The rapid and widening spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak,
the deteriorating global economic outlook, falling oil prices and
asset price declines are creating a severe and extensive credit shock
across many sectors, regions and markets. The combined credit
effects of these developments are unprecedented. The airport sector
is among the most significantly affected by the shock given its exposure
to travel restrictions and sensitivity to consumer demand and sentiment.
Moody´s regards the coronavirus outbreak as a social risk under
its ESG framework, given the substantial implications for public
health and safety that lead to severe restrictions to air travel,
cancellation of airline routes and closing of borders, as well as
enhanced health and safety standards and regulation potentially resulting
in additional compliance expenses and potential non-compliance
costs in the form of fines.
Moody's base case assumption is that the coronavirus pandemic will lead
to a period of severe cuts in passenger traffic over the upcoming weeks
but that there will be a gradual recovery in passenger volumes starting
by the third quarter 2020.
Unlike previous negative shocks such as the SARS epidemic in 2003,
the prospects for traffic rebound is more uncertain because (1) travel
restrictions in some form may continue for some time even if the spread
of the virus seems contained; (2) the deteriorating global economic
outlook would likely slow the recovery in traffic and consumer spending,
even if travel restrictions are eased; and (3) the coronavirus outbreak
is also weakening the credit profile of airlines, which have been
drastically cutting capacity. As events continue to unfold,
there is a higher than usual degree of uncertainty around the length of
travel restrictions and drop in travel demand. Hence, it
is difficult to predict the overall traffic volumes for 2020.
Nevertheless, Moody's currently assumes that the decline in
BAC's passenger traffic will be at least 30% in the financial
year ending December 2020, driven by dramatic declines in the first
half of the year and a recovery in the second half albeit phased over
the period. The negative outlook takes account of BAC's rising
credit and liquidity risks due to the sharp decline in traffic as a result
of implementation of travel restrictions and the significantly weaker
credit profile of its carrier base.
Notwithstanding the significantly reduced cash flow over at least the
next few weeks, BAC remains a key infrastructure provider with a
potential for a strong recovery once the coronavirus outbreak and its
effects have been contained.
BAC's current Baa1 rating reflects (1) the strong business profile
of Brussels Airport as the largest airport in Belgium with limited competition
within its core catchment area; (2) a transparent regulatory regime
that includes a five-year price agreement between Brussels Airport
and airline customers until 2021; (3) the resilience of its core
origin and destination traffic; (4) the largely constraint-free
environment in which BAC operates, which provides management with
the scope to efficiently meet the needs of airlines and passengers,
and relatively low maintenance capital expenditure requirements;
and (5) debt structural features that provide for the treatment of BAC's
shareholder loan as fully subordinated for credit quality assessment purposes
and have an element of senior debt protection.
However, BAC's ratings also reflect the following challenges:
(1) significant on-going negative impact from travel restrictions
related to the Covid-19 outbreak on BAC's operating performance
and uncertainties as to the timing and level of passenger recovery,
(2) BAC's exposure to European airlines the credit quality of which
is rapidly weakening as a result of the outbreak, and in particular
to Brussels Airlines, a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft
(Ba1, RUR Down) which is currently going through a reorganization,
(3) planned increase in expansionary capex expected to reduce free cash
flow generation, although the programme is largely scalable ,
and (4) BAC's shareholder friendly financial policy, albeit
not at the expense of financial stability.
LIQUIDITY AND DEBT COVENANTS
BAC's liquidity position was good prior to the coronavirus outbreak.
However, traffic reduction as a result of interruption in flight
activity will result in significantly lower cash flow. As of end-February
2020, BAC had approximately EUR 520 million of cash on balance sheet
and EUR 600 million available under revolving credit facilities due in
December 2024. The company faces a EUR 500 million debt maturity
this year in July when the 2013 Eurobond is due. Moody's
expects the company will be able to cover upcoming debt maturities and
other commitments with its available resources taking into account the
company's steps in reducing operating and capital expenditures.
BAC's debt documentation includes maintenance financial covenants
which historically had significant headroom compared to BAC's reported
ratios. While Moody's expects that headroom will erode materially
as a result of the reduction in earnings driven by travel restrictions
the agency expects the company will remain in compliance with covenants
for the foreseeable future.
Factors That Would Lead to an Upgrade or Downgrade of the Ratings:
The outlook on BAC's ratings could move to stable in the scenario
of a sustainable improvement in operating environment and traffic recovery
such that the company's FFO/Debt ratio are expected to remain solidly
in the mid-teens as a percentage terms. Conversely,
BAC's ratings could come under downwards pressure if BAC's FFO /
Debt ratio was to decline on a sustained basis below the low teens in
percentage terms. This could result from an extension of travel
restrictions or the loss of a significant portion of traffic due to airlines
failure.
The methodologies used in these ratings were Privately Managed Airports
and Related Issuers published in September 2017 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1092224,
and Government-Related Issuers Methodology published in February
2020 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1186207.
Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com
for a copy of these methodologies.
Brussels Airport Company NV/SA is the owner and operator of Brussels airport,
which is Belgium's major airport. Brussels Airport Company NV/SA
is 25% owned by the Belgian state (Aa3 stable), 39%
by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan and 36% by Macquarie.
In March 2019 Macquarie announced that it had agreed the sale of its stake
to a consortium comprised of APG Asset Management (APG), Queensland
Investment Corp (QIC) and Swiss Life.
LIST OF AFFECTED RATINGS
Affirmations:
..Issuer: Brussels Airport Company NV/SA
....Senior Secured Medium-Term Note
Program, Affirmed (P)Baa1
....Senior Secured Regular Bond/Debenture,
Affirmed Baa1
Outlook Actions:
..Issuer: Brussels Airport Company NV/SA
....Outlook, Changed To Negative From
Stable
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and
sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and
Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's
Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.
For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of
debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures
in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the
same series, category/class of debt, security 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.
The ratings have been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated
agent(s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.
These ratings are solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy
for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on
its website www.moodys.com.
Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit
rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating
review.
Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social
and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569
At least one ESG consideration was material to the credit rating outcome
announced and described above.
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.
Paco Debonnaire
AVP-Analyst
Infrastructure Finance Group
Moody's France SAS
96 Boulevard Haussmann
Paris 75008
France
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454
Andrew Blease
Associate Managing Director
Infrastructure Finance Group
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454
Releasing Office:
Moody's France SAS
96 Boulevard Haussmann
Paris 75008
France
JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456
Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454