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Gama Aviation Plc

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FY2018 Annual Report · Gama Aviation Plc
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8

ANNUAL REPORT AND 
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
2018

 
 
 
 
/ BUSINESS DESCRIPTION

We are a multi-disciplinary, global aviation services 
company which specialise in providing support for 
individuals, corporations and government agencies; 
allowing them to deliver on the promises they make.

/ STRATEGIC REPORT

2018 Highlights 

Chief Executive Officer’s statement 

Business overview, strategy and model 

Operational performance review 
Chief Financial Officer’s review 

Principal risks and uncertainties 

/ GOVERNANCE

Board of Directors 

Corporate governance 

Directors’ remuneration report 

Corporate social responsibility 

Directors’ report 

/ FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Independent auditor’s report 

Consolidated income statement 

Consolidated statement of comprehensive income 

Consolidated balance sheet 

Consolidated statement of changes in equity 

Consolidated cash flow statement 

Notes to the financial statements 

Parent company independent auditor’s report 

Parent company statement of financial position 

Parent company statement of changes in equity 

Notes to the parent company financial statements 

5

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101

105

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107

Cover image: our new maintenance facility at Bournemouth Airport

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

1

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSafe & DEPENDABLE

Strategic Report

2018 Highlights
Chief Executive Officer’s statement
Business overview, strategy and model
Operational performance review
Chief Financial Officer’s review
Principal risks and uncertainties

Your mission, our passion.

2 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Safe & DEPENDABLE

Strategic Report

2018 Highlights

Chief Executive Officer’s statement

Business overview, strategy and model

Operational performance review

Chief Financial Officer’s review

Principal risks and uncertainties

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

3

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS4 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ 2018 HIGHLIGHTS

Gama Aviation Plc, one of the world’s largest business aviation service 
providers is pleased to announce the results for the year ended  
31 December 2018. 

/ Financial Highlights:

Revenue

$234.8m 

Up 10.6% on a constant 
currency basis (2017: $207.4m)

Adjusted EBIT 

$11.3m 

Down 38.3% on a constant 
currency basis (2017: $18.3m)

Net debt decreased by 

Operating cash flow decreased by 

$14.4m to 
$2.9m

$34.9m to 
$21.4m 

(2017: $18.0m)

(2017: $13.5m) 

/ Financial summary:

Continuing operations:

Revenue

Gross profit

Gross Profit %

EBITDA

EBIT

Profit/(Loss) Before Tax

Earnings per share (cents)

Adjusted1 $m

Statutory $m

Dec-18

Dec-17
 (restated)3

Constant
 Currency2
Dec-17

Dec-18

Dec-17
(restated)3

234.8

45.1

19.2%

13.3

11.3

11.0

14.6

207.4

45.6

22.0%

19.6

18.3

16.6

30.7

212.4

46.8

22.0%

19.9

18.3

16.3

32.0

234.8

45.1

19.2%

(26.9)

(30.4)

(30.8)

(53.5)

207.4

45.6

22.0%

16.8

17.4

15.7

26.7

1 

 Adjusted EBIT is stated after removing impairment losses, share based payment charges; acquisition related and accelerated amortisation;  
and exceptional costs, which comprise: transaction costs; legal, integration and business re-organisation costs and contribution to associate.

Adjusted EBITDA is adjusted EBIT with share or results from equity accounting investments and remaining amortization and all the 
depreciation added back.

2  Change calculated at a constant foreign exchange rate of $1.34 to £1, being the cumulative average USD-GBP exchange rate for 2018.

3  The trading results for 2017 have been restated for: 

a)  an adjustment to reclassify $1,600,000 of Group charges from gross profit to administrative expenses to ensure that the Group income and 

costs eliminate on the same line of the income statement. This adjustment does not impact EBIT or cash.

b)  the Group’s Swiss operation was closed at the beginning of 2018, accordingly, in line with IFRS 5 the results for the comparative period have 
been restated to remove $460,000 of profit from continuing operations. This has been included within total discontinued operations loss of 
$1,952,000 shown within the income statement.

 / Revenue increased 13.3% to $234.8m (2017: $207.4m), broadly flat excluding acquisitions.
 / Ground revenues organically increased by 10% and Air increased by 17%, reflecting the contribution of the acquisition of 
the outstanding 50% of the joint venture interest of Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings (“Hutchison Holdings”) and some 
organic growth.

 / Gross profit is broadly flat at $45.1m (2017: $45.6m).
 / Gross profit margin at 19.2% was down from 22.0% in 2017.
 / Adjusted EBIT declined by 38.3% to $11.3m (2017: $18.3m) reflecting the lower gross profit, operational costs associated 

with the organic investments in US Ground, the new Business Aviation Centre in the UAE and in strengthening the 
management team.

 / Statutory loss before tax of $30.8m (2017: profit before tax $15.7m). The statutory loss includes the following non-cash 

costs: impairment charge of $27.7m; exceptional items of $11.9m; and a share-based payment charge of $0.7m.

 / Net debt at the end of the year was $2.9m (2017: $18.0m).
 / Refinancing completed in August 2018, providing a new $50.0m revolving credit facility.
 / Recommended final dividend of 2 pence per share.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

5

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS 
 
 
/ CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S STATEMENT

2018 was a disappointing year for the Company during  
which we fell short of delivering the financial performance 
expected of us and the execution of our strategy.  
As CEO, co-founder and major shareholder I am resolved  
to put things right and get the business back on track.

Although 2018 was a busy year and one of transition  
and change for the business, it remains clear that the 
fundamentals of our business are strong.

We have a sound operational platform, evidenced by the 
divisional gross profit performance. We operate a robust, 
profitable and largely cash generative business model, 
evidenced by the adjusted financial performance at divisional 
level. We offer a suite of services that are relevant to our 
customer needs, evidenced by our organic revenue growth in 
key markets and by the significant long-term special mission 
contracts secured in 2018. Additionally, through the equity 
placing in March 2018 and the new revolving credit facility 
secured in August 2018, we have a sound financial base  
and a healthy balance sheet.

With these strong fundamentals in place, together with 
improvements in systems and processes and with the 
passion, dedication and commitment of our people, I am 
confident that we will return to executing our strategic 
objective of delivering sustainable profitable growth.

2018 Performance
Excluding the effect of acquisitions, Group revenues grew 
slightly year-on-year. Strong revenue growth in our US 
Ground and Asia Air businesses, and modest growth in 
Europe, were offset by reductions in Middle East Air and 
Global Services.

Although we fell short of delivering the anticipated revenue 
growth, a continuing focus on good quality revenues and on 
operational efficiencies helped deliver a gross profit of 
$45.1m (2017; $45.6), down $0.5m on the prior year but still 
representing a healthy margin of just under 20% (2017; 22%). 

The decline in margin is due, in part, to a year-on-year 
change in the business mix.

As a result of the $0.5m drop in gross profit, together with a 
significant $6.5m increase in administrative costs, the overall 
Adjusted EBIT was down by $7.0m to $11.3m (2017; 18.3m). 
The increases in administrative costs are broadly attributable 
to the following factors; an increase in depreciation and 
amortisation charges of $0.8m, an increase in central and 
regional overheads of some $2.0m to enable the scaling up 
of the business, approximately $1.8m resulting from the 
consolidation of the Asia operation which is now a 100% 
owned subsidiary and approximately $2.0m as a result of 
certain changes in accounting judgments. 

An overview of the performance of each of the divisions  
is provided in the Operational Performance Review that follows.

2018 Investment
Organic Investments
Our organic investment plan remains on track and we 
continue to make investments into our divisions in line with 
our clearly defined strategy. This includes the investments 
into expanding our maintenance network in the US, the 
relocation of our UK ground business to Bournemouth, the 
development of the Business Aviation Centre in Sharjah, 
supporting a start-up operation in the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia which provides us with an operating license that 
allows us to access this lucrative market and the re-
platforming of our software products. 

Investment in Systems, Processes and Internal Controls
As part of our continuous improvement strategy, we have 
made significant investments in a range of initiatives across 
our operational and finance functions, all of which are aimed 
at improving business processes and strengthening internal 
controls. This includes the appointment of KPMG to 
undertake the Internal Audit function across the Group.

6 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Strategy 
Our strategy remains unchanged, save for the priorities set 
out above. The Group remains focused on building its depth 
of capabilities and expertise, broadening its geographical 
reach and range of service offerings, thus increasing the 
scale of its operations in its chosen markets and driving 
revenue growth and enhancing cross selling opportunities.

We will execute this through focused organic growth and 
investment and through targeted strategic acquisitions 
which will collectively allow us to increase our share in this 
highly fragmented market place. 

Outlook
The Board expects growth in the US to continue through 
2019 but expects more challenging market conditions in 
Europe, particularly with the continuing uncertainties over 
Brexit and foreign exchange volatility. For the Middle East 
and Asia, absent of any acquisitions, the expectations are  
for very modest organic growth. 

Given the mixed market conditions, the Board is taking a 
cautious approach to its 2019 outlook and accordingly expects 
the financial performance of the Group to deliver an Adjusted 
EBIT in the range of $10.5m to $11.5m.

Marwan Khalek
Chief Executive Officer

Investment in People
We have invested in the recruitment of high-quality people  
in a targeted manner with the objective of continuing to 
strengthen our leadership and organisational structure. 

Investment in Acquisitions
Our market remains highly fragmented and we continue to 
seek and evaluate acquisition opportunities. Our approach  
to acquisitions is very diligent and prudent and we will only 
execute on the opportunities that fit our strategic objectives 
both operationally and financially and we will continue to 
adopt this disciplined approach in our pursuit of future 
opportunities.

Accounting Review 
On 29 March 2019, the company issued an RNS stating that 
the Board had commissioned Deloitte LLP to independently 
review the accounting treatment of the overpayments 
announced on 5 February 2019. The review concluded that  
it was necessary to re-classify certain balances within current 
liabilities in the December 2017 and June 2018 balance sheets. 
Full details are provided in the finance review section and in 
the disclosures to the consolidated financial statement. 

The need for the re-classification and the errors associated 
with these payments are regrettable. The review also 
identified the causal factors and we have taken the 
necessary actions to ensure that such errors cannot  
occur again.

2019 Priorities
Our priorities for 2019 are clear and simple. First and 
foremost, we continue our focus on the core business  
and on implementing the range of systems and process 
improvements which will allow us to deliver the financial 
performance we expect from our operations. Secondly, we 
continue to assess and evaluate growth opportunities, both 
through organic or acquisition investments, in a disciplined, 
diligent and prudent way with a view to executing on those 
that meet our strategic objectives and enhance our 
investment proposition.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

7

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ BUSINESS OVERVIEW, STRATEGY AND MODEL

We are a multi-disciplinary, global aviation services Group that specialises 
in providing solutions for individuals, corporations and Government 
agencies; allowing them to deliver on the promises they make.

/ Our vision
To be demanded and trusted by our clients, valued by our shareholders, prized by our people and admired by our peers.

/ Our values
Safe and dependable, authentic and true, client focused, and performance driven.

/ Our mission
Our mission is simple – act responsibly to the people that matter: our clients, our shareholders and our people. This will  
be achieved by consistently improving; turning opportunity into reality; turning challenges into solutions; and transforming 
normal to special. Fundamental to this will be continued, focused, strategic investment that increases our people’s expertise, 
our operational footprint and our value to clients. This has been our history and will be our future.

/ The market opportunity

/  80% of fleet operators  

manage 2–5 aircraft (Europe)

/  Only 9 fleet operators  

manage more than 20 (Europe)

We, the Board and our principal shareholders believe, that the fragmentation of the global business aviation market  
creates a substantial market opportunity as:

 / We command leading positions in fragmented markets however our market share is low single digits (we operate 

approximately 1% of the US fleet and 1% of the European fleet);

 / No single Air operator has more than a 4% share; and

 / There are few competitors that possess our global scale, breadth and depth of capabilities and expertise.

(Source: EBAA, NBAA)

8 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ Our strategy
The Group’s strategy is to become the global market leader in business aviation services through organic, joint venture  
and acquisition-led growth. To execute on this strategy, the Group is focused on increasing the depth of its capabilities and 
expertise, broadening the regions it operates in and the services it offers to increase the scale of its presence in its chosen 
markets and to drive further revenue growth through cross-selling opportunities.

Scale
of presence

Breadth 
of geographies and services

Depth
of our capabilities and expertise

Scale of presence
We will identify, acquire and integrate 
earnings accretive opportunities that 
enhance our presence. This will 
create opportunities and economies 
that translate directly into tangible 
client benefits, direct competitive 
advantage and increased margins.

Cross selling opportunities

Breadth of geographies  
and services
We will increase our geographic 
breadth and services to meet our 
clients demands for support solutions 
that enable them to deliver on the 
promises they make. Our aim is  
to become an indispensable, 
embedded component, of their 
day-to-day operations.

Depth of our capabilities 
and expertise
We will increase the depth of our 
capabilities and expertise such that 
we offer class leading solutions that 
mirror the current and future demands 
of our clients. In achieving this we  
will raise the bar competitively, 
create demand, protect margins  
and enhance our position as a  
‘go to’ provider.

Cross selling opportunities
We will maximise the value of every client engagement, increasing loyalty to, and advocacy of, our business. This will  
drive mutual value, increase our retention rates and allow us to become an indispensable, embedded component,  
of their day-to-day operations.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

9

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ EXECUTING THE STRATEGY; OUR BUSINESS MODEL

Our business model has been continually enhanced over the last  
35 years, creating a well proven, economically resilient platform of best  
of breed services. Services can then be utilised individually or as part  
of a turnkey solution.

/ Our business model

A i r

  d ivision
G l obal

G

r

o

Servi c e
und d i

s

v ision

FBO

Line
Maintenance

Design &
Mods

Base
Maintenance

10 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW

Air  o p eratio

n

s

/ Air Division
The Air Division provides aircraft management, special mission and charter services. It offers a comprehensive fleet 
management service to business jet owners including the provision of management services, crew personnel, fuel, 
airworthiness, engineering oversight, insurance management, hangar space, valeting and all travel arrangements. It also 
works with public agencies providing outsourced solutions to manage aviation operations for a variety of complex, time 
critical services such as air ambulance provision and aerial survey. The Group also acts as a charter broker for its managed 
aircraft with revenue shared between the Group and the underlying aircraft owner.

Regional deployment of the Air Division business model

Air

US

Aircraft management

Scale up

Special missions

Evaluate

Charter

Scale up

Key

Europe

Scale up
through
acquisition

Scale up

Scale up
through
acquisition

Middle East

Scale up
through
investment

Evaluate

Asia

Build

Evaluate

Scale up

Evaluate

Market analysis, market entry strategy 

Evaluate 
Launching  Market entry. Low market penetration. Develop via investment and/or JV 
Build 
Scale up 

Adding breadth & depth to the established launch platform via further investment and/or acquisition  
Proven, mature business with established client base scaling up via further investment and/or acquisition

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

11

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW (CONTINUED)

Base
Maintenance

G

r

o

u

nd op e r

Line
Maintenance

FBO

s

a tion

Design &
Mods

/ Ground Division
The Ground Division provides base and line maintenance, repair and overhaul, design and modification (MRO) and fixed base 
operations (FBO).

Base maintenance refers to the planned maintenance required by the aircraft manufacturer or component supplier, whereas 
line maintenance is irregular maintenance activity often because of component failure or wear and tear and both services are 
offered on either a fee or contract basis. The design and modification services provided by the Group increase the operating 
life and/or capability of an aircraft through services such as avionics or cabin system upgrades and incorporation of special 
mission capability. The Ground division provides FBO facilities at Glasgow, Aberdeen, Jersey and Sharjah airports offering 
parking, hangarage, line maintenance and other related ground handling tasks such as the fueling of aircraft.

Regional deployment of the Ground division business model

Ground

US

Europe

Middle East

Base maintenance

Launching 
with investment

Scaled up with 
Bournemouth facility

Line maintenance

Scaled up with 
additional bases

Scale up
through
investment

Build
through
investment

Build
through
investment

Asia

Build

Build

Design & 
modifications

Evaluate

Scale up

Evaluate

Evaluate

FBO services

N/A

Build

Building
through
investment

Evaluate

Key

Market analysis, market entry strategy 

Evaluate 
Launching  Market entry. Low market penetration. Develop via investment and/or JV 
Build 
Scale up 

Adding breadth & depth to the established launch platform via further investment and/or acquisition  
Proven, mature business with established client base scaling up via further investment and/or acquisition 

12 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

A i r

  d ivision
G l obal

Base
Maintenance

G

r

o

Servi c e
und d i

s

v ision

FBO

Line
Maintenance

Design &
Mods

/ Global Services Division
We are now reporting FlyerTech and MyAirOps Software in the Global Services Division, which were previously reported  
in Europe Air and Europe Ground respectively. FlyerTech provides continuing airworthiness management (CAM) and 
airworthiness review certification (ARC) services for business aviation and commercial airline operators. MyAirOps Software 
has developed a suite of business aviation products deployed as “Software as a Service” (SaaS) and mobile app solutions  
for business aviation operators, FBOs and airports. Other service offerings that could fall into this category include aircraft 
charter brokerage, aircraft sales brokerage and aircraft parts sales and distribution.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

13

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW (CONTINUED)

/ GROUP OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE

Revenue

USD’000s

Air Division

Ground Division

Global Services Division

Total

Adjusted EBIT

USD’000s

Air Division

Ground Division

Global Services Division

Associates Division

Central Costs

Total

Statutory EBIT

USD’000s

Air Division

Ground Division

Global Services Division

Associates Division

Central Costs

Total

2018

2017

135,929

115,504

94,959

3,949

87,488

4,368

234,837

207,360

2018

5,617

8,092

1,253

566

2017

8,468

10,862

1,751

156

(4,201)

(2,953)

11,327

18,284

2018

(25,969)

4,089

1,132

566

2017

6,830

9,900

1,719

3,524

(10,230)

(4,578)

(30,412)

17,395

The above Group results are explained in detail below. To improve transparency and understanding of the overall business 
model, the Group’s airworthiness management services business and aviation software business have been re-segmented 
into a new Global Services Division. 

Air Division
The Air Division provides global outsource services to customers using business aviation as an integral part of their mission, 
including corporations and public services such as air ambulance and aerial survey. It provides aircraft management, crewing, 
charter services, airworthiness and engineering oversight both to single aircraft operations and fleets, and delivers 
substantial special mission contracts for complex, time critical services.

The US Air associate result was previously incorporated in the Air Division, but this is now reported in the associate 
performance section and the 2017 comparisons below have been correspondingly restated.

The results of FlyerTech, the Group’s airworthiness management services business, were previously reported within the 
Europe Air figures. The 2017 comparisons below have been correspondingly restated to remove FlyerTech, which is now 
reported in the Global Services Division.

Total Air Division revenue was $135.9m, representing growth of $20.4m (+18%) on last years $115.5m. This is largely driven  
by the consolidation of the full revenues for Asia for the first time (an increase of $21.2m, including circa $8m like-for-like 
organic growth). Europe revenues have now stabilised following the exit from difficult contracts. 

Total EBIT decreased to $5.6m (2017: $8.5m), driven largely by the performance in Europe.

14 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Adjusted

USD’000s

Revenue

Gross Profit

GP %

EBIT

EBIT %

US

Europe

Middle East

Asia

Total

2018

4,921

4,997

102%

4,892

99%

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

5,000

88,804

86,902

20,944

23,528

21,260

74 135,929 115,504

5,076

102%

5,643

113%

7,527

10,204

2,228

1,886

1,774

74

16,526

17,240

8%

186

0%

12%

2,281

3%

11%

150

1%

8%

470

2%

8%

389

2%

100%

12%

15%

74

5,617

8,468

100%

4%

7%

Adjustments to EBIT

US

Europe

Middle East

Asia

Total

USD’000s

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

Exceptional items

(3,600)

(36)

(846)

(1,082)

(27)

(13)

(57)

Profit arising on step 
acquisition

Amortisation

Impairment charges

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(334)

(507)

(24,915)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

986

–

(2,793)

Total adjustments

(3,600)

(36)

(26,095)

(1,589)

(27)

(13)

(1,864)

Discontinued 
operations*

–

–

(807)

(858)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(4,530)

(1,131)

986

–

(334)

(507)

(27,708)

–

(31,586)

(1,638)

(807)

(858)

*  The effects of discontinued operations are shown on a single line on the face of the consolidated income statement. This effect is included 

already within the statutory result shown below and is split out in the table above to aid understanding.

Statutory

USD’000s

EBIT

EBIT %

US

Europe

Middle East

Asia

Total

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

1,292

5,607 (25,909)

26%

112%

-29%

692

1%

123

1%

457

2%

(1,475)

74

(25,969)

6,830

-7%

100%

-19%

6%

/ US Air (Branding Fee Income)
 / The US Air associate ‘Gama Aviation Signature’ is the largest aircraft management business in the US.
 / The managed fleet (including Wheels Up) continues to grow with aircraft under management up 8% year-on-year.
 / The US Air associate delivered its 2018 contracted $3.8m branding fee in cash in the year.

/ Europe Air
 / Extension of the Scottish Ambulance Service contract by three years, worth £50m over that period.
 / Won a new five-year contract to operate four UK special mission aircraft (worth £27.5m including modification and 

maintenance revenues for Europe Ground). 

