L'impact de la nouvelle norme IFRS 16 sur les états financiers des plus grandes compagnies aériennes européennes.

Abstract

The main objective of this Thesis is to study the impact of the new IFRS 16 standard on the financial statements of the largest European airlines companies. This standard replaces IAS 17 and came into force on January 1, 2019. It has significantly modified the presentation of the accounts of a large number of companies including those operating in the air transport sector. A first theoretical part is followed by an in-depth analysis of concrete cases.

The implementation of IFRS 16 aims to improve transparency and financial reporting on leases to financial statement stakeholders. It makes it easier for companies to assess the overall liability of each entity and provides a comprehensive and understandable picture of all leases. This change is the most significant in decades as it completely changes the way leases are recorded. For any airline that uses operating leases to dispose of aircrafts, the impact is important. As the results observed in the empirical part underline, the airlines that use the largest portfolios of operating leases are the most affected. The balance sheet total of lessees and key financial ratios change significantly with IFRS 16. All of these impacts are approached in a theoretical and empirical way.