 / Increased aircraft under management by 8% year-on-year, reversing the downward trend of previous years.

The Europe Air business reported revenue of $88.8m (2017: $86.9m), with the positive change attributable to a small increase 
in pass-through revenue. This represents a relatively stable position in difficult trading conditions across Europe. The business 
has worked hard to generate new high-quality business, resulting in an increase in aircraft under management and the win  
of a major new special mission contract. Together with the extension of the Scottish Ambulance Service contract, this new 
contract reflects the Group’s ability to bring to bear a range of specialist services across its Air and Ground Divisions.

The order for three Airbus H145 helicopters in support of the extended Scottish Ambulance Service contract reflects the 
Group’s strategic decision to apply its operational capability in the rotary market in addition to its traditional fixed wing 
aircraft. These will be funded through either finance or operating leases.

Included in the 2017 Adjusted EBIT of $2.3m are approximately $1.3m of accrual and provision releases, largely related to 
Hangar8. Excluding the benefit of these one-off items in the prior year, the Adjusted EBIT would be approximately $1.0m. 
The 2018 Adjusted EBIT of $0.2m is stated after recording $0.9m of non-recurring charges arising from the Group’s review  
of accounting estimates. 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

15

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW (CONTINUED)

/ Middle East Air
 / Maintained size of fleet in UAE, despite geo-political challenges in the region during 2018.
 / Supported a start-up operation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which has secured an operating license and its first aircraft 

under management.

The Middle East Air business delivered revenue of $20.9m (2017: $23.5m), down by $2.6m (-11%) due to reduced pass-through 
revenues from a stable managed fleet. Efficiency gains have delivered an improved gross profit performance (3 percentage 
points higher at 11%). 

The Group has supported the start-up operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under a loan and branding arrangement  
to complement the existing UAE business. The first aircraft under management has been secured and this business 
represents a major growth opportunity for the future. 

Total EBIT was $0.2m (2017: $0.5m). Working capital was negatively impacted by delays in collection of a significant debt 
with one customer which the Board expects will be resolved in 2019.

/ Asia Air 
 / Doubled the size of the fleet to 6 aircraft under management and delivering profitable operations.
 / Revenues and profits now fully consolidated.

Asia Air is now a wholly owned business following the acquisition of the outstanding 50% of the joint venture interest  
of Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings (“Hutchison”) on 2 March 2018. As such, 100% of its revenues and costs are now 
consolidated at a Group level. 

The business has made encouraging progress, having achieved viable scale via new managed aircraft contracts, which it will 
build on in 2019 via sales activity in new territories in the region.

/ Ground Division
The Ground Division provides global support to the business aviation, air ambulance, law enforcement and military sectors, 
deploying a service mix that is designed to deliver new capability and maintain availability of the aircraft to the operator. 
With a global network and increasingly rare independence from manufacturer ownership, the Division maintains all the 
necessary approvals to maintain aircraft from Gulfstream, Dassault Falcon, Bombardier, Embraer and Textron, providing 
heavy, ad-hoc and emergency maintenance as well as modifications and refurbishments.

Europe Ground figures previously included MyAirOps Software, the Group’s aviation software business, which is now reported 
under the Global Services Division. The 2017 comparisons below have been correspondingly restated.

The Ground Division grew revenues by 8.5% to $95.0m (2017: $87.5m), driven primarily by a strong growth in engineering 
hours. The Division achieved an EBIT of $8.1m (2017: $10.9m), which was impacted by the Sharjah ground lease of $0.6m for 
the new Business Aviation Centre under construction in the Middle East, reduced overhead capitalisation in US Ground 
($0.6m down from 2017) and $1.0m of losses associated with the Oxford facility in Europe Ground, which has now been 
closed. 

16 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Adjusted

USD’000s

Revenue

Gross Profit

GP %

EBIT

EBIT %

US

Europe

Middle East

Asia

Total

2018

2017

2018

2017

37,517

30,768

52,301

52,950

8,101

22%

6,116

16,300

17,958

20%

31%

34%

1,887

2,348

6,726

8,429

5%

8%

13%

16%

2018

4,636

1,374

30%

(342)

-7%

2017

3,770

1,240

33%

85

2%

2018

2017

2018

2017

505

90

18%

(179)

-36%

–

–

94,959

87,488

25,865

25,314

0%

27%

29%

–

8,092

10,862

0%

9%

12%

Adjustments to EBIT 

US

Europe

Middle East

Asia

Total

USD’000s

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

Exceptional items

(6)

(25)

(2,630)

Amortisation

Total adjustments

(633)

(639)

–

(113)

(25)

(2,743)

(757)

(180)

(937)

2

(273)

(271)

–

–

–

(350)

(350)

–

–

(2,634)

(1,369)

(4,003)

(782)

(180)

(962)

Statutory

USD’000s

EBIT

EBIT %

US

Europe

Middle East

Asia

Total

2018

2017

2018

1,248

2,323

3,983

3%

8%

8%

2017

7,492

14%

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

(613)

-13%

85

2%

(529)

–

4,089

9,900

-105%

0%

4%

11%

/ US Ground
 / Opened three new field service locations and two new base maintenance facilities, expanding overall capability and 

capacity – engineering hours +17% year-on-year.

 / New paint and interior facility (“Paint Shop”), acquired in January 2019, enhances the overall offer with opportunity  

to cross-sell.

The US Ground business delivered strong revenue growth of 22%, up $6.7m to $37.5m. Although the level of growth was  
not as significant as originally anticipated, this strong performance still reflects the division’s success in out-performing its 
competitors in a robust US market, and investment in new capacity via the organic growth strategy. Engineering hours are up 
17% year-on-year and productivity in the core engineering workforce has improved through a focus on operational efficiency, 
resulting in the GP margin increasing from 20% to 22%. The new base maintenance facilities in Miami and Dallas are performing 
well and the acquisition of the Paint Shop announced in January 2019 further enhances the Group’s capabilities going forwards. 

However, overheads have also increased year-on-year, partly due to investment in the leadership team to enable sustainable 
growth. The net impact of these factors is a reduction in EBIT to $1.9m (2017: $2.3m).

Cash generation is positive, and the business is well set to further increase revenue and sustainable profit in 2019. 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

17

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW (CONTINUED)

/ Europe Ground 
 / Won an eleven-year contract for support of eight government special mission aircraft, following on from an existing similar 

contract. 

 / Won a new contract with Europe Air for support of four special mission aircraft.
 / New Bournemouth facility delivered and fully operational – removes operational inefficiencies and allows for scalable 

growth.

The Europe Ground business revenue was $52.3m (2017: $53.0m). The win of two major new contracts, which together are 
expected to deliver over $100m of Europe Ground revenues over the life of the contracts, provides long term stability and 
visibility of this core activity and demonstrates the strength and potential of our customer proposition.

During the second half of the year, the business opened its new maintenance facility at Bournemouth, consolidating jet and 
turboprop maintenance into a single large operation, providing significant new capacity for growth and efficiencies from 
increased scale and cross-utilisation of resources. The new facility has already delivered performance improvements in line 
with the business case, with the business’s productivity increasing by over ten percentage points since the facility opened. 
The legacy Oxford jets maintenance facility has been closed. 

After absorbing losses from both the Oxford and Fairoaks facilities, the business delivered an EBIT of $6.7m (2017: $8.4m). 
With the consolidation into Bournemouth completed and the facility performing well, the business is positioned for 
profitable growth in 2019. 

/ Middle East Ground 
 / Total engineering hours +30% year-on-year.
 / Development of key Sharjah asset remains on track.

The Middle East Ground business delivered revenues of $4.6m, up $0.8m (+21%) on last year (2017: $3.8m). Business aviation 
activity was affected by regional political effects which impacted aircraft movements through FBO facilities in the region, 
including Sharjah. However, engineering hours growth was nevertheless achieved and hangarage and parking facilities have 
been over-subscribed. 

The development of the Business Aviation Centre in Sharjah continues as planned, with earthworks commenced and 
contracts for design awarded and now mostly complete. Funding the full construction project is a key priority for 2019. The 
business delivered a total EBIT of $(0.3)m (2017: $0.1m), largely due to the expensing of the ground lease for the Business 
Aviation Centre of $0.6m. Without this charge, the business would have improved profitability year-on-year.

/ Asia Ground 
The joint-operation with China Aircraft Services Limited (“CASL”) in Hong Kong is well positioned to capitalise on its clear 
growth potential. This has delivered initial revenues and gross profit from its first year of operations through its collaboration 
with CASL and good growth is expected in 2019.

/ Global Services Division
We are now reporting FlyerTech and MyAirOps Software in the Global Services Division, which were previously reported in 
Europe Air and Ground respectively. FlyerTech provides continuing airworthiness management (CAM) and airworthiness 
review certification (ARC) services for business aviation and commercial airline operators. MyAirOps Software has developed 
a suite of business aviation products deployed as “Software as a Service” (SaaS) and mobile app solutions for business 
aviation operators, FBOs and airports. FlyerTech has continued to deliver a robust financial performance, while MyAirOps 
Software has been through an investment phase in a major technology refresh and is now successfully securing sales to both 
existing and new clients on the new SaaS platform.

Adjusted

USD’000s

Revenue

Gross Profit

GP %

EBIT

EBIT %

18 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Total

2018

3,949

2,662

67%

1,253

32%

2017

4,368

3,064

70%

1,751

40%

Adjustments to EBIT

USD’000s

Exceptional items

Total adjustments

Statutory

USD’000s

EBIT

EBIT %

Total

2018

(121)

(121)

Total

2018

1,132

29%

2017

(32)

(32)

2017

1,719

39%

The FlyerTech results were previously reported in Europe Air and the MyAirOps Software results were included within Europe 
Ground. The 2017 comparisons have been correspondingly restated in the respective Air and Ground results above.

Global Services revenues were down year-on-year at $3.9m (2017: $4.4m) because of the transition from on-premise 
software to “Software as a Service”, with EBIT down at $1.3m (2017: $1.8m) largely due to the investment required for this 
transition.

Capex of $1.5m was also invested during the year to develop the “Software as a Service” platform.

Brexit is presenting a short-term risk to FlyerTech’s activity within this division due to potential implications for certain 
regulatory approvals in the event of a so-called “hard Brexit”, which have delayed some airworthiness management deals. 
Mitigation activities have been identified and will be implemented if necessary.

/ Associate Investments
In previous years the Group showed a “Total Division” result for the Air and Ground Divisions, which included the gross 
revenues of associates. The Group will now show only its share of results of associates as reported in the consolidated 
financial statements, which is included within the EBIT profit line, below gross margin.

Adjusted

USD’000s

EBIT

Adjustments to EBIT 

USD’000s

Release of provision for associate losses

Profit on disposal of associate 

Total adjustments

US Air
Associate

China Aircraft
Services Limited

Total

2018

359

2017

156

2018

207

2017

–

2018

566

2017

156

US Air
Associate

China Aircraft
Services Limited

Total

2018

–

–

–

2017

1,804

1,564

3,368

2018

2017

2018

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

2017

1,804

1,564

3,368

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

19

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW (CONTINUED)

Statutory

USD’000s

EBIT

US Air
Associate

China Aircraft
Services Limited

Total

2018

2017

359

3,524

2018

207

2017

2018

2017

–

566

3,524

Overall, associate Adjusted EBIT has increased from $0.2m in 2017 to $0.6m in 2018. China Aircraft Services Limited (CASL) 
was newly acquired in 2018.

US Air Associate – Gama Aviation LLC 
 / The Group owns a 24.5% share in Gama Aviation LLC (the “US Air Associate”). 
 / In addition to the branding fee included above in the Air Division, the Group has also consolidated $0.36m of profits from 

associates for the full year, which represents 24.5% of the net profit that the US Air Associate made in 2018. 

 / Whilst 2018 showed strong organic revenue growth, the business continues to invest in its sales and operational infrastructure 

to facilitate future growth and improve profitability in the future.

 / No dividend has been declared, so the consolidated result will not be matched by cash inflow to the Group.

China Aircraft Services Limited (CASL) 
 / The Group purchased a 20% share in CASL in February 2018 for $16m. 
 / The business generated profits of $1m for the full year, with Gama’s 20% share for the period of ownership returning $0.2m.
 / Trading in 2018 was impacted by the loss of 2 key contracts and a challenging labour market. 
 / Through its representation on the Board, the Group is ensuring that CASL management are addressing their  

performance proactively.

 / A dividend of $1.0m has been declared by the Board and Gama’s share of $0.2m will be received in 2019. Cash will therefore 

broadly match profit for the 2018 financial year.

20 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER’S REVIEW

Group revenue is up 10.6% at $234.8m (2017: $212.4m). 

David Stickland
Chief Financial Officer

Group revenue

$234.8m

Adjusted EBIT

$11.3m

Adjusted EPS

$14.6 cents

EPS

(32.3) cents

2018 dividend

2.00p

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

21

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER’S REVIEW (CONTINUED)

Continuing operations:

Revenue

Gross profit

Gross Profit %

EBITDA

EBIT

Profit/(Loss) Before Tax

Earnings per share (cents) 

Adjusted1 $m

Statutory $m

Dec-18

Dec-17
(restated)3

Constant
 Currency2
Dec-17

Dec-18

Dec-17
(restated)3

234.8

45.1

19.2%

13.3

11.3

11.0

14.6

207.4

45.6

22.0%

19.6

18.3

16.6

30.7

212.4

46.8

22.0%

19.9

18.3

16.3

32.0

234.8

45.1

19.2%

(26.9)

(30.4)

(30.8)

(53.5)

207.4

45.6

22.0%

16.8

17.4

15.7

26.7

1  Adjusted EBIT is stated after removing impairment losses, share based payment charges; acquisition related and accelerated amortisation;  
and exceptional costs, which comprise: transaction costs; legal, integration and business re-organisation costs and contribution to associate.

Adjusted EBITDA is adjusted EBIT with share or results from equity accounting investments and remaining amortization and all the 
depreciation added back.

2  Change calculated at a constant foreign exchange rate of $1.34 to £1, being the cumulative average USD-GBP exchange rate for 2018.

3  The trading results for 2017 have been restated for: 

a) 

b) 

 an adjustment to reclassify $1,600,000 of Group charges from gross profit to administrative expenses to ensure that the Group income and 
costs eliminate on the same line of the income statement. This adjustment does not impact EBIT or cash. 

 the Group’s Swiss operation was closed at the beginning of 2018, accordingly, in line with IFRS 5 the results for the comparative period have 
been restated to remove $460,000 of profit from continuing operations. This has been included within total discontinued operations loss  
of $1,952,000 shown within the income statement. 

Revenue Bridge

Revenue – 2017

Step-acquisition of Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings 

Air Division (excluding step-acquisition)

Ground Division

Global Services Division

Revenue – 2018

207.4

21.7

(0.9)

7.0

(0.4)

234.8

 / There was a $21.7m year-on-year revenue increase as a result of the Group obtaining control of Gama Aviation Hutchison 
Holdings in March 2018. This resulted in the Group consolidating results for the company in full instead of recording only 
the Group’s share of profits from the associate.

 / Air Division revenue fell by $0.9m, the single largest contributing factor being difficult trading in the Middle East caused  

by the well publicised political events during the year.

 / Ground Division revenue growth was $7.0m in the year, mainly due to the expansion of the US Ground business, with the 

remainder coming from the Middle East. 

 / Global Services revenue fell by $0.4m.

22 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 
Statutory EBIT Bridge

Statutory EBIT – 2017 (restated)*

Impairment loss

Increase in exceptional costs

Increase in administrative expenses

Increase in share-based payment expense

Decrease in gross profit

Increase in depreciation and amortisation

Decrease in exceptional profit from associate transactions

Statutory EBIT – 2018

17.4

(27.7)

(9.2)

(5.7)

(0.5)

(0.5)

(1.8)

(2.4)

(30.4)

*  The Group’s Swiss operation was closed at the beginning of 2018, accordingly, in line with IFRS 5 the results for the comparative period have 
been restated to remove $460,000 of profit from continuing operations. This has been included within total discontinued operations loss of 
$1,952,000 shown within the income statement.

 / The Group recorded a non-cash impairment loss of $20.4m against goodwill arising on the merger between Hangar8 plc 

and Gama Aviation in 2015. At the time the Goodwill was allocated evenly between the Air and Ground businesses.  
The impairment charge recorded in the current year reduces the Goodwill allocated to the Air business to nil. A further 
impairment charge of $7.3m was recorded against related acquired intangible assets, mainly of the Air business.

 / Exceptional costs increased by $9.2m, mainly due to the contribution to associate ($3.6m); corporate finance costs relating 
to the acquisitions ($1.6m), one-off costs associated with the Europe Ground business move from Oxford to Bournemouth 
($1.5m), legal fees associated with the closure of the Dryden litigation in mid-2018 ($1.5m) and changes in accounting 
estimates ($1.0m), arising from the financial review. The treatment of these items as exceptional by the Directors is 
identified as a critical accounting judgment because the treatment involves a subjective view of those costs that are 
incurred in the ordinary course of business and those that are not. This comment applies to the changes in accounting 
estimates, which represent costs recognised on a one-time basis following the reassessment of previous judgments 
concerning the recoverability of amounts in the balance sheet. 

 / Administration costs increased significantly in the period (see Adjusted EBIT bridge below).
 / Gross profit fell by $(0.5)m as detailed in the operational review.
 / Depreciation and amortisation have increased partly due to the effects of increased organic investment and growth in  

the US Ground business (+$0.8m of depreciation) as well as the Group’s reassessment of the remaining useful life of two 
categories of intangible assets (commencing operations and part 145 approvals), both of which were previously assessed  
as having indefinite lives but are now determined to have remaining lives of one to two years (+$1.0m of amortisation).

Adjusted EBIT Bridge

Adjusted EBIT – 2017 (restated)*

Decrease in gross profit

Increase in administrative expenses:

– Step-acquisition of Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings

– Investment in US Ground expansion

– Increase in central costs

– Investment in Sharjah BAC

– Reduction in capitalised costs

– Other

Increase in depreciation

Adjusted EBIT – 2018

18.3

 (0.5)

(1.6)

(1.6)

(1.4)

(0.6)

(0.2)

(0.3)

(0.8)

11.3

*  The Group’s Swiss operation was closed at the beginning of 2018, accordingly, in line with IFRS 5 the results for the comparative period have 
been restated to remove $460,000 of profit from continuing operations. This has been included within total discontinued operations loss of 
$1,952,000 shown within the income statement.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

23

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER’S REVIEW (CONTINUED)

 / The gross profit impact of $(0.5)m discussed in the EBIT bridge falls straight through to the Adjusted EBIT result as there 

are no adjusting items at the gross profit level.

 / As noted above, the step-acquisition of Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings resulted in the gross revenues and costs of the 
company being consolidated in full in the Group accounts for the first time. In addition to the gross profit impact already 
mentioned, administrative costs of $1.6m were recorded, which represent the normal baseline operating cost for this 
business.

 / US Ground administrative costs rose significantly as a direct result of the Group’s strategy to expand operations in this  

key territory. The impact of this was to reduce overall Adjusted EBIT for US Ground by $0.5m year-on-year, offsetting the 
strong operational performance delivered by that business.

 / Central costs increased by $1.4m, of which $0.3m resulted from lower overall Group cost recovery from the operating 

businesses. The remaining $1.1m of increase mainly comprised of travel costs ($0.2m), non-exceptional legal fees ($0.3m) 
and payroll related costs ($0.6m). 

 / The Group incurred ground and concession lease costs of $0.6m in the year in relation to its Sharjah Business Aviation 

Centre (“BAC”) development. These costs relate to the non-cancellable Build-Operate-Transfer and Service Concession 
agreement entered by the Group in June 2017 with Sharjah Airport Authority, under which the Group is committed to 
construct a BAC at Sharjah Airport. The agreement runs from June 2017 until June 2042. Assets under construction in 
relation to the BAC, with a carrying value of $1,815,000 at 31 December 2018, are included within leasehold property.  
The total expected cost of the project is expected to be approximately $40m. The Directors’ expectation is that the 
investment cost will ultimately be funded by an asset finance arrangement.

 / Depreciation increased by $0.8m because of the Group’s investments in FBO assets.

Adjustments (including exceptional costs)

Adjusting items

Transaction costs

Integration and business re-organisation costs

Legal costs

Cash contribution to associate

Share based payment charge

Acquisition related intangible amortisation

Profit arising on step acquisition/disposal of interest in associate

Impairment of goodwill and acquired intangibles

Total adjusting items

Dec-18

Dec-17

3.6

2.3

2.3

3.6

0.7

2.5

(1.0)

27.7

41.7

0.4

1.2

1.1

–

0.2

1.4

(3.4)

–

0.9

 / Transaction costs of $3.6m arose primarily on the equity fund raise ($2.0m), changes in accounting estimates deemed to be 

exceptional ($1.0m) and corporate development activity ($0.5m).

 / Integration and business re-organisation costs of $2.3m arose primarily on the Europe Ground move to Bournemouth 

($1.5m); Oxford onerous lease provision ($0.3m); and legal entity restructuring costs ($0.2m).

 / Legal costs of $2.3m arose primarily on resolution of the legacy Dryden litigation case ($1.5m) and abortive acquisition fees 

of $0.5m.

 / Cash contribution to associate relates to the working capital payment as part of the BBA transaction.
 / Acquisition related intangible amortisation relates to acquired intangible assets (customer lists, brands) recognised as part 

of the accounting for business combinations ($1.6m) and amortisation arising on internally generated intangible assets 
associated with organic investments, such as setting up new bases of operations in the US Ground business ($0.9m). In the 
current period the remaining useful lives of internally generated intangible assets, previously assessed as indefinite, were 
re-assessed as being between one and two years, resulting in amortisation of $0.9m. The remaining carrying value of these 
assets at the end of 2018 is $0.3m. 

 / The profit arising on the step acquisition of $1.0m relates to the Group’s acquisition of control over Gama Aviation 

Hutchison Holdings. The profit arises as a result of re-valuing the associate interest held at cost, to fair value, immediately 
prior to the transaction in which control was obtained.

 / The impairment charge of $27.7m resulted from the Group’s annual IAS 36 impairment review and comprises a $20.4m 
impairment against goodwill and $7.3m impairment against acquired intangibles. As a result of the impairment charge, 
goodwill allocated to the Europe Air CGU grouping has been reduced to nil. The impairment charge resulted primarily from 
an updated outlook for 2019 for the Europe Air business, which in turn was based on the full year results for 2018 which 
were below expectations.

24 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Earnings per share (EPS) and adjusted earnings per share

Earnings per share (cents) 

Dec-18

Dec-17

(Loss)/profit attributable to ordinary equity holders of the parent for 
basic earnings:

Constant
Currency2
Dec-17

Continuing operations

Add back:

Amortisation

Exceptional items

Share of associate’s exceptional items

Share-based payment expense

Add reversal of prior year losses of JV

Profit on disposal of interest in associate

Add Loss on acquisition of interest in JV/profit on disposal of interest in associates

Deferred tax

Finance FX

Profit attributable to ordinary shareholders for adjusted earnings

(32.3)

11.8

12.3

2.5

39.5

–

0.7

–

(1.0)

–

–

(0.6)

8.8

1.4

2.6

0.4

0.2

(0.7)

(1.6)

(1.5)

0.8

0.1

13.5

1.5

2.7

0.4

0.2

(0.7)

(1.6)

(1.5)

0.8

–

14.1

Denominator: Weighted average number of shares used in basic EPS

60,348,056

43,994,442

43,994,442

Adjusted Earnings per share (cents) 

14.6

30.7

32.0

On 2 March 2018, 19,591,837 new ordinary shares of one pence each in Gama Aviation plc were admitted for trading on AIM. 
The Company raised gross proceeds of £48,000,000 ($65,460,000) pursuant to the placing. Hutchison Whampoa (China) 
Limited (“Hutchison”) subscribed for shares in the placing and held 21.17% of the issued share capital at 31 December 2018.

/ Taxation
There is a total tax charge for the period of $1.5m (2017: charge of $3.9m). The Group operates across a number  
of jurisdictions and the effective rate of tax reflects the blended rate of operating in different countries.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

25

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS 
 
/ CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER’S REVIEW (CONTINUED)

Net debt and cash flow movements

Statutory EBIT (continuing and discontinued operations)
Non-cash components of EBIT
Net movement in working capital excluding Contribution to US Air Associate 
Contribution to US Air Associate
Gama International Saudi Arabia (“GISA”) operation startup funding
Taxes paid
Interest paid

Net cash (expended on)/generated by operating activities

Capital expenditure net of disposals
Investment in China Aircraft Services Limited
Step-acquisition of Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings
Consideration for disposal of non-controlling interest
Issuance of shares (net of share issue costs)
Dividend paid to equity holders of the parent

Net cash from/(used in) investing and financing activities

Decrease in net debt
Net debt at the beginning of year 
Effect of foreign exchange rates and other non-cash movements

Net debt at the end of year 

Analysis of net debt

Cash

Finance Leases

Borrowings

Net debt at the end of year 

Dec-18

Dec-17
(restated)*

(31.3)
31.9
(14.8)
(3.6)
(1.0)
(1.6)
(0.9)

(21.3)

(7.1)
(16.0)
(2.6)
–
63.7
(2.3)

35.7

14.4
(18.0)
0.7

(2.9)

15.4
(0.3)
3.7
–
–
(3.6)
(1.7)

13.5

(4.5)
–
–
(5.1)
–
(1.5)

(11.1)

2.4
(19.4)
(1.0)

(18.0)

Dec-18

Dec-17

10.0

(3.0)

(9.9)

(2.9)

22.3

(3.7)

(36.6)

(18.0)

*  The Group’s Swiss operation was closed at the beginning of 2018, accordingly, in line with IFRS 5 the results for the comparative period have 
been restated to remove $460,000 of profit from continuing operations. This has been included within total discontinued operations loss of 
$1,952,000 shown within the income statement. Net debt has also been restated (see details below).

 / The significant non-cash component of EBIT is the impairment cost of $27.7m.
 / Working capital increased by $14.8m, excluding associates, with significant components being:

 / Trade debtors increasing by $6.3m due to three significant outstanding trade debts, one each in the USA, Asia and 

Middle East.

 / Trade creditors reducing by $6.8m as the prepaid amounts received from a significant customer in December 2017 

unwound.

 / Inventory increasing by $2.7m. 

 / A 20% equity investment was made in China Aircraft Services Limited (“CASL”) in Hong Kong.
 / Acquisition of the remaining 50% in Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings was also completed in the year.

In 2018 outstanding borrowings under the previous RCF totaling $29.6m were repaid with proceeds from the equity fund 
raise. A further loan of $2.0m was also settled. At 31 December 2018, $10.0m of the new RCF was drawn resulting in a net 
reduction of RCF debt of $19.6m during the year. The reduction in RCF debt combined with a reduction in cash of $12.3m 
delivers net debt at the year-end of $2.9m. 

/ Net Debt Restatement
In March 2019, the Board commissioned Deloitte LLP, as external advisors to the Company, in order to undertake a review  
of two separate cash transactions identified as potential overpayments of cash received from the Group’s US Air Associate, 
Gama Aviation LLC, in December 2017 and June 2018. The review sought to establish the sequence of events that gave rise to 
the respective transactions to enable the Board to determine the nature and substance of these transactions and ensure that 
the correct identification of the transactions in the 2017 year end and 2018 half year balance sheets.

26 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

 
 
 
 
Following the completion of this review process, the Board has concluded that the cash receipt of $5.0m on 29 December 
2017 (which was repaid on 2 January 2018) was in substance a short-term loan. The 2017 balance sheet has therefore  
been reclassified to remove the credit recorded in Trade Creditors and replace it with a credit in Short Term Borrowings.  
This increases net debt by $5.0m at the 2017 year end. 

The Board has similarly concluded that $5.8m of cash received on 29 June 2018 (which was repaid on 2 July 2018) and 
reported in the Group’s interim financial statements was also, in substance, a short-term loan. The 2018 half year balance 
sheet will therefore be reclassified to remove the credit recorded in Trade Creditors and replace it with a credit in Short Term 
Borrowings. This increases net debt by $5.8m at the half year 2018. 

There was also a short-term borrowing cash transaction with the LLC of $5m at June 2017. There was no cash transaction  
at year end 2016, so a potential restatement of the opening balance sheet at 1 January 2017 is not necessary.

This reclassification has the effect of increasing debt at the balance sheet date but has no impact on the income statement 
or on earnings per share for the relevant periods. 

Management have undertaken a review of internal controls in place to ensure the appropriate recording of transactions 
between the Group and its associates have improved and have implemented new processes accordingly, to both mitigate  
the risk of similar transactions occurring in future and to ensure associate accounting treatment is correct going forwards. 
Management is satisfied that the new processes implemented by management appropriately address the risks identified.

Line by line impact of restatement on operating cash flow and net debt:

Decrease in reported creditors/working capital

Increase in reported short-term borrowings/net debt

Change in reported cash/net assets

Year
ended
2017 
$’000

(5,000)

5,000

–

/ Dividend
The directors are recommending a dividend for 2018 of 2.00 pence per share (2017: 2.75 pence per share), which subject to 
approval at the AGM in June 2019, will then be paid in July 2019. The directors confirm that the 2017 dividend, which was paid  
in June 2018, represented a lawful distribution as sufficient distributable reserves were available in the Company to declare and 
pay the dividend. The deficit in retained earnings in the Company at 31 December 2017 arose from the significant provision for 
impairment of investments in subsidiaries recorded in light of the Group’s goodwill impairment exercise. This exercise was not 
completed until December 2018. The recommended dividend will be lawfully distributable as the Company is able to draw 
dividends from its subsidiaries to restore its distributable reserves to a positive position prior to payment of the dividend, which 
is planned for July 2019.

Litigation
Following the settlement of the disputes with Dustin Dryden (a former executive director of the Company who resigned  
in September 2015) and affiliated entities as reported at the half year, the remaining proceedings fall into two categories. 

1. The first involves proceedings by the Company to recover long-standing trade receivables that amount to approximately 
$4.3m. The Company has made adequate provisions or holds security against these claims and as a result the Board does 
not expect any further provisions will be required. In addition, based on legal advice, the Board considers the proceedings 
to recover these receivables are likely to be successful, noting that the Company has already obtained summary judgments 
for a portion of these claims in the sum of $0.7m.

2. The second involves two proceedings brought against the Company in which the claimants seek to recover damages for 

alleged contractual breaches or alleged unpaid flight charges which amount to approximately $5.8m. Based on a detailed 
analysis of the claims and legal advice, the Board believes that these claims are speculative and/or overlapping and the 
Company continues to vigorously defend them. 

David Stickland
Chief Financial Officer

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

27

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ PRINCIPAL RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES

The directors consider the principal risks to the business are:

 / Poor operational performance or air accident damaging  

the Group’s reputation

 / Changes in economic climate that make private air 

transport less attractive

 / Increasing regulatory burden and costs of compliance
 / Foreign exchange risk

Damage to the Group’s reputation
The Group’s reputation for safety, reliability and high service 
standards is essential for maintaining customer loyalty and 
ensuring premium pricing levels. The Group has systems  
and monitoring processes in place to ensure that it maintains 
high standards across all aspects of the Group, including 
customer-facing crew as well as back-office operational staff. 
The Group carefully reviews any deviations from these 
standards and implements changes to prevent recurrence.

Changes in economic climate
The Group offers air transportation services that provide far 
greater flexibility, discretion and levels of service than is possible 
with general aviation services. The directors recognise that  
in a recessionary economic climate there may be pressure  
on customers to reduce their use of private aviation services. 
The directors mitigate this risk by regularly reviewing current 
and anticipated activity levels and reducing the Group’s cost 
base accordingly.

“Brexit” update
The UK referendum decision in June 2016 and the 
subsequent triggering of Article 50 in March 2017 mean  
that the UK is now scheduled to leave the European Union 
(“Brexit”), creating a new dimension to the uncertainties 
surrounding global economic growth. 

At the time of announcing the Group’s results there is 
considerable uncertainty surrounding the process by which 
the UK will leave the EU, with the scheduled withdrawal date 
of 29 March 2019 lapsing without the UK leaving the EU as 
planned, and the process delayed until October 2019. The 
Group continues to monitor the situation closely. No 
significant alteration has been made to the Group’s strategy 
or operating model in response to the Brexit uncertainty as 
the range of possible outcomes and resulting impact on the 
Group is too difficult to model reliably.

The Group has identified the following Brexit related risks:

 / Economic conditions: increased overall uncertainty 

including the specific impacts on growth, inflation, interest 
and currency rates;

 / Laws and regulations: potential changes to UK and 

EU-based law and regulation; and
 / Talent: mobility of the workforce

The Group has held a series of workshops tasked with 
assessing and monitoring the impacts on its business and  
to communicate updates and guidance as the Brexit process 
has evolved.

Regulatory burden and costs of compliance
To ensure very high levels of safety, the aviation industry  
has significant and complex regulation to cover training, 
engineering, safety and operations. Breaches of regulations 
are likely to lead to sanctions such as suspension of 
operations or other restrictions. The directors believe that 
the regulatory burden is likely to increase over time and  
have members of staff dedicated to liaising with the various 
regulatory bodies. In addition, staff are regularly trained and 
appraised to ensure their understanding and compliance.

Foreign exchange risk
The Group’s activities expose it to the financial risks of 
changes in foreign currency (primarily Pounds Sterling,  
US Dollars and Euro) and interest rate changes. The Group 
occasionally uses derivative financial instruments to hedge 
these risks, but only for significant contracts, which give rise 
to foreign currency cash flows. The Group’s approach to 
managing other risks applicable to the financial instruments 
concerned is shown below.

The Group’s principal financial instruments comprise:

 / Bank balances;
 / Trade payables;
 / Trade receivables; and
 / Other borrowings.

The main purpose of these instruments is to raise and 
maintain sufficient funds to finance the Group’s operations. 
Fuel price risk is passed to customers directly via their 
monthly recharges. The company’s approach to managing 
other risks applicable to the financial instruments concerned 
is shown below.

Treasury management
The Group has a formal overdraft facility with its principal 
banker in the UK, RBS. Most of the trading entities within the 
Group have multiple bank accounts to include Sterling, Euro 
and US Dollars, allowing them to invoice and receive funds  
in the same currency giving them an ability to be foreign 
currency neutral from a cash flow perspective.

General liquidity risk is managed by maintaining weekly cash 
forecasts to ensure positive cash balances. 

In August 2018 the Group entered into a $50.0m revolving 
credit facility (“RCF”) with a syndicate of UK banks including 
RBS and Barclays.

Trade payables
Trade payables liquidity risk is managed by ensuring 
sufficient funds are available to meet amounts due.

Trade receivables
Trade receivables are managed in respect of credit and cash 
flow by regular review of aged receivables and customers’ 
credit rating. Cash flow risk is mitigated to some extent by 
requiring up-front payment for elements of the Group’s work 
and short credit terms for all other customers. Provisions are 
made against any amount for which the recoverability is 
uncertain. Except very occasionally the Group’s receivables 
do not contain a significant financing element.

28 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Other borrowings
Risks associated with borrowings relate principally to  
liquidity and interest rate risk. The Group manages the 
liquidity risk by ensuring there are sufficient funds to meet 
payments through the preparation of weekly cash forecasts. 
Interest rate risk is managed by maintaining an appropriate 
mix between fixed and floating rate borrowings.

Effective risk management
On a quarterly basis the executive directors and the  
Group Director of Risk Management and Assurance meet  
to review the existing Group risk register, discuss internal  
and external political, economic, social, technology, legal 
and environmental risks that may affect or influence the 
execution of Group Strategy. The review includes the 
consideration of the regulatory frameworks and compliance 
obligations applicable to the Group’s businesses, including 
the full supply chain. 

Newly emerging risks identified within the business are 
reviewed on an ad hoc basis, with mitigating action taken 
when required. The Group risk register is presented to the 
Board twice per year. A monthly input is also provided to  
the Board by the Group Director of Risk Management and 
Assurance as part of an independent reporting process.

All processes are undertaken using tools, matrices and 
escalation and tolerance protocols established by the 
directors. For non-routine activities, such as project 
management, a RAID log is used, which feeds into the  
wider risk management framework.

The Group Director of Risk Management and Assurance 
holds a number of meetings and workshops throughout  
the year at the divisional level, which involves the divisional 
leadership team and other key personnel as required. This 
process involves a regular review of the divisional level risk 
registers. Workshops are used to identify the risks associated 
with the delivery of the respective divisional strategic plans 
and to implement risk mitigation plans as necessary. 
Progress in implementing these plans is reported regularly 
during divisional meetings and is escalated to the executive 
team meetings where appropriate. 

Business unit managing directors are required to report 
progress on risk management activities via quarterly 
business reviews, which are chaired by the Chief Operating 
Officer. Safety related risks identified during this process,  
or requiring additional action, are escalated to the Safety 
Review Board.

In late 2018 the Group’s risk function commenced an 
improvement program that will deliver enhanced, 
standardised risk reporting to the business and greater 
operational risk oversight. The risk function is also 
supporting the work being undertaken by KPMG in their 
capacity as the Group’s newly appointed independent 
internal auditor.

Internal audit
In October 2018 the Group appointed KPMG as internal 
auditors. KPMG’s work has started with a multi-site  
“health-check” that is designed to independently assess  
the strengths and weaknesses of the Group’s internal control 
environment. The findings will be used to formulate an 
internal audit plan that ensures work is focused on the key 
risks identified by the auditors and directors.

Approval
This report was approved by the board of directors  
on 23 April 2019 and signed on its behalf by:

Marwan Khalek
Chief Executive Officer

23 April 2019

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

29

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSContinually 
developing our 
EXPERTISE

Governance

Board of Directors
Corporate governance 
Directors’ remuneration report 
Corporate social responsibility 
Directors’ report

Your mission, our passion.

30 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

31

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The right mix of expertise to support growth.

Chi Keung (Simon) To
Chairman

Marwan Abdel-Khalek
Chief Executive Officer

Stephen Wright
Executive Director

Neil Medley
Chief Operating Officer

Marwan is Chief Executive 
Officer of Gama Aviation Plc. 
He is a successful 
entrepreneur with a proven 
record of building value 
through organic and 
inorganic growth, as 
evidenced by the scale of 
Gama Aviation’s development 
over the last three decades. 
Gama Aviation’s growth, 
over a period marked by  
a number of profound 
economic recessions, has 
resulted in it becoming  
a leading global aviation 
services Group. He 
graduated with a BEng in 
Civil Engineering from the 
University of Westminster. 
Until 7 March 2019 Marwan 
was also Chairman of  
the BBGA.

Stephen co-founded  
Gama Aviation together  
with Marwan Khalek in 1983. 
He has been fundamental 
to the implementation  
of several process 
improvements that have 
been commended by 
regulators and industry 
auditors alike. Stephen 
retains a flying role both  
on the line and in training, 
regularly flying helicopters 
and fixed wing aircraft.  
His flying duties have placed 
him in regular contact with  
a wide variety of clients, 
allowing him to have a direct, 
qualitative understanding of 
their needs and requirements.

Neil, the Company’s Chief 
Operating Officer (“COO”), 
has also been appointed to 
the Board. Neil joined Gama 
in September 2016, as COO, 
a new position within the 
leadership team. Neil joined 
the business from his former 
post of COO of BAE Systems 
Applied Intelligence 
(formerly Detica plc until its 
acquisition by BAE Systems 
plc). Neil has been working 
alongside Marwan Khalek, 
Chief Executive of Gama 
Aviation, to improve business 
performance across all 
geographies.

Simon is Hutchison’s 
appointee to the Board. 
Simon is the Managing 
Director of Hutchison and 
Chairman and Executive 
Director of Hutchison  
China MediTech Limited,  
a company listed on AIM  
and Nasdaq with a  
market capitalisation of 
approximately US$3.0 
billion. Simon joined 
Hutchison in 1980 and  
has helped build it from  
a relatively small trading 
company into a multi-billion 
dollar investment and 
distribution Group. Simon 
holds a First Class Honours 
Bachelor’s Degree in 
Mechanical Engineering 
from Imperial College, 
London and a master’s 
degree in Business 
Administration from 
Stanford University’s 
Graduate School  
of Business.

Simon was appointed as 
non-executive Chairman  
of the Group and Company 
on 3 April 2019 (see note 36).

32 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Michael Howell
Non-Executive Director

Christopher Clarke
Non-Executive Director

Peter Brown
Non-Executive Director

Peter is a chartered 
accountant with over 
25 years’ experience at 
board level in the leisure 
and travel industry. He adds 
complementary skills to 
Gama Aviation’s founding 
directors, having been CEO 
of a major British leisure 
airline and managing the 
mergers, acquisitions and 
Group finance functions of a 
variety of service companies. 
Peter graduated from 
University College, Cardiff 
with a BSc in Economics.

An engineer by training, 
Michael Howell has a 
background in transportation 
and worked in the motor 
industry after graduating 
from Trinity College, 
Cambridge and before 
completing MBAs at INSEAD 
and Harvard. He worked with 
Cummins Engine Company 
and General Electric 
Company (GE) in the USA, 
latterly as general manager 
of GE Transportation 
Systems. Subsequently, he 
was Executive Director of 
Railtrack Group plc during its 
privatisation.

Formerly he was a Non-
Executive Director of 
Hutchison China Meditech, 
the innovative 
biopharmaceutical company. 
Currently, Michael serves on 
the Board of Wabtec, the 
US$7 bn leading supplier  
of products and systems  
for the rail industry, based  
in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania;  
and on the Council of the 
University of Leeds.

Christopher Clarke has over 
30 years’ experience as a 
senior partner with leading 
international law firms in 
Asia, including Denton Hall, 
CMS Cameron McKenna and 
DLA Piper. He has acted as  
a professional and business 
advisor to a wide range of 
entrepreneurs and 
executives of international 
(including listed) companies; 
and has wide ranging 
corporate governance, 
regulatory and commercial 
experience.

Christopher has been a 
Non-Executive director of 
Hong Kong, UK listed and 
private companies. Currently, 
he is a Sufficiently 
Independent Director of 
London Power Networks Plc, 
Eastern Power Networks Plc 
and South Eastern Power 
Networks Plc; and an 
Independent Director of 
Myanmar Strategic Holdings 
and Arnhold Holdings Ltd. 
He is also currently a Non- 
Executive director of Green 
Family Holdings. He is a 
Council Member of the Royal 
Society for Asian Affairs.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

33

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Governance code
The company is listed on the Alternative Investment Market 
(AIM) of the London Stock Exchange. The Board of Gama 
Aviation has adopted the Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA) 
Corporate Governance Code and sets out in this Annual 
Report how it applies the principles of the QCA Code.

Chairman’s Statement on Corporate Governance 
The Board recognises the importance of effective corporate 
governance and, with this in mind, the Group and Company 
have chosen to adopt The Quoted Companies Alliance 
Corporate Governance Code (the QCA Code). The principles 
and disclosures set out by the QCA Code provide a 
framework to ensure Gama Aviation has appropriate 
corporate governance structures and processes in place to 
promote the success of the Company and long-term value 
for shareholders alongside a corporate culture that is based 
on ethical values and behaviours. For a further description  
of how the Company’s corporate governance practices 
contribute to its culture and values please refer to the 
Corporate Social Responsibility report on page 32. 

The Group strives to operate in line with the principles of the 
QCA Code, and further detail on how it applies the principles 
of the QCA Code is set out both in this Annual Report and the 
Corporate Governance Statement published on our website 
at https://www.gamaaviation.com/investors/corporate-
governance/. Compliance will be reviewed at least annually, 
in line with the requirement of the QCA Code.

As a Board we commenced a detailed review of our 
corporate governance procedures across the business in 
2018 to both address the requirements of the QCA Code, 
and to seek continued improvement. 

Following my appointment as the Chairman as of 3 April 
2019, further changes will be implemented incrementally 
over the next financial year and the findings of our review  
of the Board and Group’s principles and practices in line with 
the QCA Code will be adopted, as a continuation of the work 
that the Board have started.

Board of directors
The Board is responsible for guidance and direction, playing 
its role in reviewing strategy, monitoring performance, 
understanding risk and reviewing controls. It is collectively 
responsible for the success of the Group.

The Board was made up of three executive and four 
non-executive directors during 2018. Whilst subsequent  
to the year end there have been a number of changes, the 
Board has the appropriate balance of skills, experience, 
independence and knowledge of the company to enable  
it to discharge its duties effectively. 

The non-executive directors are independent of management 
and do not participate in the Group’s ongoing bonus, pension 
or benefit schemes although they may hold shares. The 
executive directors are full-time employees of the Group and 
the non-executive directors are expected to devote at least 
one full working day in each calendar month to the business 
of the Company and to use reasonable endeavours to attend 
all meetings of the Board and committees of the Board of 
which they are members, and to attend all general meetings 
of the Company. The Board has not yet designated a Senior 
Independent Director.

The Board meets at least eight times a year and has a formal 
schedule of matters specifically referred to it for decision, as 
required by the Companies Act. In addition to these matters, 
the Board will also consider strategy and policy, acquisition 
and divestment proposals, approval of major capital 
investments, risk management policy, significant financing 
matters and statutory shareholder reporting. During the 
year, all Board meetings were convened with a formal 
agenda, relevant documentation and documented minutes 
and were attended by Board members in office at the time 
of the meetings. The attendance record of each director is 
shown below.

To enable the Board to discharge its duties, all directors 
receive appropriate and timely information and the 
Chairman ensures all directors, including the non-executive 
directors, may take independent professional advice at the 
Group’s expense if required.

Simon To
Chairman of the Board

34 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Board member

Sir Ralph Robins

Marwan Khalek

Stephen Wright

Neil Medley

David Stickland

Peter Brown 

Simon To

Michael Peagram

Board skills and evaluation 
The Board has the appropriate balance of skills, experience, 
independence and knowledge of the Company and the 
business aviation industry in which it operates to enable it  
to discharge its duties effectively. The members of the Board 
have been selected primarily for the skills and experience 
that they bring to the Company. Details of the skills and 
experience of the directors are identified above at page 24  
of this Annual Report. 

The newly appointed Chairman is considering how to 
effectively evaluate Board performance. The Board 
performance evaluation will review the effectiveness of  
the Board’s performance as a unit, as well as that of its 
committees and the individual directors. 

Audit Committee
The Audit Committee is chaired by Peter Brown, supported 
by Michael Peagram, who is deemed by the Board to have 
recent and relevant financial expertise. At the next available 
Board meeting, the Chairman provides a verbal report of  
its proceedings.

Under its terms of reference, it must meet twice a year and  
is responsible for keeping under review the internal controls 
of the company, the scope and results of the audit, its cost 
effectiveness and the independence and objectivity of the 
auditors. The Group’s auditors may provide additional 
professional services and in line with its terms of reference, 
the Audit Committee continually assesses their objectivity 
and independence.

Significant matter considered in the year:

In March 2019 the Board commissioned Deloitte LLP, as 
external advisors to the Company, in order to undertake a 
review of two separate cash transactions identified as 
potential overpayments of cash received from the Group’s 
US Air Associate, Gama Aviation LLC, December 2017 and 
June 2018. The review sought to establish the sequence of 
events that gave rise to the respective transactions to enable 
the Board to determine the nature and substance of these 
transactions and ensure that the correct identification of  
the transactions in the 2017 year end and 2018 half year 
balance sheets.

Following the completion of this review process, the Board 
has concluded that the cash receipt of $5m on 29 December 
2017 (which was repaid on 2 January 2018) was in substance 
a short-term loan. The 2017 balance sheet has therefore 
been reclassified to remove the credit recorded in Trade 
Creditors and replace it with a credit in Short Term 
Borrowings. This increases net debt by $5.0m at the 2017 
year end. 

Meetings attended

Eligible to attend

11

13

12

13

5

12

11

8

13

13

13

13

6

13

11

13

There was also a short-term borrowing cash transaction with 
the LLC of $5m at June 2017. There was no cash transaction 
at year end 2016, so a potential restatement of the opening 
balance sheet at 1 January 2017 is not necessary.

This reclassification has the effect of increasing debt at the 
balance sheet date but has no impact on the income statement 
or on earnings per share for the relevant prior periods. 

Management have undertaken a review of internal controls 
in place to ensure the appropriate recording of transactions 
between the Group and its associates have improved and 
have implemented new processes accordingly, to both 
mitigate the risk of similar transactions occurring in future 
and to ensure associate accounting treatment is correct 
going forwards. Management is satisfied that the new 
processes implemented by management appropriately 
address the risks identified.

Nomination Committee
The Nomination Committee was chaired by Sir Ralph Robins 
until his retirement on 3 April 2019. As of 3 April 2019, the 
Nomination Committee is chaired by Simon To. At the next 
available Board meeting, the Chairman provides a verbal 
report of the committee’s recent proceedings.

Under its terms of reference, the Nomination Committee 
must meet twice a year and is responsible for ensuring the 
composition of the Board, retirements and appointments of 
additional and replacement directors and makes appropriate 
recommendations thereon to the Board.

Remuneration Committee
The Remuneration Committee is chaired by Michael 
Peagram, supported by Peter Brown and Simon To. At the 
next available Board meeting, the Chairman provides a 
verbal report of the committee’s recent proceedings.

Under its terms of reference, the committee must meet 
twice a year and is responsible for ensuring that the executive 
directors and officers and other key employees are fairly 
rewarded (which extends to all aspects of remuneration)  
for their individual contribution to the overall performance 
of the Group. No director is involved in deciding their own 
remuneration. A detailed remuneration report is included  
on pages 27 to 30.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

35

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT

Below is set out the annual report of the Remuneration 
Committee (“the Committee”). The report comprises a 
description of how the Committee operates; a brief overview 
of the remuneration policy; and details of compensation paid 
to the board of directors within the financial year.

Remuneration Committee Report
The Committee is appointed by the Board and is formed 
solely of non-executive directors. In the year the Committee 
was chaired by Michael Peagram. The other members of the 
Committee are Peter Brown and Simon To. The Committee 
met three times during the year and all Committee members 
attended the meetings. In the course of its work, the 
Committee has also liaised directly with the Company’s 
external professional advisors as required from time to time.

The Committee’s principal duties are as follows:

 / To review and make recommendations in relation to the 

Company’s senior executive remuneration policy;

 / To apply these recommendations when setting the specific 
remuneration packages for each executive director, the 
Company Chairman and other selected members of senior 
management and to include annual bonuses, the eligibility 
requirements for long-term incentive schemes, pension 
rights, contracts of employment and any compensation 
payments;

 / To ensure that the remuneration policy is aligned with the 

short and long-term strategy of the Company; 

 / To manage performance measurement and make awards 

under the Company’s annual bonus and long-term 
incentive plans; 

 / To consult with key shareholders with regards to 

remuneration where appropriate, and take their views into 
account; and 

 / To manage reporting and disclosure requirements relating 

to Executive remuneration.

Pay Policy
The remuneration policy is designed to provide an appropriate 
level of compensation to senior management such that they 
are sufficiently incentivised and rewarded for their strong 
performance, responsibility and experience. Using appropriate 
measures of performance as well as equity-based reward 
helps to align the interests of the directors with those of the 
Company’s shareholders. 

The Committee has considered market data when setting 
remuneration levels – positioning executives’ pay at a broadly 
mid-market level relative to similar-sized AIM-listed companies. 
This provides a package which is both fair and competitive 
within the market.

Base Salary
Base salaries are reviewed on an annual basis, and any 
increases become effective from 1 April each year. From 
1 April 2018, Marwan Khalek was entitled to a base salary of 
£362,250, Steve Wright £198,900 and Neil Medley £335,000. 
David Stickland, who joined the Group on 1 September 2018 
was entitled to a base salary of £250,000.

36 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Pension & Benefits
Executive directors are entitled to a pension contribution 
as follows: Marwan Khalek: 22.5%; Steve Wright: 18%, 
David Stickland 12% and Neil Medley 12% of salary on a 
non-contributory basis in the form of a defined contribution 
to a pension plan and/or as a cash supplement. In addition, 
the Executives are entitled to benefits in kind including the 
provision of life assurance, group income protection, and 
private medical insurance.

Annual Bonus
The remuneration policy allows the Committee, at its 
discretion, to make annual cash bonus awards to the 
executive directors, which will normally be limited to a value 
of 100% of salary per annum. 

A sum equal to 50% of the amount that the Group’s Adjusted 
EBITDA exceeds market consensus may, at the Committee’s 
discretion, be allocated to a bonus pool. The pool is then 
allocated by the Committee to the executive directors and 
senior management on a scale basis. 

The following one-off awards were paid from the Employee 
Benefit Trust affiliated to the pre-2015 Group were made  
in the year and are included in the salary and fees amount 
shown in the Directors’ Remuneration Report:

 / Steve Wright £150,000
 / Kevin Godley £110,000
 / Neil Medley £33,000
 / Sir Ralph Robins £30,000
 / Peter Brown £30,000

Long-Term Incentives
No long-term incentives were paid in the year. 

Director’s Loan
In September 2018 the Company provided Neil Medley with a 
short-term loan of £52,000 against certain income tax items 
relating to share based payment awards. At 31 December 
2018 the outstanding balance was £39,000. The loan will be 
repaid in full during 2019. 

Non-Executive Director Fees
Fees for non-executive directors, which are approved by the 
remuneration committee, are set with reference to market 
data, time commitment, and chairmanship of Board 
committees. From 1 April 2018, the Chairman of the Board, 
Sir Ralph Robins, is eligible for a fee of £53,000 per annum. 
The remaining non-executive directors’ annual fees are not 
exceeding £49,000. 

Service Agreements
The executive directors’ Service Agreements provide that their employment with the Company is on a rolling basis,  
subject to written notice being served by either party of not less than 6 months. The current service contracts and letters  
of appointment include the following terms:

Directors

Executive Directors

Marwan Khalek

Steven Wright

Neil Medley

David Stickland

Non-Executive Directors

Sir Ralph Robins

Peter Brown 

Michael Peagram

Chi Keung To

Date of Contract

Notice Period

6 January 2015

6 January 2015

 8 September 2016

20 April 2018

8 December 2014

8 December 2014

8 December 2014

2 March 2018

12 months

12 months

6 months

6 months

3 months

3 months

3 months

3 months

Under these service contracts, the Company may terminate an executive director’s employment immediately by making a 
payment in lieu of base salary, benefits and statutory entitlements, and any bonus or commission payments pro-rated for 
the duration of notice period. No bonus would be payable in the event of an executive director resignation. 

Directors’ Remuneration Report 
The directors received the following remuneration for the financial year ended 31 December 2018:

Salary
& fees 

Bonus 
award

Consultancy
fees

Benefits
in Kind1

Pension

2018
Total

£’000

Executive Directors

Marwan Khalek

Steve Wright

Neil Medley 
(appointed 3 January 2018)

David Stickland 
(appointed 1 September 2018)

Kevin Godley 
(resigned 1 February 2018)

Non-Executive Directors

Sir Ralph Robins

Peter Brown

Richard Steeves 
(appointed 3 January 2018, 
resigned 31 January 2019)

CK To 
(appointed 2 March 2018)

Michael Peagram

357

205

367

59

34

52

48

–

35

21

–

150

33

–

110

30

30

–

–

–

Aggregate Emoluments

1,178

353

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

35

–

26

61

50

6

1

–

1

–

–

–

–

–

80

36

–

8

5

–

–

–

–

–

487

397

401

67

150

82

78

35

35

47

58

129

1,779

2017
Total

459

238

–

–

245

50

46

–

–

44

1,082

1   Including the provision of life assurance, Group income protection, and private medical insurance. 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

37

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION REPORT (CONTINUED)

Statement of Directors’ Interests
The table below sets out the beneficial interests in shares and fully-vested share options of all directors holding office as at 
31 December 2018.

Executive Directors

Marwan Khalek1

Steve Wright

Kevin Godley (resigned)

David Stickland

Neil Medley

Ordinary Shares

Unexercised Share Options

Total Interests

At 31 
December 
2018

At 31 
December 
2017

At 31 
December 
2018

At 31 
December 
2017

At 31 
December 
2018

At 31 
December 
2017

14,179,607

13,924,502

263,188

263,188

–

–

50,000

20,000

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

14,179,607

13,924,502

263,188

263,188

–

–

50,000

20,000

–

–

1  including 3,000,000 shares held in trust for the benefit of family members.

38 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

We recognise our commitment to society and the 
environment. The structure broadly follows that suggested 
by ISO26000, the international standard for helping 
organisations address their social responsibilities and we aim 
to evolve our corporate and social responsibilities practices 
to meet this standard.

Our corporate governance
Our governance structure determines:

 / the expected conduct of our employees at all levels and 

how they represent the company.

 / the need to apply global best practice and comply with 

local legislation to prevent corruption, bribery and other 
such practices from taking place within the business.

 / the need to remain vigilant to the threat of cyber-attack 
and have plans to minimise loss and maintain operations 
if one happens.

Our people
As a service business we fully understand the fundamental 
role of our people, and so we have a duty to inform, educate 
and protect them to the best of our ability. Therefore, 
we will:

 / take a rigorous approach to health and safety, using our 

Safety Management System; seeking to constantly improve 
this.

 / take a rigorous approach to doing business that favours 

understanding why incidents happen and preventing them 
from happening.

 / continue to promote and develop diversity amongst our 
people, managers and leaders, though based on merit.
 / take a sensible approach to employee well-being during 

times of absence, as well as promoting a healthy work/life 
balance. 

 / place a high priority on developing skills.
 / take a proactive approach to developing people’s careers, 

allowing them to make best use of the opportunities 
available within a global organisation.

 / take a proactive approach to vitality, providing regionally 

appropriate employee benefits that encourage our people 
to maintain their health.

Our environment
We will do our utmost to reduce the environmental impact 
of our services wherever possible. In this respect we:

 / seek to minimise harmful emissions and save for Gama 

Aviation (UK) Ltd (whose emissions for 2018 were 16,831), 
the remaining Group companies are exempt from the 
Emission Trading Scheme as each of their individual fuel 
burn was less than 10,000 tonnes for 2018.

 / operate responsible flight procedures and operations to 
limit fuel burned, while maintaining the highest safety 
standards.

 / engage in waste recycling schemes throughout our 

operations, limiting our environmental impact as best  
we can.

 / review all areas of consumption particularly of paper 

through activities such as using Electronic Flight Bags 
(EFB), removing all marketing brochures, and using 
certified sustainable paper stocks.

Our community
As an employer, infrastructure owner and service provider 
we understand we have responsibilities to the communities 
we serve.

We will therefore aim to:

 / build infrastructure that conforms (where operationally  
and financially possible) to the highest prevailing energy 
and material conservation standards.

 / invest socially in schemes that support the communities  

we serve or are present in.

 / provide opportunities to local communities with 

internships, apprenticeships and full-time employment.
 / help our employees promote vitality and health within  

the community.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

39

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ DIRECTORS’ REPORT

The directors present their report together with the audited 
financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2018.

Directors
The directors who served the company throughout the 
period were as follows:

Sir R Robins 
M Khalek 
S Wright 
N Medley (appointed 3 January 2018) 
K Godley (resigned 1 February 2018) 
P Brown 
M Peagram  
Dr R Steeves (appointed 3 January 2018, 
resigned 31 January 2019) 
CK To (appointed 2 March 2018) 
D Stickland (appointed 1 September 2018)

Dividends
The Group remains committed to maintaining a progressive 
dividend policy. However, given the statutory result of the 
Group for the year the directors are recommending a one-off 
deviation from this policy and are proposing a dividend of 
2.00 pence per share.

Post balance sheet events
These are detailed in note 36 of the financial statements.

Principal activities
The Group is one of the world’s largest business aviation 
service providers, providing management, charter, special 
missions, logistics, maintenance, design and FBO services  
to our business aviation customers. 

Employment of disabled persons
The Group gives full consideration to applications for 
employment from disabled persons where the requirements 
of the jobs can be adequately fulfilled by a handicapped or 
disabled person. Where an existing employee becomes 
disabled, it is the Group’s policy wherever practicable to 
provide continuing employment under normal terms and 
conditions and to provide training and career development 
and promotion to disabled employees wherever appropriate.

Employee involvement
During the year the policy of providing employees with 
information about the Group has been continued through 
internal media methods in which employees have also been 
encouraged to present their suggestions and views on the 
Group’s performance. Regular meetings are held between 
local management and employees to allow a free flow of 
information and ideas. 

Matters included in the strategic report
Financial risk management policies and objectives and  
future developments are covered in the strategic report.

Qualifying third party indemnity provisions
The Group has made qualifying third-party indemnity 
provisions for the benefit of its directors which were  
in place during the year and to the date of this report.

40 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Directors’ responsibilities statement
The directors are responsible for preparing the Group’s 
strategic report, directors’ report, and the financial 
statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations. 

Company law requires the directors to prepare financial 
statements for each financial year. Under that law, the 
directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in 
accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards 
(“IFRS”) as adopted by the E.U. and have elected to prepare 
company financial statements in accordance with United 
Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice including 
FRS 101 ‘Reduced Disclosure Framework’. Under company 
law, the directors must not approve the financial statements 
unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of 
the state of affairs of the Group and of the profit or loss of 
the Group for that year. In preparing these financial 
statements, the directors are required to:

 / select suitable accounting policies and then apply them 

consistently;

 / make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and 

prudent;

 / state whether applicable International Financial Reporting 

Standards have been followed; and

 / prepare the financial statements on the going concern 

basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Group 
will continue in business.

The directors are responsible for keeping adequate 
accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain 
the Group’s transactions and disclose with reasonable 
accuracy at any time the financial position of the Group and 
enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply 
with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for 
safeguarding the assets of the Group and hence for taking 
reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud 
and other irregularities.

Going concern
The directors have performed a detailed analysis of the cash 
flow projections for the Group covering the period through 
to the financial year ended 31 December 2019 and beyond. 
The key assumptions in this forecast include the profitable 
growth of the trading businesses and the knowledge that  
the Group has significant headroom in its debt covenants 
after consideration of existing commitments.

The directors note that at the time of the approval of  
the financial statements the Group had access to a $50m 
revolving credit facility, of which $30m was undrawn  
at the signing of the accounts.

The directors have, at the time of approving the financial 
statements, a reasonable expectation that the Company and 
the Group have adequate resources to continue in operational 
existence for the foreseeable future. Thus, they continue to 
adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the 
financial statements.

Disclosure of information to the auditor
Each of the persons who is a director at the date of the 
approval of this report confirms that:

 / So far as the director is aware, there is no relevant audit 
information of which the Group’s auditor is unaware; and
 / the director has taken all steps that he ought to have taken 
as a director to make himself aware of any relevant audit 
information and to establish that the Group’s auditor is 
aware of that information.

Auditors
In accordance with section 489(4) of the Companies Act 
2006 a resolution to reappoint Grant Thornton UK LLP as 
auditor of the Company will be proposed at the forthcoming 
annual general meeting.

Marwan Khalek
Director

23 April 2019

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

41

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSPERFORMANCE  
Driven

Financial statements

Independent auditor’s report
Consolidated income statement
Consolidated statement of comprehensive income
Consolidated balance sheet
Consolidated statement of changes in equity
Consolidated cash flow statement
Notes to the financial statements
Parent company independent auditor’s report
Parent company statement of financial position
Parent company statement of changes in equity
Notes to the parent company financial statements

Your mission, our passion.

42 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

PERFORMANCE  

Driven

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

43

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

Independent auditor’s report to the members 
of Gama Aviation Plc

Opinion: Our opinion on the group financial statements 
is unmodified

We have audited the group financial statements of Gama 
Aviation Plc for the year ended 31 December 2018, which 
comprise the Consolidated Income Statement, the 
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income, the 
Consolidated Balance Sheet, the Consolidated Statement  
of Changes in Equity, the Consolidated Cash flow Statement 
and notes to the financial statements, including a summary 
of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting 
framework that has been applied in their preparation is 
applicable law and International Financial Reporting 
Standards (IFRSs) as adopted by the European Union. 

In our opinion, the group financial statements:

 / give a true and fair view of the state of the group’s affairs 
as at 31 December 2018 and of its loss for the year then 
ended; and

 / have been properly prepared in accordance with IFRSs as 

adopted by the European Union.

 / have been prepared in accordance with the requirements 

of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International 
Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. 
Our responsibilities under those standards are further 
described in the ‘Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the 
group financial statements section’ of our report. We are 
independent of the group in accordance with the ethical 
requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial 
statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard 
as applied to listed entities, and we have fulfilled our  
other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these 
requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have 
obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for 
our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern
We have nothing to report in respect of the following 
matters in relation to which the ISAs (UK) require us to 
report to you where:

 / the directors’ use of the going concern basis of accounting 
in the preparation of the group financial statements is not 
appropriate; or

 / the directors have not disclosed in the financial statements 

any identified material uncertainties that may cast 
significant doubt about the group’s ability to continue to 
adopt the going concern basis of accounting for a period of 
at least twelve months from the date when the financial 
statements are authorised for issue.

Overview of our audit approach
 / Overall materiality: $500,000, which represents 5% of the 

group’s profit before tax from continuing operations, 
excluding exceptional and one-off items at the planning 
stage of the audit.

 / Key audit matters were identified as revenue recognition, 
related party transactions, presentation of alternative 
performance measures, impairment of non-current assets 
and management override of controls.

 / The components of the group that were subject to 

full-scope or targeted audit procedures made up 90%  
of consolidated revenues and 89% of total assets.

Key audit matters
The graph below depicts the audit risks identified and their 
relative significance based on the extent of the financial 
statement impact and the extent of management 
judgement. 

Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional 
judgment, were of most significance in our audit of the 
group financial statements of the current period and include 
the most significant assessed risks of material misstatement 
(whether or not due to fraud) that we identified. These 
matters included those that had the greatest effect on: the 
overall audit strategy; the allocation of resources in the 
audit; and directing the efforts of the engagement team. 
These matters were addressed in the context of our audit of 
the group financial statements as a whole, and in forming 
our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate 
opinion on these matters.

High

Potential
financial
statement
impact

Revenue
recognition

Related party
transactions

Impairment of 
non-current assets

Presentation
of alternative
performance 
measures

Management
override
of controls

Employee 
remuneration

Creditor 
completeness

Inventory 
valuation and 
existence 

Debtors’ recoverability 
and legal disputes

Valuation of 
tangible assets

Low

Low

Extent of management judgement

High

44 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

 
Key Audit Matters

How the matter was addressed in the audit

Revenue recognition
Revenues of $234.8 million have been recognised in the 
year ended 31 December 2018, arising substantially from 
the sale of services. 

Revenue is the most significant item in the consolidated 
income statement and impacts a number of key 
performance indicators, and key strategic indicators set out 
in the Chief Executive’s Statement and Strategic Report. 

Our audit work included, but was not restricted to: 

 / Assessing the stated accounting policies by reference  

to the requirements of IFRS 15

 / Testing a sample of revenue transactions to confirm 

whether revenue has been recognised in accordance with 
the terms of the contract and the requirements of IFRS 15

 / Challenging management’s assessment of the impact of 
IFRS 15 and corroborating their conclusions by reference  
to contract terms

There is a risk of incorrect revenue recognition, arising from:

 / Testing a sample of individual revenue items during the 

 / recognition of revenue without entitlement to that revenue;
 / revenue is not recognised in accordance with IFRSs as 

adopted by the European Union; and 

 / specific significant and complex contracts

We therefore identified revenue recognition as a significant 
risk, which was one of the most significant assessed risks 
of material misstatement.

Related party transactions 
The group financial statements include a number of related 
party transactions which leads to a risk that the financial 
results are influenced through favourable terms being 
applied to transactions with such parties. 

In addition a prior year restatement has been processed  
in the financial statements related to a transaction with 
Gama Aviation LLC, an associate entity.

We therefore identified the completeness together with 
presentation and disclosure of related party transactions  
as a significant risk, which was one of the most significant 
assessed risks of material misstatement.

year and around the year-end, agreeing items selected for 
testing through to flight management system and 
evidence of flight taking place, performing proof in total 
calculations and checking contracts exist for revenue 
recognised; and

 / Performing analytical review procedures to identify 

significant fluctuations and trends and obtain supporting 
evidence of unusual variances.

The group’s accounting policy on revenue is shown in note 2 
to the financial statements and related disclosures are 
included in note 4. 

Key observations
No material misstatements were identified.

Our audit work included, but was not restricted to: 

 / assessing management’s process to ensure the 

completeness of disclosures in relation to related parties 
and evaluating its effectiveness.

 / Using data analytics and data interrogation techniques to 

identify journal entries relating to related party transactions; 
including corroborating any entries to source documentation; 

 / Consideration of management judgments in relation to 

what constituted a related party and evaluating these in 
the context of the requirements and definitions in IAS 24, 
the Companies Act and the AIM rules; and

 / Comparing the financial statement disclosure to the 

information obtained from component auditors, to third 
party evidence and to other information and knowledge 
obtained during the audit to evaluate whether the 
disclosures are complete 

 / Evaluating the appropriateness of management’s 

accounting for the prior year restatement in respect  
of the transactions with the group’s associate entity,  
and the adequacy of the associated disclosures in the 
financial statements

 / Evaluating the evidence supporting specific cash 

transactions between the Group and its US associate  
in the current and prior year. 

The group’s related party disclosures are included in note 37. 
The explanation for the prior year restatement is included 
within note 2.

Key observations
Based on our audit work, we concluded that the 
presentation and disclosure of related party transactions 
was appropriate. 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

45

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT (CONTINUED)
/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

Key Audit Matters

Presentation of alternative performance measures
The group financial statements comprise $11.9m 
(2017: $2.6m) of costs incurred in the year, which have  
been classified as exceptional (excluding impairments).

The group presented adjusted performance measures on 
the face of its consolidated income statement. These 
measures included adjusted EBITDA, EBIT and profit/loss. 
Management believes that these performance measures 
provide investors with a means of evaluating performance 
of the Group on a consistent basis and in a way that is 
similar to the way in which management evaluates 
performance. Management consider that these non-
recurring, infrequent or non-cash items are not indicative  
of the underlying operating performance of the group. 

As this is an area of judgment we identified the presentation 
of recurring items as exceptional as a significant risk, which 
was one of the most significant assessed risks of material 
misstatement.

Impairment of non-current assets
The directors are required to make an annual assessment  
to determine whether the Group’s goodwill which stands  
at $20.1 million is impaired. As a result of indicators of 
impairment the Group also assessed if its $8.4 million of 
intangible assets was also impaired.

The process for assessing whether impairment exists under 
International Accounting Standard (IAS) 36 ‘Impairment  
of assets’ is complex. The process of determining the  
value in use, through forecasting cash flows related to  
cash generating units (CGUs) and the determination of  
the appropriate discount rate and other assumptions to  
be applied can be highly judgemental and can significantly 
impact the results of the impairment review.

We therefore identified impairment of non-current assets 
as a significant risk, which was one of the most significant 
assessed risks of material misstatement.

How the matter was addressed in the audit

Our audit work included, but was not restricted to: 

 / Obtaining a breakdown of exceptional items, agreeing to 
third party support and considering the sufficiency of 
disclosures explaining the nature of the exceptional items;

 / Checking items presented as exceptional are consistent 
and appropriately classified in accordance with Group 
accounting policies by comparing key headings in 
disclosure to specifics of accounting policy; and

 / Checking disclosures in the annual report are consistent 
with the treatment in prior periods via comparison of  
items included year on year.

The group’s accounting policy on exceptional items is shown 
in note 2 to the financial statements and related disclosures 
are included in note 6. 

Key observations
The financial statements include extensive disclosure over 
the presentation and calculation of these alternative 
performance measures. Based on our audit work, we 
concluded that this is a very judgmental area but that  
those items presented as exceptional are consistent  
with the disclosure provided, as they are significant  
to the underlying results of the Group. We identified 
misstatements amounting to $1,395k which management 
adjusted to remove these costs from exceptional as it  
was not considered appropriate to include them in such  
a presentation. 

Our audit work included, but was not restricted to: 

 / obtaining management’s impairment analysis and 
recalculating the arithmetical accuracy of those 
calculations including the sensitivity analyses

 / engaging Grant Thornton valuation specialists to  
support with comparing the assumptions utilised  
in the impairment models, including growth rates,  
discount rates and terminal values to budgets,  
previous results and third party support;

 / challenging management’s assessment of impairment 

indicators relating to intangible assets; 

 / comparing current market capitalisation to carrying value 
of net assets and calculated value in use for the Group; 

 / testing the accuracy of management’s forecasting  
through a comparison of budget to actual data and 
historical variance trends and reviewing the cash flows  
for exceptional or unusual items or assumptions; and

 / considering the detailed disclosures to ensure information 
provided in the financial statements is compliant with the 
requirements of IAS 36 and consistent with the results of 
the impairment review.

The group’s accounting policies on non-current assets are 
shown in note 2 to the financial statements and related 
disclosures are included in notes 14 and 15. 

Key observations
The group has recognised an impairment in the year of 
$27.7m. Based on our audit work, we have identified no 
further impairment of the intangible assets required to  
be recognised in the financial statements. 

46 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Key Audit Matters

Management override of controls
The group financial statements comprise a number  
of accounting estimates made by management, which  
leads to a risk that the financial results are influenced 
through management bias in determining such estimates. 

We therefore identified management override as a 
significant risk, which was one of the most significant 
assessed risks of material misstatement.

How the matter was addressed in the audit

Our audit work included, but was not restricted to: 

 / Comparison of accounting estimates, judgements and 
decision made by management to third party and post 
balance sheet evidence;

 / Using data analytics and data interrogation techniques to 

identify journal entries with increased risk and ensure journals 
are in line with expectations; including corroborating any 
unusual entries to source documentation; 

Key observations
Based on our audit work, we concluded that the accounting 
estimates in the financial statements were reasonable. 

Our application of materiality
We define materiality as the magnitude of misstatement in the financial statements that makes it probable that the 
economic decisions of a reasonably knowledgeable person would be changed or influenced. We use materiality in 
determining the nature, timing and extent of our audit work and in evaluating the results of that work. 

We determined materiality for the audit of the group financial statements as a whole to be $500,000, which is 5% of the 
group’s profit before tax from continuing operations, excluding any exceptional and one-off items at the planning stage of 
the audit. This benchmark is considered the most appropriate because it is a key focus area for management and the users  
of the accounts and represents underlying profitability of the business.

Materiality for the current year is lower than the level that we determined for the year ended 31 December 2017, reflecting 
the change in reported results.

We use a different level of materiality, performance materiality, to drive the extent of our testing and this was set at 60%  
of financial statement materiality for the audit of the group financial statements. 

The graph below illustrates how performance materiality interacts with our overall materiality and the tolerance for 
potential uncorrected misstatements.

Overall materiality

Performance materiality       60%
Tolerance for potential 
uncorrected mistatements  40%

We also determine a lower level of specific materiality for directors’ remuneration and related party transactions. 

We determined the threshold at which we will communicate misstatements to the audit committee to be $25,000.  
In addition, we will communicate misstatements below that threshold that, in our view, warrant reporting on  
qualitative grounds.

An overview of the scope of our audit
Our audit approach was based on a thorough understanding of the Group’s business and is risk-based. An interim visit  
was conducted before the year end for all significant components of the Group to complete advance substantive audit 
procedures and to evaluate the Group’s internal controls environment including its IT systems. The components of the  
Group were evaluated by the Group audit team based on a measure of materiality considering each as a percentage of  
total Group assets, liabilities, revenues and profit before taxes, to assess the significance of the component and to  
determine the planned audit response. 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

47

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS 
/ INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT (CONTINUED)
/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

For those components that were evaluated as significant, either a full-scope or targeted audit approach was determined 
based on their relative materiality to the Group and our assessment of the audit risk. For significant components requiring  
a full-scope approach, we evaluated controls over the financial reporting systems identified as part of our risk assessment, 
reviewed the accounts production process and addressed critical accounting matters. We then undertook substantive testing 
on significant transactions and material account balances. 

In order to address the audit risks described above as identified during our planning procedures, we performed a full-scope 
audit of the financial statements of the Parent Company, and of the financial information of Gama Aviation (UK) Limited, 
Gama Group Limited, Gama Aviation (Engineering) Limited, Flyertech Limited, Gama Aviation (Engineering) Inc. Component 
auditors performed full scope audits of Gama Group Inc, Gama Aviation FZE and Gama Support Services FZC. We performed 
targeted procedures over the other component entities in Jersey. The operations that were subject to full-scope or targeted 
audit procedures made up 90% of consolidated revenues, and 89% of total assets. Statutory audits of subsidiaries, where 
required by local laws, were performed to lower materiality where applicable.

Revenues

Full scope 
Targeted procedures
Analytical procedures 

Total assets
Full scope 
Targeted procedures
Analytical procedures 

Other information
The directors are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the 
annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements 
does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express 
any form of assurance conclusion thereon. 

In connection with our audit of the group financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and,  
in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the group financial statements or our 
knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies 
or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement of the group 
financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we 
conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. 

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Our opinion on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006 is unmodified
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

 / the information given in the strategic report and the directors’ report for the financial year for which the group financial 

statements are prepared is consistent with the group financial statements; and

 / the strategic report and the directors’ report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report under the Companies Act 2006
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, 
we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report or the directors’ report.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires  
us to report to you if, in our opinion:

 / certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
 / we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit. 

48 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Responsibilities of directors for the financial statements
As explained more fully in the directors’ responsibilities statement set out on page 33, the directors are responsible for the 
preparation of the group financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal 
control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of group financial statements that are free from 
material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the group financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the group’s ability to continue as a 
going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting 
unless the directors either intend to liquidate the group or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the group financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the group financial statements as a whole are free from 
material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable 
assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always 
detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, 
individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken 
on the basis of these group financial statements.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting 
Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Other matter
We have reported separately on the parent company financial statements of Gama Aviation Plc for the year ended 
31 December 2018. That report includes details of the parent company key audit matters; how we applied the concept  
of materiality in planning and performing our audit; and an overview of the scope of our audit. 

Use of our report
This report is made solely to the company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies 
Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company’s members those matters we are 
required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not 
accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company and the company’s members as a body, for our audit 
work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed. 

Nicholas Watson BSc ACA 
Senior Statutory Auditor
for and on behalf of Grant Thornton UK LLP 
Statutory Auditor, Chartered Accountants 
London

23 April 2019

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

49

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT
/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

Year ended 31 December 2018

Year ended 31 December 2017 
(restated)*

Statutory 
result
$’000

Adjust-
ments
$’000

Adjusted 
result
$’000

Statutory 
result
$’000

Adjust-
ments
$’000

Adjusted 
result
$’000

Note

Continuing operations:

Revenue 

Cost of sales

Gross profit

Administrative expenses

– impairment loss

– depreciation and amortisation

Total administrative expenses

Operating (loss)/profit

Share of results from equity
accounted investments

Profit on step acquisition/profit on
disposal of interest in associates

 4

234,837

(189,784)

45,053

–

–

–

234,837

207,360

(189,784)

(161,742)

45,053

45,618

–

–

–

207,360

(161,742)

45,618

(44,242)

12,533

(31,709)

(28,828)

2,817

(26,011)

(27,708)

27,708

–

–

(5,067)

2,484

(2,583)

(3,286)

(77,017)

42,725

(34,292)

(32,114)

–

1,440

4,257

–

(1,846)

(27,857)

 4

 6

 5

(31,964)

42,725

10,761

13,504

4,257

17,761

18 

566

–

566

2,327

(1,804)

523

986

(986)

–

1,564

(1,564)

–

Earnings before interest and taxation

Finance income

Finance expense

 5

 9

 10

(30,412)

41,739

11,327

17,395

889

18,284

586

(954)

–

–

586

–

(954)

(1,709)

–

–

–

(1,709)

(Loss)/profit before tax from
continuing operations

(30,780)

41,739

10,959

15,686

889

16,575

Taxation 

 11

(1,521)

–

(1,521)

(3,886)

–

(3,886)

(Loss)/profit after tax from continuing 
operations

(32,301)

41,739

9,438

11,800

889

12,689

Discontinued operations:

Loss after tax for the year from 
discontinued operations

(Loss)/profit for the year

Attributable to:

Owners of the Company

Non-controlling interests

*  The cash transaction restatement is detailed in Note 2

 7

(767)

–

(767)

(1,952)

–

(1,952)

(33,068)

41,739

8,671

9,848

889

10,737

(33,082)

41,757

8,675

14

(18)

(4)

9,802

46

885

10,687

4

50

50 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/ CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

(Loss)/profit for the year

Items that may be reclassified to profit or loss:

Exchange differences on translation of foreign operations

Gains on cash flow hedges

Total comprehensive (loss)/income for the year

Total comprehensive (loss)/income is attributable to:

Owners of the Company

Non-controlling interest

Note

35

Earnings per share attributable to the equity holders of the parent

12

basic (cents)

diluted (cents)

basic – continuing operations (cents)

diluted – continuing operations (cents)

*  The cash transaction restatement is detailed in Note 2

Year
ended
2018
$’000

(33,068)

Year
ended
2017

(restated)*

$’000

9,848

(7,211)

–

2,732

127

(40,279)

12,707

(40,265)

12,753

(14)

(46)

(40,279)

12,707

(54.82)c

(54.82)c

22.28c

22.05c

(53.55)c

(53.55)c

26.72c

26.45c

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

51

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET 
/ AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2018

Non-current assets

Goodwill 

Other intangible assets 

Total intangible assets

Property, plant and equipment 

Investments accounted for using equity method

Deferred tax asset

Current assets

Assets held for resale

Inventories

Trade and other receivables 

Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets

Current liabilities

Trade and other payables 

Obligations under finance leases 

Provisions for liabilities

Borrowings 

Deferred revenue

Total assets less current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Borrowings 

Obligations under finance leases

Deferred tax liabilities

Total liabilities

Net assets

Shareholders’ equity

Share capital 

Share premium 

Other reserves

Foreign exchange reserve

Accumulated (loss)/profit

Total shareholders’ equity

Non-controlling interest

Total equity

Note

14

15

16

18

22

16

19

20

2018
$’000

20,114

8,355

28,469

22,248

18,287

2,665

71,669

–

10,680

58,300

10,020

79,000

2017

(restated)*

$’000

40,716

11,564

52,280

20,051

1,721

2,689

76,741

1,500

9,705

47,718

22,349

81,272

150,669

158,013

24

(50,160)

(49,496)

21, 23

(1,669)

30

21

34

21

21, 23

22

25

25

25

26

–

(9,850)

(4,300)

(65,979)

84,690

–

(1,387)

(1,639)

(3,026)

(69,005)

81,664

953

63,473

62,369

(28,015)

(18,654)

80,126

1,538

81,664

(1,654)

(540)

(35,655)

(4,388)

(91,734)

66,279

(1,012)

(2,013)

(1,549)

(4,574)

(91,924)

61,705

684

–

61,699

(20,797)

18,595

60,181

1,524

61,705

*  The cash transaction restatement is detailed in Note 2

The financial statements were approved by the Board of directors and authorised for issue on 23 April 2019, and are signed 
on their behalf by:

David Stickland
Director

52 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

Share  
capital
$’000

Share 
premium
$’000

Other 
reserves
$’000

Foreign 
exchange 
reserve
$’000

Accumulated 
profit/
(losses)
$’000

Total 
shareholders’ 
equity
$’000

Non-
controlling 
interest
$’000

Total equity
$’000

Balance at 
31 December 
2016 (restated)*

Profit for the year 

Other 
comprehensive 
income

Total 
comprehensive 
income for the 
year

Cost of share-
based payments

Dividend paid

Acquisition of 
non-controlling 
interest

Balance at
31 December 
2017

IFRS 9 
adjustment

IFRS 15 
adjustment

Balance at
31 December 
2017 (restated)

Loss for the year

Other 
comprehensive 
income

Total 
comprehensive 
loss for the year

Issuance of 
shares

Cost of share-
based payments

Dividend paid

Balance at
31 December 
2018

684

–

–

–

–

–

–

684

–

–

684

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

269

63,473

61,377

(23,529)

16,286

54,818

–

–

9,802

9,802

581

46

55,399

9,848

127

2,732

–

2,859

–

2,859

127

195

–

–

2,732

9,802

12,661

46

12,707

–

–

–

–

195

(1,496)

(1,496)

–

–

195

(1,496)

(5,997)

(5,997)

897

(5,100)

61,699

(20,797)

18,595

60,181

1,524

61,705

–

–

–

–

(327)

(327)

(1,534)

(1,534)

–

–

(327)

(1,534)

61,699

(20,797)

16,734

58,320

1,524

59,844

–

–

–

–

–

(33,082)

(33,082)

14

(33,068)

(7,218)

–

(7,218)

–

(7,218)

(7,218)

(33,082)

(40,300)

14

(40,286)

–

–

–

–

–

63,742

670

(2,306)

(2,306)

–

–

–

63,742

670

(2,306)

–

–

–

–

670

–

953

63,473

62,369

(28,015)

(18,654)

80,126

1,538

81,664

*  The 2016 balance sheet was restated in the 2017 financial statements for a late revision to the original merger accounting, which had omitted a 

legacy liability acquired from Hangar8 plc at the time of the merger.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

53

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT
/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

Net cash (expended on)/generated by operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities 

Purchases of property, plant and equipment

Purchases of intangibles

Proceeds on disposal of assets held for sale

Purchase of interest in associate

Acquisition of subsidiary, net of cash acquired

Net cash used in investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities 

Issue of shares (net of share issue costs)

Consideration for acquisition of non-controlling interest

Repayments of obligations under finance leases

Proceeds from borrowings

Repayment of borrowings

Dividend paid to equity holders of the parent

Net cash from/(used in) financing activities

Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of year 

Effect of foreign exchange rates 

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of year 

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and bank balances

*  The cash transaction restatement is detailed in Note 2

Note

27

16

7

18

28

28

28

Year 
ended 
2018
$’000

Year 
ended 
2017

(restated)*

$’000

(21,371)

13,475

(5,425)

(3,171)

1,500

(16,000)

(2,590)

(25,686)

63,742

–

(611)

10,304

(35,680)

(2,313)

35,442

(11,615)

22,349

(714)

(8,498)

(1,573)

5,550

–

–

(4,521)

–

(5,100)

(1,953)

13,237

(4,000)

(1,495)

689

9,643

11,174

1,532

10,020

22,349

2018
$’000

2017
$’000

10,020

22,349

Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash and bank balances. The carrying amount of these assets is approximately equal  
to their fair value.

54 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

1. General information
Gama Aviation Plc is incorporated in the United Kingdom. The address of the registered office is the Business Aviation Centre, 
Farnborough Airport, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 6XA. The nature of the Group’s operations and its principal activities 
are set out in the directors’ report.

The Group financial statements consolidate the financial statements of Gama Aviation Plc and all its subsidiary undertakings 
drawn up to 31 December each year.

2. Accounting policies
Basis of accounting
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) adopted 
for use in the European Union (EU) and therefore comply with Article 4 of the EU IAS legislation and with those parts of  
the Companies Act 2006 that are applicable to companies reporting under IFRS. The financial statements have also been 
prepared in accordance with IFRS and IFRS Interpretations Committee (IFRS IC) interpretations issued and effective at the 
time of preparing these accounts. 

The principle Group accounting policies are explained below and have been applied consistently throughout the years ended 
31 December 2017 and 31 December 2018 other than those noted below. 

The Group accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention. 

Restatements 
The balance sheet for 2017 has been restated for the following items:

To reflect the first-time adoption of IFRS 9 and IFRS 15, the Group has chosen to apply the modified retrospective restatement 
method permitted under transitional provisions in both new standards. See next section of note 2 for further details.

In addition, the Group’s financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2017 included a cash receipt of $5.0m from the 
Group’s US Air Associate, Gama Aviation LLC, which the Board has now determined is, in substance, a short-term loan. The 
cash, which was received on 29 December 2017 and repaid on 2 January 2018, was previously included in Trade and Other 
Payables but has now been reclassified to Borrowings in the comparative figures for 2017.

This has the effect of increasing borrowings and net debt by $5.0m at 31 December 2017 and reducing operating cashflows 
and increasing financing cashflows in the Cash Flow Statement for the year ended 31 December 2017. The 2017 opening 
balance sheet is unaffected by this transaction. This reclassification does not change the previously disclosed amounts for 
Current Liabilities or Net Assets, nor does it impact the Income Statement or Earning Per Share for the prior period. 

There was also a short-term borrowing cash transaction with the LLC of $5.0m at June 2017. There was no cash transaction 
at year end 2016, so the 2017 opening balance sheet is also unaffected by the June 2017 transaction.

The results for 2017 have been restated for the following items:

 / An adjustment to reclassify $1,600,000 of Group charges from cost of sales to administrative expenses to ensure that the 
Group income and costs eliminate on the same line of the income statement, which was properly determined to be below 
the gross profit line. This adjustment does not impact operating profit; and

 / The effects of discontinuing an operation in the current year. Gama Aviation SA, the Group’s Swiss operation was closed at 
the beginning of 2018, accordingly, in line with IFRS 5 the results for the comparative period have been restated to remove 
$460,000 of profit from continuing operations. This has been included within total discontinued operations loss of 
$1,952,000 shown within the income statement.

Adoption of new and revised standards
IFRS 9 ‘Financial Instruments’
For the Group, transition to IFRS 9 is effective from 1 January 2018. The Group has elected not to restate comparatives on 
initial application of IFRS 9, the opening impact of adoption of IFRS 9 will be recognised in reserves. 

IFRS 9 provides a new expected losses impairment model for financial assets, including trade receivables, and includes 
amendments to classification and measurement of financial instruments. An accounting policy choice is available with 
regards to applying the new hedge accounting requirements or retaining IAS 39. The Group has elected to retain IAS 39. 

Prior to adoption of IFRS 9 the Group has undertaken an impact assessment of this new standard on its financial statements. 
The Group’s use of financial instruments is limited to short-term trading balances such as receivables and payables and 
therefore, the standard impacts the Group’s classification of financial instruments and the measurement of impairment  
of short-term financial assets. 

As part of the impact assessment, using the simplified approach allowed by the standard, the Group established an 
appropriate impairment model and accompanying processes to be applied to receivables by its companies and has required 
them to recalculate their provision for impairment at 31 December 2017 using this new methodology. The impact was the 
recognition of an increase in provision of $327,000 across the Group arising where certain companies have historically held 
lower provisions than the new impairment loss model implies is appropriate. 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

55

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS2. Accounting policies (continued)
In accordance with IFRS 9, this adjustment has been reflected as an opening retained earnings adjustment in these 
consolidated financial statements.

IFRS 15 ‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers’ 
For the Group, transition to IFRS 15 is effective from 1 January 2018. The Group has chosen to retain prior period figures  
as reported under the previous standards, recognising the cumulative effect of applying IFRS 15 as an adjustment to the 
opening balance of equity as at the date of initial application (beginning of current reporting period).

IFRS 15 replaces existing revenue guidance including: 

 / IAS 18 Revenue 
 / IAS 11 Construction contracts
 / IFRIC 13 Customer loyalty programmes 

IFRS 15 sets out the requirements for recognising revenue from contracts with customers. The standard requires entities to 
apportion revenue earned from contracts to individual promises, or performance obligations, on a stand-alone selling price 
basis, based on a five-step model.

The Group has successfully completed its transition exercise in quantifying the full impact of this standard. Having performed 
an impact assessment in 2017, during 2018 the Group has worked through a comprehensive transition exercise at each  
of its subsidiaries. The autonomous nature of the Group means that each subsidiary sets its own terms and conditions  
and operating procedures and as such this was the appropriate level for the transition exercise. The transition exercise  
has involved scoping the Group’s revenues to identify revenue streams with similar commercial terms and performing  
sample contract reviews to determine the appropriate revenue recognition under IFRS 15. 

The following area of potential difference was identified from our initial impact assessment and was investigated as part  
of our transition exercise: 

 / Some of the companies have variable consideration arrangements with their customers. Having reviewed the details  

of these arrangements against IFRS 15 and current accounting practices, except for the specific transition adjustments 
noted below, which represent one-time adjustments, there is no change in the timing or quantum of revenue recognition.

Based on our work, most of our companies are unaffected, but have implemented process changes to comply with IFRS 15 
now and in the future. A small number of our companies have individually material adjustments to their balance sheets 
through acceleration or deferral of revenue on the opening balance sheet.

Specific transition adjustments
The net impact to the opening balance sheet is a credit to accrued income of $1,534,000 with a corresponding debit to 
retained earnings. The credit of $1,534,000 comprises the following:

 / A credit to accrued income of $475,000 relating to a new aircraft management contract in the US Air Division. The formal 
contract, including agreed payment terms, was established in 2018 and settled later in the year. Under IAS 18 the Group 
had previously concluded that substantial risks and rewards had been transferred to the customer;

 / A credit to accrued income of $1,000,000 relating to a branding fee termination agreement with Merritt Property LLC (see note 
37), which was determined to have been recognised prior to a formal contract being established as defined in IFRS 15. Under 
IAS 18 the Group had previously concluded that substantial risks and rewards had been transferred to the customer; and
 / A net credit of $59k arising in the US Ground Division representing an immaterial adjustment to the 2017 opening and 

closing balance sheets resulting from adjustments to engineering labour hour revenue on work in progress. The adjustment 
arose as a result of process changes designed to ensure that outstanding performance obligations could be measured 
accurately for the purposes of disclosure under IFRS 15.

Line by line impact on loss for the year:

Increase in revenue due to changes in the timing of aircraft management revenue

Increase in revenue due to adjustment to accrued income for delay to contract formation 

Increase in revenue for other timing differences

Total increase in revenue and reduction of loss for the year

Year
ended
2018
$’000

475

1,000

59

1,534

There was no change in cost of sales relating to any item disclosed above, because costs were determined to have been 
recorded in line with the revised revenue recognition treatment.

56 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018Line by line impact on assets, liabilities and equity at 1 January 2018:

Decrease in accrued income presented within current assets

Total decrease in opening retained earnings

Line by line impact on operating cash flow for the year:

Increase in revenue and reduction of loss for the year

IFRS 15 adjustment to opening balance sheet in net loss generated from operations (see note 27)

Net impact on operating cash flow for the year

Year
ended
2018
$’000

1,534

1,534

Year
ended
2018
$’000

1,534

(1,534)

–

Standards and Interpretations in issue but not yet effective
At the date of authorisation of these financial statements, the following Standards and Interpretations which have not been 
applied in these financial statements were in issue but not yet effective (and in some cases had not yet been adopted by the EU):

 / IFRS 16 Leases

IFRS 16 ‘Leases’
For the Group, transition to IFRS 16 will take effect from 1 January 2019. The half year results for the period ending 30 June 
2019 will be IFRS 16 compliant with the first Annual Report published in accordance with IFRS 16 being for the year ending 
31 December 2019.

IFRS 16 replaces existing lease guidance including:

 / IAS 17 Leases 
 / IFRIC 4 Determining whether an arrangement contains a lease 
 / SIC 15 Operating leases – Incentives 
 / SIC 27 evaluating the substance of transactions involving the legal form of a lease 

IFRS 16 provides a single on-balance sheet accounting model for lessees which recognises a right of use asset, representing 
its right to use the underlying asset, and lease liability, representing its obligations to make payment in respect of the use of 
the underlying asset. The distinction between finance and operating leases for lessees is removed. Lessor accounting remains 
similar to the existing standard with no significant impact expected.

The Group will opt to apply the exemptions available in respect of leases which are less than 12 months long and those which 
have been classified as leases of low-value items. In addition, the Group will apply the practical expedient allowing for IFRS 
16 to be applied to all contracts previously assessed as containing a lease under IAS 17 and IFRIC 4 without reassessing 
whether such contracts meet the definition of a lease under IFRS 16. The Group expects to apply the modified approach, 
which will be taken with optional practical expedients. 

The most significant impact currently identified is that the Group’s aircraft and hangar operating leases will be brought  
on to the balance sheet. Further assessment of other leases is currently ongoing. The actual impact of applying IFRS 16  
is dependent on future economic conditions including: 

 / movements in the Group’s borrowing rate to 31 December 2019; 
 / the composition of the Group’s lease portfolio at transition date; 
 / the Group’s view on whether renewal options will be exercised; and 
 / the Group’s final decisions regarding the use of recognition exemptions and practical expedients for transition. 

The Group’s future lease commitments for aircraft and hangar operating leases at the balance sheet date, which provides  
an indicator of the value to be brought on to the balance sheet, is $55m. 

In addition, the profile of expenses related to leasing arrangements will change. Straight line operating lease expenses will  
be replaced by the recognition of depreciation of the right-of-use asset and interest charges on lease liabilities. 

No significant impacts are expected in relation to leases currently classified as finance leases in the Group financial statements.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

57

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS2. Accounting policies (continued)
Use of Alternative performance measures (APMs) 
In the reporting of financial information, the Group refers to certain measures of performance that are not specified or 
required under IFRS, the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) applied in the preparation of the annual report 
and accounts. The directors believe that adjusted profit and earnings per share measures provide additional and more 
consistent measures of underlying performance to shareholders by removing certain trading and non-trading items that  
are not closely related to the Group’s operating cash flows. 

These and other alternative performance measures are used by the directors for internal performance analysis and  
incentive compensation arrangements for employees. The term ‘adjusted’ is not defined under IFRS and may therefore  
not be comparable with similarly titled measures reported by other companies. They are not intended to be a substitute  
for, or superior to, GAAP measures.

The principal items which are included in adjusting items are set out below in the Group’s accounting policy and in note 6.  
The term ‘adjusted’ refers to the relevant measure being reported for continuing operations excluding adjusting items.

Going concern
The Group’s business activities, together with the factors likely to affect its future development, performance and position 
are set out in the Operational Review and Chief Financial Officer’s report which forms part of the strategic report. The 
strategic report also describes the financial risk management objectives of the Group and its exposure to credit risk and 
liquidity risk.

The directors have performed a detailed analysis of the cash flow projections for the Group as a whole covering the period 
through to the financial year ended 31 December 2019 and beyond. The key assumptions in this forecast include the 
profitable growth of the trading businesses and the knowledge that the Group has material headroom in its debt covenants 
after consideration of existing commitments.

The directors note that at the time of the approval of the financial statements the Group had access to a $50.0m revolving 
credit facility, of which $30.0m was undrawn at the time of signing of the accounts.

The directors have, at the time of approving the financial statements, a reasonable expectation that the Company and the 
Group have adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus, they continue to adopt 
the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

Business combinations
Business combinations are accounted for using the acquisition method. The consideration transferred in a business 
combination shall be measured at fair value, which shall be calculated as the total of the acquisition date fair values of the 
assets transferred by the Group, the liabilities incurred by the Group to former owners, the equity issued by the Group and 
the amount of any non-controlling interest in the acquiree either at fair value or at the proportional share of the acquiree’s 
identifiable net assets. The consideration transferred also includes the fair value of any asset or liability resulting from a 
contingent consideration arrangement.

The results of subsidiaries acquired or disposed of during the year are included in the consolidated income statement from 
the effective date of acquisition or up to the effective date of disposal, as appropriate. Where necessary, adjustments are 
made to the financial statements of subsidiaries to bring the accounting policies used in line with those used by the Group.  
All intra-group transactions, balances, income and expenses are eliminated on consolidation.

Non-controlling interests in the net assets of consolidated subsidiaries are identified separately from the Group’s equity 
therein. Non-controlling interests consist of the amount of those interests at the date of the original business combination 
and the minority’s share of changes in equity since the date of the combination. Profit or loss and each component of other 
comprehensive income are attributed to the equity holders of the parent of the Group and to the non-controlling interests, 
even if this results in the non-controlling interests having a deficit balance. A change in the ownership interest of a subsidiary, 
without a loss of control is accounted for as an equity transaction, being a disposal or acquisition of non-controlling interest.

Step-acquisition
For acquisitions achieved in stages the Group first assesses the fair value of the associate interest held immediately prior to 
the Group obtaining control and the associate becoming a subsidiary. The difference between the fair value measured and 
the carrying value of the associate interest is recognised as a step-acquisition gain or loss, which the Group excludes from its 
adjusted performance measures. Once the associate interest has been revalued to fair value, the transaction is accounted for 
using the acquisition method applicable to normal business combination transactions.

Goodwill
Goodwill arising on consolidation represents the excess of the cost of acquisition over the amount of any non-controlling 
interests in the acquiree and the Group’s interest in the fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities of a subsidiary, 
associate or jointly controlled entity at the date of acquisition. Goodwill is initially recognised as an asset at cost and is 
subsequently measured at cost less any accumulated impairment losses. Goodwill which is recognised as an asset is reviewed 
for impairment at least annually. Any impairment is recognised immediately in profit or loss and is not subsequently reversed.

58 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018For the purpose of impairment testing, goodwill is allocated to each of the Group’s cash-generating units expected to benefit 
from the synergies of the combination. Cash-generating units to which goodwill has been allocated are tested for impairment 
annually, or more frequently when there is an indication that the unit may be impaired. If the recoverable amount of the 
cash-generating unit is less than the carrying amount of the unit, the impairment loss is allocated first to reduce the carrying 
amount of any goodwill allocated to the unit and then to the other assets of the unit pro-rata on the basis of the carrying 
amount of each asset in the unit. An impairment loss recognised for goodwill is not reversed in a subsequent period. 

On disposal of a subsidiary or associate, the attributable amount of goodwill is included in the determination of the profit  
or loss on disposal.

Intangible assets
Internally generated intangible assets are recognised only if they satisfy the IAS 38 criteria in that a separately identifiable 
asset is created from which future economic benefits are expected to flow and the cost can be measured reliably. The life  
of each asset is assessed individually. Where the life is considered to be indefinite no amortisation is charged. 

Intangible assets acquired separately are measured on initial recognition at cost. The cost of intangible assets acquired in a 
business combination is their fair value at the date of acquisition. Following initial recognition, intangible assets are carried at 
cost less any accumulated amortisation and accumulated impairment losses. Included in intangible assets acquired are part 
145 approvals, licences and brand, customer relations, and computer software. 

A summary of the policies applied to the Group’s acquired intangible assets is as follows:

 / Part 145 approvals 
 / Licences 
 / Brand 
 / Customer relations 
 / Software 

20% per annum, straight line method
10% per annum, straight line method
10% per annum, straight line method
10% per annum, straight line method
20%-33% per annum, straight line method

Property, plant and equipment
Items of property, plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and any recognised impairment 
loss.

Depreciation is recognised so as to write-off the cost of assets less their residual values over their useful lives, using the 
straight-line method, on the following bases:

 / Leasehold property 
 / Aircraft hull and refurbishments 
 / Furniture, fixtures and equipment 
 / Motor vehicles 

Life of lease
Remaining life of the aircraft, various rates between 5% and 20% per annum
20% per annum
20% per annum

Assets held under finance leases are depreciated over their expected useful lives on the same basis as owned assets or,  
where shorter, over the term of the relevant lease.

The gain or loss arising on the disposal or retirement of an asset is determined as the difference between the sales proceeds 
and the carrying amount of the asset and is recognised in the income statement.

Assets held for sale
The Group classifies assets as held for sale if their carrying value will be recovered principally through sale rather than 
through continuing use. Such assets are measured at the lower of their carrying amount and fair value less costs to sell. 
Costs to sell are the incremental costs directly attributable to the sale, excluding finance costs and income tax expense.  
The criteria for assets held for sale is regarded as only met when the sale is highly probable, and the asset is available for 
immediate sale in its present condition. 

Property, plant and equipment and intangible assets are not depreciated or amortised once classified as held for sale.

Investments in associate and joint venture
An associate is an entity over which the Group is in a position to exercise significant influence, but not control or joint  
control, through participation in the financial and operating policy decisions of the investee. 

A joint venture is a type of joint arrangement whereby the parties that have joint control of the arrangement have rights  
to the net assets of the joint venture. Joint control is the contractually agreed sharing of control of an arrangement, which 
exists only when decisions about the relevant activities require the unanimous consent of the parties sharing control. 

The considerations made in determining significant influence or joint control are similar to those necessary to determine 
control over subsidiaries. 

The Group’s investments in its associates and joint venture are accounted for using the equity method of accounting.  
The investment is carried in the balance sheet at cost as adjusted by post-acquisition changes in the Group’s share of the  
net assets of the investment, less any impairment in the value of the investment. Losses in excess of the Group’s interest  
in the investment (which includes any long-term interests that, in substance, form part of the Group’s net investment) are 
recognised only to the extent that the Group has incurred legal or constructive obligations or made payments on behalf  
of the investment.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

59

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS2. Accounting policies (continued)
Where a Group company transacts with an associate of the Group, profits and losses are eliminated to the extent of the 
Group’s interest in the relevant associate. Losses may provide evidence of an impairment of the asset transferred in which 
case appropriate provision is made for impairment. The Group’s share of the changes in the carrying value of the investments 
in associates is recognised in the income statement.

Inventories
Inventories are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Costs incurred in bringing each product to its present 
location and condition are accounted for as follows:

 / Raw materials and consumables: purchase cost on a first in, first out basis
 / Work in progress: cost of direct materials and labour and a proportion of manufacturing overheads based on the normal 

operating capacity, but excluding borrowing costs 

Net realisable value is the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business, less estimated costs of completion and 
the estimated costs necessary to make the sale.

Cash and cash equivalents
The Group’s cash and cash equivalents in the statements of financial position comprise cash at bank and on hand and 
short-term deposits with a maturity of three months or less from inception, which are subject to an insignificant risk of 
changes in value.

For the purpose of the consolidated cash flow statement, cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and short-term deposits, 
as defined above, net of outstanding bank overdrafts as they are considered an integral part of the Group’s cash 
management.

Financial instruments
Financial assets and financial liabilities are recognised in the Group’s balance sheet when the Group becomes a party to the 
contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial assets
Trade receivables and other receivables are measured at amortised cost less provision for doubtful debts, determined as  
set out below in “impairment of financial assets”. Any write-down of these assets is expensed to the income statement. 

Impairment of financial assets
The impairment model under IFRS 9 reflects expected credit losses, as opposed to only incurred credit losses under IAS 39. 
Under the impairment approach in IFRS 9, it is not necessary for a credit event to have occurred before credit losses are 
recognised. Instead, the Group always accounts for expected credit losses and changes in those expected credit losses.  
The amount of expected credit losses are updated at each reporting date. 

The new impairment model only applies to the Group’s financial assets that are debt instruments measured at amortised 
costs or FVTOCI as well as the Group’s finance lease receivables, contract assets and issued financial guarantee contracts. 
The Group has applied the simplified approach to recognise lifetime expected credit losses for its trade receivables, finance 
lease receivables and contracts assets as required or permitted by IFRS 9. 

Expected credit losses are calculated with reference to average loss rates accurately incurred in the three most recent 
reporting periods to which a country risk premium is added, based on the location of each business. The combined loss rate 
represents the maximum expected credit default risk, which is expressed as a percentage. The Group average combined loss 
rate is approximately 1%.

This percentage rate is then applied to current receivable balances using a probability risk spread as follows:

 / 80% of debt not yet due (i.e. the Group’s average combined loss rate of 1% is discounted by 20%, meaning a 0.8% provision 

would be made to debt not yet due);
 / 85% of debt that is <30 days overdue;
 / 90% of debt that is 30-60 days overdue;
 / 95% of debt that is 60-90 days overdue; and
 / 100% of debt that is >90 days overdue.

Financial liabilities and equity
Debt and equity instruments are classified as either financial liabilities or as equity in accordance with the substance  
of the contractual arrangement. 

Equity instruments
An equity instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest in the assets of an entity after deducting all  
of its liabilities. Equity instruments issued by the Group are recognised at the proceeds received, net of direct issue costs.

Other financial liabilities 
Other financial liabilities, including borrowings and payables, are initially measured at fair value and subsequently  
at amortised cost, net of transaction costs. 

60 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018Derecognition of financial assets and financial liabilities
The Group derecognises a financial asset only when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the asset expire, or  
when it transfers the financial asset and substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the asset to another entity.  
On derecognition of a financial asset measured at amortised cost, the difference between the asset’s carrying amount and 
the sum of the consideration received and receivable is recognised in profit or loss.

The Group derecognises financial liabilities when, and only when, the Group’s obligations are discharged, cancelled or they 
expire. The difference between the carrying amount of the financial liability derecognised and the consideration paid and 
payable, including any non-cash assets transferred or liabilities assumed, is recognised in profit or loss.

Derivative financial instruments
The Group enters into derivative financial instruments from time to time in order to manage its exposure to foreign exchange 
rate, using foreign exchange forward contracts.

Derivatives are initially recognised at fair value at the date a derivative contract is entered into and are subsequently remeasured 
to their fair value at each balance sheet date. The resulting gain or loss is recognised in profit or loss immediately unless the 
derivative is designated and effective as a hedging instrument, in which event the timing of the recognition in profit or loss 
depends on the nature of the hedge relationship.

A derivative with a positive fair value is recognised as a financial asset whereas a derivative with a negative fair value is 
recognised as a financial liability.

Hedge accounting
Hedges of foreign exchange risk on firm commitments are accounted for as cash flow hedges. 

At the inception of the hedge relationship, the entity documents the relationship between the hedging instrument and  
the hedged item, along with its risk management objectives and its strategy for undertaking various hedge transactions.  
In addition, at the inception of the hedge and on an ongoing basis, the Group documents whether the hedging instrument  
is highly effective in offsetting changes in cash flows of the hedged item.

Cash flow hedges
The effective portion of changes in the fair value of the foreign currency contracts that are designated and qualify as cash 
flow hedges is recognised in other comprehensive income. The gain or loss relating to the ineffective portion is recognised 
immediately in profit or loss.

Amount previously recognised in other comprehensive income and accumulated in equity are reclassified to profit or loss in 
the periods when the hedged item is recognised in profit or loss, in the same line of the income statement as the recognised 
hedged item.

Hedge accounting is discontinued when the Group revokes the hedging relationship, the hedging instrument expires or is 
sold, terminated, or exercised, or no longer qualifies for hedge accounting. Any gain or loss recognised in other comprehensive 
income at that time is accumulated in equity and is recognised when the forecast transaction is ultimately recognised in 
profit or loss. When a forecast transaction is no longer expected to occur, the gain or loss accumulated in equity is recognised 
immediately in profit or loss.

Provisions and contingent liabilities
Provisions are recognised when the Group has a present obligation (legal or constructive) as a result of a past event, it is 
probable that the Group will be required to settle that obligation and a reliable estimate can be made of the amount of the 
obligation. The amount recognised as a provision is the best estimate of the consideration required to settle the present 
obligation at the balance sheet date, taking into account the risks and uncertainties surrounding the obligation. Where a 
provision is measured using the cash flows estimated to settle the present obligation, its carrying amount is the present  
value of those cash flows.

A contingent liability is disclosed where the existence of the obligation will only be confirmed by future events, or where  
the amount of the obligation cannot be measured reliably.

Segmental reporting
An operating segment is a distinguishable component of the Group that is engaged in business activities from which it may 
earn revenues and incur expenses, and whose operating results are reviewed regularly by the Chief Operating Decision Maker 
(the Group Chief Executive) to make decisions about resources to be allocated to the segment and assess its performance, 
and for which discrete financial information is available. 

Reportable segments are operating segments that either meet the thresholds and conditions set out in IFRS 8 or are 
considered by the Board to be appropriately designated as reportable segments. 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

61

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS2. Accounting policies (continued)
Exceptional items
These items are analysed under the following categories:

 / Transaction costs – arising on acquisitions, debt refinancing and share issues.
 / Integration and business reorganisation – legal and professional fees and non-recurring operating costs arising from 

significant acquisition integration or business reorganisation activities. Non-recurring operating costs means those costs 
that are related to a specific integration or reorganisation event that will not be repeated because they are unique to the 
event and which are not expected to follow a consistent level of expense from one accounting period to the next.

 / Litigation – legal events may result in costs being incurred in more than one accounting period. These costs are treated as 
exceptional because they relate to specific commercial legal events that will not be repeated because they are unique to 
the event and which are not expected to follow a consistent level of expense from one accounting period to the next.

 / Cash contribution to associate – where the Group provides cash or forgives of a loan to its associates and the contribution 
does not result in an increase in its ownership interest, this will be recognised as exceptional item of expense. This type of 
exceptional item is expected to occur very infrequently.

Supplier rebates
The Group has significant supplier contracts for the provision of training and insurance, which attract a rebate of cost based 
on the Group’s expenditure with those suppliers. The anticipated rebate receivable is accrued throughout the year based on 
the agreement terms. Rebate credits are typically received and recorded prior to completion of the Group financial 
statements and so the estimation risk is deemed to be low.

Revenue recognition
In the current year the Group has applied IFRS 15 Revenue from contracts with customers (as amended in April 2016). IFRS 15 
introduces a five-step approach to revenue recognition. The Group has applied the modified retrospective approach to the 
adoption of the standard in the year.

The Group recognises revenue from the following major sources:

 / Managed aircraft contracts and specific air services
 / Maintenance of aircraft
 / Design and modification projects

Revenue is measured based on the consideration specified in a contract with a customer and excludes amounts collected  
on behalf of third parties. The Group recognises revenue when it transfers control of a product or service to a customer.

Managed aircraft contracts and specific air services
These activities are provided by the Group’s Air Division. Services provided under managed aircraft contracts include flight 
training, cost management, flight planning and scheduling, crew management, maintenance oversight and regulatory 
compliance as separate performance obligations falling into one or more of the contract components identified below.  
The services are contract based with costs such as fuel, insurance, crew and maintenance being recharged to the client. 
Specific air services provided under this heading include a variety of specific contracts with customers where one or more 
elements of a fully managed services are provided. 

The managed aircraft contracts have three components:

1.  Pre-delivery services and services prior to aircraft’s entry into service (if appropriate)
2.  Management services
3.  Variable fees based on flying hours and related rechargeable costs

Most specific services provided arise in components 1 and 3, whilst management services relate to overarching administrative 
services relating to ongoing regulatory compliance requirements, billed on a regular basis over the life of the contract. These 
components are distinct as the customer can benefit from the services on their own and the Group’s promise to provide the 
service is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. The three components are therefore deemed to be 
separate performance obligations. Revenue recognition associated with the above performance obligations is as follows: 

1.  Revenue is recognised once the service has been performed (at a point in time).
2.  The customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits provided by the Group, therefore revenue is recognised 

over time.

3.  Variable flying hours revenue is recognised monthly based upon actual flight information and other relevant information 
held on the internal billing system (at a point in time). Rechargeable costs are recognised gross, as revenue and related 
cost of sales and are recognised at a point in time (for example, monthly) based upon either actual rechargeable costs 
or estimated costs to be recharged.

The Group has considered whether it is acting as agent or principle in the context of its managed aircraft contracts and has 
concluded that it is the principle in relation to the entirety of these contracts. Rechargeable costs are recognised gross 
because the Group controls the services before they are transferred to customers and because they are linked to wider 
management services. For practical purposes management services and rechargeable costs (and other variable fees based 
on flying hours) are itemised separately in billing to customers, but for the purposes of revenue recognition there is an 
allocation of management fee revenue to rechargeable costs to reflect the standalone selling price of that revenue stream. 

62 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018Maintenance of aircraft
These activities are provided by the Group’s Ground Division. The Group provides both base and line maintenance services. 
Base maintenance relates to the planned maintenance that is required by the aircraft manufacturer or component supplier. 
This work is complex, highly regulated and location specific. Line maintenance covers irregular maintenance activities, 
component failure or simple wear and tear. Both types are services are provided on a fee or contract basis.

Maintenance revenue is recognised over time as the Group’s performance of maintenance services do not create assets with 
an alternative use and the Group has an enforceable right to payment for performance completed to date. In most cases 
work is carried out and billed to the customer in the same accounting period. However, for work ongoing at the end of an 
accounting period an assessment of the extent to which contracted work is completed is made and a corresponding amount 
of revenue is accrued.

This assessment is made using the input method of labour hours expended and costs incurred.

Design and modification projects
The Group undertakes certain equipment design and modification activities for some customers. These activities are 
provided by both Air and Ground Divisions of the Group. Revenue is recognised over time for design projects because the 
Group’s performance of its contractual obligations creates or enhances an asset that the customer controls as the asset is 
created or enhanced. Work that is outstanding under design and modification contracts at the end of an accounting period is 
accrued and a work in progress asset (accrued income) is recognised on the balance sheet, based upon the input method of 
measuring progress (cost and labour hours expended to date).

Branding fees from associates
The Group receives a branding fee from its US Air Associate in addition to its equity accounted share of profit from associate. 
The branding fee is payable quarterly in arrears and the Group recognises revenue over time as the customer simultaneously 
receives and consumes the benefits provided by the Group.

Foreign currencies 
The individual financial statements of each Group company are presented in the currency of the primary economic 
environment in which it operates (its functional currency). For the purpose of the consolidated financial statements, the 
results and financial position of each Group company are expressed in US Dollars, which is the presentation currency for  
the consolidated financial statements. These financial statements are presented in US Dollars because that is the currency  
of the primary economic environment in which the Group operates. The Company’s functional currency is determined to  
be Pounds Sterling because this is the currency of the primary economic environment in which the Company operates.

In preparing the financial statements of the individual companies, transactions in currencies other than the entity’s 
functional currency (foreign currencies) are recognised at the rates of exchange prevailing on the dates of the transactions. 
At each balance sheet date, monetary assets and liabilities that are denominated in foreign currencies are retranslated at  
the rates prevailing at that date. Non-monetary items carried at fair value that are denominated in foreign currencies are 
translated at the rates prevailing at the date when the fair value was determined. Non-monetary items that are measured  
in terms of historical cost in a foreign currency are not retranslated.

For the purpose of presenting consolidated financial statements, the assets and liabilities of the Group’s foreign operations 
are translated at exchange rates prevailing on the balance sheet date. Income and expense items are translated at the 
average exchange rates for the period. Exchange differences arising are recognised in other comprehensive income and 
accumulated in equity. Goodwill and fair value adjustments arising on the acquisition of a foreign entity are treated as  
assets and liabilities of the foreign entity and translated at the closing rate for each year end.

Retirement benefit costs 
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense when employees have rendered the 
service entitling them to the contributions. Payments made to state-managed retirement benefit schemes are dealt with as 
payments to defined contribution schemes where the Group’s obligations under the schemes are equivalent to those arising 
in a defined contribution retirement benefit scheme.

Taxation
The tax expense represents the sum of the tax currently payable and deferred tax.

Current tax
The tax currently payable is based on taxable profit for the year. Taxable profit differs from net profit as reported in the 
income statement because it excludes items of income or expense that are taxable or deductible in other years and it  
further excludes items that are never taxable or deductible. The Group’s liability for current tax is calculated using tax  
rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the balance sheet date.

Deferred tax
Deferred tax is the tax expected to be payable or recoverable on differences between the carrying amounts of assets and 
liabilities in the financial statements and the corresponding tax bases used in the computation of taxable profit and is 
accounted for using the balance sheet liability method. Deferred tax liabilities are generally recognised for all taxable 
temporary differences and deferred tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable that taxable profits will be 
available against which deductible temporary differences can be utilised. Such assets and liabilities are not recognised if the 
temporary difference arises from the initial recognition of goodwill or from the initial recognition (other than in a business 
combination) of other assets and liabilities in a transaction that affects neither the taxable profit nor the accounting profit.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

63

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS2. Accounting policies (continued)
Deferred tax liabilities are recognised for taxable temporary differences arising on investments in subsidiaries and associates, 
except where the Group is able to control the reversal of the temporary difference and it is probable that the temporary 
difference will not reverse in the foreseeable future.

The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed at each balance sheet date and reduced to the extent that it is no 
longer probable that sufficient taxable profits will be available to allow all or part of the asset to be recovered.

Deferred tax is calculated at the tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the balance sheet 
date that are expected to apply in the period when the liability is settled, or the asset is realised. 

Deferred tax is charged or credited in the income statement, except when it relates to items charged or credited directly  
to equity, in which case the deferred tax is also dealt with in equity.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset when there is a legally enforceable right to set off current tax assets against 
current tax liabilities and when they relate to income taxes levied by the same taxation authority and the Group intends  
to settle its current tax assets and liabilities on a net basis.

3. Critical accounting judgments and key sources of estimation uncertainty
In the application of the Group’s accounting policies, which are described in note 2, the Directors are required to make 
judgments (other than those involving estimations) that have a significant impact on the amounts recognised and to make 
estimates and assumptions about the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other 
sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered 
to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are 
recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the  
revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.

Critical judgments in applying the Group’s accounting policies
The following are the critical judgments, apart from those involving estimations (which are dealt with separately below),  
that management have made in the process of applying the Group’s accounting policies and that have the most significant 
effect on the amounts recognised in financial statements.

First time application of IFRS 15
In applying IFRS 15 for the first time, the Group has made judgments in determining the timing of satisfaction of 
performance obligations. The application of IFRS 15 had a material impact on transition but is not expected to have a 
material impact on future revenue recognition. Management have been required to assess in detail how the disclosure 
requirements should be applied and whether any existing revenue recognition policies required amendment.

Control over Gama International Saudi Arabia (“GISA”)
In 2018 the Group has advanced a $1m loan to a start-up business operating in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia using the Gama 
brand. The Group does not own any interest in this company. In February 2019 the Group entered into an arrangement with 
the sole shareholder and operator of GISA to secure the loan provided by obtaining a call option over the share capital of 
GISA. This was obtained via an agreement entered into by the Group with an Abu Dhabi registered company that is also solely 
owned by owner of GISA. Management judge that at 31 December 2018 the Group does not control GISA, which they believe 
operates on an arm’s length basis. The results of GISA have therefore not been consolidated in these financial statements. 
Related party transactions with GISA are disclosed in note 37 to the accounts.

Classification of items of cost or income as “Exceptional” (exclusion of items from Adjusted EBIT)
Management consider exceptional costs to be those that do not contribute to the underlying performance of the Group.  
This requires judgment as the management and Group’s view of what qualifies as an exceptional item may differ from similar 
judgments made by others. Exceptional items are treated as adjusting items to enable more relevant and reliable financial 
information to be presented. The exceptional items recorded in the income statement relate to transaction costs; business 
integration and re-organisation costs; legal costs arising primarily from historic Hangar 8 activity; and other non-recurring 
items that management judge to be exceptional. 

Key sources of estimation uncertainty
The key assumptions concerning the future, and other key sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting period, that 
may have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next 
financial year, are discussed below.

Goodwill and acquired intangible asset impairment review
The goodwill and intangibles impairment reviews require the use of estimates related to future profitability and the  
cash generating ability of the related businesses. The estimates used may differ from the actual outcome. Details of  
the impairment review performed are set out in notes 14 and 15.

64 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018Impairment provision for trade receivables
The allowance for doubtful debts is calculated based on management’s best estimate of the amounts which will be 
recovered from trade receivables. A proportion of the trade receivables balance is with individuals and overseas Groups, for 
whom it is more difficult to establish a credit rating. Management are in constant communication with all debtors and assess 
the likelihood of recoverability on a regular basis. The estimate of the allowance for doubtful debts may vary from the actual 
amounts recovered if an individual becomes unable to pay. An analysis of the trade receivables balance and indications of 
credit concentration are provided in note 20.

Expected outcome of litigation and claims
Management exercise judgment in measuring and recognising provisions and exposures to contingent liabilities related to 
pending litigation and outstanding claims. Judgment is necessary to assess the likelihood that a pending claim will succeed, 
or a liability will arise, and estimates are required to determine the possible range of any financial settlement. Due to the 
inherent uncertainty of such matters, the estimates used may differ from the actual outcome. Details of contingent liabilities 
are included in note 29.

Estimation of amounts owed and receivable in relation to long-term contracts – Europe Ground Division
Management exercise judgment in determining the costs to complete and the revenue recognised in relation to long-term 
contracts. Judgment is required specifically around the estimated outcome of commercial discussions at the time of contract 
conclusions and during renegotiation periods.

4. Segment information (restated)
The Group has eleven reportable segments (Air Division – four regional businesses; Ground Division – four regional 
businesses; Global Services Division – two businesses combined as one reportable segment; the Associates Division – two 
businesses; and Central Costs), which are defined by markets rather than product type. Each segment includes businesses 
with similar operating and marketing characteristics. These segments are consistent with the internal reporting reviewed 
each month by the Group Chief Executive. 

Segment information has been restated for the following:

 / Following the appointment of the new Chief Financial Officer in late 2018, the Group changed the way that information  
was presented to the Chief Operating Decision Maker (the Group Chief Executive). As required by IFRS 8 the segment 
information disclosed here has therefore been updated to reflect the internal change.

 / As part of the Group’s review of its financial reporting methodology, the operating segment disclosure has been enhanced 

to ensure that reconciliation between statutory and adjusted performance is clear.

 / Discontinued operations have been restated in the applicable reportable segment in line with the adjustments presented  

in the consolidated income statement.

Group Operational Performance
Revenue 
USD’000s

Air Division

Ground Division

Global Services Division

Total

Adjusted EBIT 
USD’000s

Air Division

Ground Division

Global Services Division

Associates Division

Central Costs

Total

2018

2017

135,929

115,504

94,959

3,949

87,488

4,368

234,837

207,360

2018

5,617

8,092

1,253

566

(4,201)

11,327

2017

8,468

10,862

1,751

156

(2,953)

18,284

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

65

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS4. Segment information (restated) (continued)
Statutory EBIT 
USD’000s

Air Division

Ground Division

Global Services Division

Associates Division

Central Costs

Total

Air Divisional Performance
$’000s
Adjusted
USD’000s

2018

(25,969)

4,089

1,132

566

(10,230)

(30,412)

2017

6,830

9,900

1,719

3,524

(4,578)

17,395

US

Europe

Middle East

Asia

Total

Revenue

Gross Profit

GP %

EBIT

EBIT %

2018

4,921

4,997

102%

4,892

99%

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

5,000

88,804

86,902

20,944

23,528

21,260

5,076

102%

5,643

113%

7,527

10,204

2,228

1,886

1,774

8%

186

0%

12%

2,281

3%

11%

150

1%

8%

470

2%

8%

389

2%

74

74

100%

74

100%

135,929

115,504

16,526

17,240

12%

5,617

4%

15%

8,468

7%

Adjustments to EBIT 
USD’000s

US

Europe

Middle East

Asia

Total

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

Exceptional 
items

Profit arising on 
step acquisition

Amortisation

Impairment 
charges

Total 
adjustments

Discontinued 
operations*

(3,600)

(36)

(846)

(1,082)

(27)

(13)

(57)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(334)

(507)

(24,915)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

986

–

(2,793)

(3,600)

(36)

(26,095)

(1,589)

(27)

(13)

(1,864)

–

–

(807)

(858)

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

(4,530)

(1,131)

986

(334)

–

(507)

(27,708)

–

(31,586)

(1,638)

(807)

(858)

*  The effects of discontinued operations are shown on a single line on the face of the consolidated income statement. This effect is included 

already within the statutory result shown below and is split out in the table above to aid understanding.

Statutory
USD’000s

EBIT

EBIT %

US

Europe

Middle East

Asia

Total

2018

1,292

26%

2017

2018

2017

2018

5,607

(25,909)

112%

-29%

692

1%

123

1%

2017

457

2%

2018

2017

2018

(1,475)

74

(25,969)

-7%

100%

-19%

2017

6,830

6%

66 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018Ground Divisional Performance
$’000s
Adjusted

US

Europe

Middle East

Asia

Total

2018

2017

2018

2017

Revenue

37,517

30,768

52,301

52,950

Gross Profit

GP %

EBIT

EBIT %

8,101

22%

1,887

5%

6,116

20%

2,348

8%

16,300

17,958

31%

6,726

13%

34%

8,429

16%

2018

4,636

1,374

30%

(342)

-7%

2017

3,770

1,240

33%

85

2%

2018

505

90

18%

(179)

-36%

Adjustments to EBIT 
USD’000s

2017

2018

2017

87,488

25,314

29%

94,959

25,865

27%

8,092

10,862

9%

12%

–

–

0%

–

0%

US

Europe

Middle East

Asia

Total

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

2018

2017

(6)

(633)

(25)

(2,630)

–

(113)

(757)

(180)

2

(273)

(639)

(25)

(2,743)

(937)

(271)

–

–

–

–

(350)

(350)

–

–

–

(2,634)

(1,369)

(782)

(180)

(4,003)

(962)

US

Europe

Middle East

Asia

Total

2018

1,248

3%

2017

2,323

8%

2018

3,983

8%

2017

7,492

14%

2018

(613)

-13%

2017

85

2%

2018

(529)

-105%

2017

–

0%

2018

4,089

4%

2017

9,900

11%

Exceptional 
items

Amortisation

Total 
adjustments

Statutory
USD’000s

EBIT

EBIT %

Global Services Divisional Performance 
$’000s
Adjusted

Revenue

Gross Profit

GP %

EBIT

EBIT %

Adjustments to EBIT 

Exceptional items

Total adjustments

Statutory 

EBIT

EBIT %

Total

2018

3,949

2,662

67%

1,253

32%

Total

2018

(121)

(121)

Total

2018

1,132

29%

2017

4,368

3,064

70%

1,751

40%

2017

(32)

(32)

2017

1,719

39%

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

67

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS4. Segment information (restated) (continued)
Associate Divisional Performance 
$’000s

Adjusted

EBIT

Adjustments to EBIT

Release of provision for associate losses

Profit on disposal of associate 

Total adjustments

Statutory

EBIT

US Air
Associate

China Aircraft
Services Limited

2018 

359

2017

156

2018 

207

2017

–

Total

2018 

566

2017

156

US Air
Associate

2018 

–

–

–

2017

1,804

1,564

3,368

China Aircraft
Services Limited

Total

2018 

2017

2018 

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

2017

1,804

1,564

3,368

US Air
Associate

China Aircraft
Services Limited

2018 

359

2017

3,524

2018 

207

2017

–

Total

2018 

566

2017

3,524

Reconciliation of divisional to overall Group performance:

2018

2017

Revenue

4,921

37,517

88,804

52,301

20,944

4,636

21,260

505

3,949

–

–

EBIT

4,892

1,887

186

6,726

150

(342)

389

(179)

1,253

566

(4,201)

Revenue

5,000

30,768

86,902

52,950

23,528

3,770

74

–

4,368

–

–

EBIT

5,643

2,348

2,281

8,429

470

85

74

–

1,751

156

(2,953)

234,837

11,327

207,360

18,284

(11,863)

(670)

(27,708)

(2,484)

–

986

(30,412)

(2,622)

(195)

–

(1,440)

1,804

1,564

17,395

US Air

US Ground

Europe Air

Europe Ground

Middle East Air

Middle East Ground

Asia Air

Asia Ground

Global Services

Associates

Central Costs

Adjusted

Exceptional costs

Share based payment charge

Impairment charges

Acquisition related amortization

Adjustments to associate profit

Profit on step acquisition/profit on disposal of interest in associates

Before adjustments

68 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018 
 
 
An analysis of the Group’s total assets and liabilities by segment is as follows:

US Air*

US Ground

Europe Air

Europe Ground

Middle East Air

Middle East Ground

Asia Air

Asia Ground*

Global Services

Central Costs

Total

* 

includes equity investments in associates

An analysis of the Group’s revenue is as follows:

Continuing operations

Sale of business aviation services

Sale of aircraft

Sale of inventories

Branding fees

Totals

2018

2017

Assets

Liabilities

Assets

Liabilities

10,131

13,170

25,461

32,328

6,276

3,068

10,903

16,207

8,307

24,818

(1,322)

(3,163)

(25,681)

(15,543)

(4,745)

(1,649)

(8,092)

–

(4,720)

(4,090)

19,177

10,141

34,066

43,634

5,970

2,049

889

–

5,695

36,392

(6,342)

(1,481)

(31,192)

(20,771)

(5,974)

(758)

(15)

–

(3,211)

(26,564)

150,669

(69,005)

158,013

(96,308)

Year
ended
2018
$’000

Year
ended
2017
$’000

231,087

186,472

–

–

3,750

12,885

3,929

4,074

234,837

207,360

No single customer represents more than 10% of the Group’s total revenue (2017: none)

The Group has not separately disclosed revenue by country because this is not tracked internally and because management 
believe that the Group’s operating segments align very closely to country reporting with European divisions representing the 
UK and Channel Islands; the US divisions representing the United States; the Asia divisions representing Hong-Kong and the 
Middle East divisions mainly representing the U.A.E.

Geographic information

Non-current assets

US

Europe

Asia

Middle East

Group

Non-current assets for this purpose consist of property, plant and equipment.

2018
$’000

2017
$’000

3,869

15,893

301

2,089

96

2,720

16,148

–

1,183

–

22,248

20,051

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

69

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS4. Segment information (restated) (continued)
Performance obligations that are unsatisfied as at the end of the reporting period.
As permitted under the transitional provision of IFRS 15, the transaction price allocated to partially unsatisfied performance 
obligations as of 31 December 2017 is not disclosed.

The Group has applied the practical expedient to service contracts of less than one year in duration, which are omitted from 
the total outstanding performance obligations. 

Outstanding performance obligations as at 31 December 2018 are as set out below:

$’000

1 Year

2 Years

3 Years

4 Years

5 Years

Greater 
than  
5 years

Total

Outstanding performance obligations  
to be fulfilled in

46,566

39,561

38,567

39,036

29,200

35,811

228,741

5. EBIT for the year
EBIT for the year has been arrived at after charging/(crediting): 

Net foreign exchange gain

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment (see note 16)

Amortisation of intangibles (see note 15)

Impairment of goodwill and acquired intangibles (see note 14 and 15)

Cost of inventories recognised as an expense (see note 19)

Change in provision for inventory obsolescence

Staff costs (see note 8)

Impairment losses recognised on trade receivables (see note 20)

Reversal of impairment losses recognised on trade receivables (see note 20)

Auditors’ remuneration:

Audit of the company’s annual accounts

Audit of the accounts of subsidiaries

Tax advisory services

Other assurance services

6. Adjusted performance measures

EBITDA:

Gross profit

Administrative expenses

Impairment loss

EBITDA

Exceptional items

Share-based payments expense (note 32)

Impairment of goodwill and acquired intangibles

Adjusted EBITDA

70 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Year 
ended 
2018 
$’000

(581)

2,544

2,523

27,708

20,380

1,107

61,049

965

(131)

130

301

96

15

Year 
ended
 2017 
$’000

(425)

1,845

1,441

–

13,998

(384)

53,107

384

(68)

95

260

–

18

Year 
ended
 2018 
$’000

Year 
ended 
2017
 $’000

45,053

45,618

(44,242)

(28,828)

(27,708)

(26,897)

11,863

670

27,708

13,344

–

16,790

2,622

195

–

19,607

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018Adjustments to EBIT within administrative expenses:

Exceptional items:

–  Transaction costs

–  Integration and business re-organisation costs

–  Legal costs

–  Contribution to associate

Total exceptional items

Share-based payments expense (note 32)

Adjustments to EBIT within administrative expenses

Impairment of goodwill and acquired intangibles

Total adjustments to EBIT within administrative expenses

Analysis of exceptional costs by type

Cash contribution to associate

Corporate finance costs

Bournemouth move and setup costs

Dryden litigation

Changes in accounting estimates

Other litigation

Aborted Acquisition related fees

Integration costs

Oxford onerous lease provision

Legal entity reorganisation costs

Total exceptional items

Year 
ended
 2018 
$’000

3,581

2,364

2,318

3,600

11,863

670

12,533

27,708

40,241

Year 
ended 
2017
 $’000

403

1,160

1,059

–

2,622

195

2,817

–

2,817

Year 
ended 
2018
 $’000

3,600

2,073

1,539

1,500

1,001

818

502

360

327

143

11,863

Contribution to associate
In January 2018 the Group made a cash payment of $3.6m to Gama Aviation LLC.

Corporate finance costs
Corporate finance costs relate to the acquisitions of both the remaining 50% of the Hutchinson Whampoa JV and the 
investment in CASL, both following the equity fund raise.

Bournemouth move and setup costs
In June 2018 the Group commenced the relocation of its Ground business from Oxford and Farnborough to Bournemouth. 
Costs included as exceptional in relation to this move included:

 / Redundancy and relocation costs;
 / Provision for exiting certain contracts at the Group’s Oxford site;
 / Expenses associated with planning and execution of the move;
 / Expenses associated with setting up the new site and bringing it to a state of readiness; and
 / Initial facilities costs of the sites whilst the Group was operating both Oxford and Bournemouth locations.

Dryden litigation
The Group incurred approximately $1,500,000 in professional fees in relation to the successful conclusion of the legacy 
Dryden litigation.

Changes in accounting estimates
In December 2018 the Group concluded a comprehensive balance sheet review, the result of which were that certain 
accounting estimates were revised. The total net impact of the revision to accounting estimates was a charge to profit  
and loss of $1,001,000.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

71

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS6. Adjusted performance measures (continued)
Most of this amount related to receivables that were deemed to be irrecoverable due to the ageing of the items. The receivable 
balances comprised:

 / Expected costs contractually recoverable under long-term contracts that were assessed to be lower than previously 

estimated; and

 / Recharges receivable due under managed aircraft contracts where the age of the receivable indicates that recoverability  

is unlikely.

Other litigation
The Group incurred $818,000 in professional fees in relation to ongoing litigation.

Aborted acquisition related fees
Costs of $502,000 were incurred in relation to aborted acquisitions in the year ending December 2018.

Integration costs
The Group has removed from its adjusted results costs totalling $360,000, which relate to certain internal staff who have 
been involved in project work in the year that is not expected to be repeated, or where the project role that the internal  
staff are carrying out is temporary. In the current year the costs that have been included in this category include:

 / System integration costs where an internal resource has been used in lieu of an external consultant; and
 / Certain business development activities in relation to acquisition targets that will not be repeated in future.

Oxford onerous lease provision
The Group incurred $327,000 of closure costs relating to its Oxford facility, most of which related to an onerous lease 
provision, which has been judged to be exceptional.

Legal entity reorganisation costs
The Group incurred professional fees and other costs of $143,000 in relation to its legal entity reorganisation project. This project 
formed part of the Group’s strategic financial review conducted in late 2018. The project is partially completed at the balance 
sheet date and exceptional costs are expected to be at a similar level for this item in 2019 when the project concludes.

Impairment of goodwill and acquired intangibles
The impairment charge of $27,708,000 resulted from the Group’s annual IAS 36 impairment review and comprises $20,380,000 
charged against goodwill and the remaining $7,328,000 against acquired intangibles. As a result of the impairment charge, 
goodwill allocated to the Europe Air cash generating unit (“CGU”) grouping has been reduced to nil. The impairment charge 
resulted primarily from an updated outlook for 2019 for the Europe Air business, which in turn was based on the full year results 
for 2018 for this operating segment, which were below expectations.

Adjustments to EBIT within depreciation and amortisation:

Acquisition related and accelerated intangible amortisation

Adjustments to EBIT relating to investments in associates:

Profit on step acquisition

Profit on disposal of interest in associates

Release of impairment provision related to associate interest

Year 
ended
 2018 
$’000

2,484

Year 
ended
 2018 
$’000

986

–

–

986

Year 
ended 
2017
 $’000

1,440

Year 
ended 
2017
 $’000

–

1,564

1,804

3,368

72 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 20187. Discontinued operations
Discontinued operations primarily relate to the losses generated by the formerly owned aircraft within the Group that  
were held for sale as part of the Group strategy to exit the business model of owned aircraft that are deployed solely for  
the purposes of ad-hoc charter. The Group believes that operating the aircraft whilst held for sale reduces the losses borne  
in discontinued operations and helps to maintain their airworthiness, assisting the sale process. Two aircraft that were held  
for sale at 31 December 2016 were sold in 2017. A further aircraft was held for sale at the end of 2017 and was sold in 2018. 

At the beginning of 2018 the Group announced the closure of its Swiss operation, Gama Aviation SA and has treated this  
as a discontinued operation. This treatment results in losses of $243,000 being removed from continuing operations in 2018 
and profit of $460,000 being removed from the restated 2017 comparative results. In the judgment of the directors, Gama 
Aviation SA was deemed to meet the criteria for discontinued operations because the closure represented the exit of a 
standalone geographical operation for which separate financial information was publicly available.

The results of these discontinued operations are presented below:

Discontinued operations

Revenue

Expenses

Operating loss

Net finance income

Loss before and after tax from discontinued operations

Earnings per share

Basic – cents

Diluted – cents

The weighted average number of ordinary shares is included in Note 12. 

The net cash flows incurred by discontinued operations are as follows:

Operating activities

Investing activities

Net cash outflow

Year 
ended 
2018 
$’000

538

(1,345)

(807)

40

(767)

Year 
ended 

2017 
(restated)*
 $’000

141

(2,103)

(1,962)

10

(1,952)

(1.27c)

(1.27c)

(4.44c)

(4.44c)

1,516

(1,500)

16

5,579

(5,550)

29

*  Discontinued operations for 2017 have been restated to show the effects of operations discontinued in 2018. The 2017 comparatives therefore 
comprise both discontinued operations as originally presented in the 2017 consolidated financial statements and the required restatement  
for operations that were continuing in 2017 but are treated as discontinued in 2018. The net adjustment to 2017 is a reduction in discontinued 
expenses of $460,000. This arose because of the closure of the Group’s Swiss operation, Gama Aviation SA, which reported a net credit to 
expenses in 2017.

Net cash from investing activities in both 2018 and 2017 represents the proceeds of sale from assets designated as held for 
sale in the prior year.

8. Staff costs 
The average monthly number of employees (including executive directors) was:

Operations and administration

Pilots and cabin crew

Aircraft engineering

Year
ended 
2018 
Number

359

110

226

695

Year
ended

2017 
(restated)*
Number

310

107

228

645

* 

the 2017 comparative employee numbers have been restated because it was found that they included Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings 
employees in error as Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings Ltd was not consolidated by the Group until the current year.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

73

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS8. Staff costs (continued)
Their aggregate remuneration comprised:

Wages and salaries

Social security costs

Other pension costs (see note 33)

Year
 ended 
2018 
$’000

52,360

7,555

1,134

61,049

Year
 ended 
2017 
$’000

45,363

6,702

1,042

53,107

Gross costs for Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings are included for the first time in 2018 following the Group’s acquisition  
of the company and its inclusion in the consolidated results of the Group.

Details of directors’ remuneration are given in the Remuneration Report. The share option costs relating to these directors 
amounted to $118,000 (2017: $56,000).

9. Finance income 

Year
 ended 
2018 
$’000

581

5

586

Year
ended
2018
$’000

784

170

–

954

Year
 ended 
2018 
$’000

1,411

110

1,521

Year
 ended 
2017 
$’000

–

–

Year
ended
2017
$’000

1,526

141

42

1,709

Year
ended 
2017 
$’000

2,110

1,776

3,886

Foreign currency translation on intercompany balances

Interest income on bank deposits

Total finance income

10. Finance expense

Interest on bank overdrafts and loans

Interest on obligations under finance leases

Other similar charges payable

Total finance costs 

11. Taxation

Corporation tax:

Current year charge

Deferred tax (note 22)

Total tax charge for the year

74 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018The tax charge for the year, based on the tax rate in the United Kingdom, can be reconciled to the profit per the income 
statement as follows:

Continuing operations

Discontinued operations

(Loss)/Profit before tax

Tax at the corporation tax rate of 19% (2017: 19%)

Effects of:

Expenses not deductible for tax purposes

Utilisation of tax losses

Effect of tax rates in different jurisdictions

Other timing differences

Total tax charge for the year

Year 
ended 
2018 
$’000

(30,780)

(767)

(31,547)

(5,993)

3,950

3,407

(349)

506

1,521

Year
 ended
 2017
 $’000

16,146

(2,412)

13,734

2,609

(88)

(71)

1,593

(157)

3,886

12. Earnings per share (“EPS”)
The calculation of earnings per share is based on the earnings attributable to the ordinary shareholders divided by the 
weighted average number of shares in issue during the period.

Numerator

Profit attributable to ordinary equity holders of the parent: 

Continuing operations

Discontinued operations

Profit attributable to ordinary equity holders of the parent for basic earnings

Denominator

Weighted average number of shares used in basic EPS

Effect of dilutive share options

Weighted average number of shares used in diluted EPS

Earnings per share

Basic (cents)

Diluted (cents)

Basic – continuing operations (cents)

Diluted – continuing operations (cents)

Year 
ended 
2018
 $’000

Year 
ended 
2017 
(restated)*
$’000

(32,315)

(767)

(33,082)

11,754

(1,952)

9,802

60,348,056

43,994,442

434,837

450,572

60,782,893

44,445,014

(54.82c)

(54.82c)

(53.55c)

(53.55c)

22.28c

22.05c

26.72c

26.45c

*  Earnings per share for the prior year has been restated for the effects of discontinuing an operation in the current year. Gama Aviation SA,  
the Group’s Swiss operation was closed at the beginning of 2018, accordingly, in line with IFRS 5 the results for the comparative period have 
been restated to remove $600,000 of profit from continuing operations. This has been included within total discontinued operations loss of 
$1,952,000 shown within the income statement.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

75

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS12. Earnings per share (“EPS”) (continued)
To calculate the EPS for discontinued operations (note 7), the weighted average number of ordinary shares for both the basic 
and the diluted EPS is as per the table above. The following table provides the loss amount used.

Loss from discontinued operations for the basic and diluted EPS calculations

Year 
ended 
2018
 $’000

(767)

Year 
ended
 2017 
$’000

(1,952)

13.  Acquisitions
On 2 March 2018, the Group acquired Hutchison Whampoa (China) Limited’s 50% stake in Gama Aviation Hutchison 
Holdings Ltd for $3.1m.

The following table summarises the consideration paid for Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings Ltd, the preliminary fair value 
of assets acquired, and the liabilities assumed at the acquisition date.

Consideration at 2 March 2018

Cash consideration

Total consideration transferred

Recognised amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed

Property, plant and equipment

Customer relationships (included within intangibles)

Trade and other receivables

Cash

Trade and other payables

Deferred revenue

Goodwill

Profit recognised on acquisition in respect of pre-existing shareholding (see below)

Total consideration

$’000

3,050

3,050

$’000

249

4,202

5,069

460

(7,842)

(165)

2,063

4,036

(986)

3,050

The Group already held 50% of the shares in Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings Limited and the acquisition of the remaining 
50% is treated as a step acquisition under IFRS 3 resulting in a profit on acquisition of $1.0m.

14. Goodwill

Cost

At 1 January 2017

Reclassification to intangibles

Exchange differences

At 1 January 2018

Recognised on acquisition

Exchange differences

At 31 December 2018

76 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

$’000

41,328

(549)

3,634

44,413

2,063

(2,285)

44,191

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018Accumulated impairment losses

At 1 January and 31 December 2017

Impairment loss for the year

At 31 December 2018

Carrying amount

At 31 December 2018

At 31 December 2017

The recoverable amount of goodwill is allocated to the following cash generating units (“CGUs”):

Europe: Air

Europe: Ground

$’000

3,697

20,380

24,077

20,114

40,716

2017 
$’000

18,972

21,744

40,716

2018
 $’000

–

20,114

20,114

Key assumptions used in ‘value in use’ calculations 
The calculation of ‘value in use’ is most sensitive to the following assumptions: 

 / CGU specific operating assumptions that are reflected in the budget period for the financial year to 31 December 2019; 
 / Discount rates; and 
 / Growth rates used to extrapolate risk adjusted cash flows beyond the budget period. 

CGU specific operating assumptions are applicable to the budgeted cash flows for the year to 31 December 2019 and relate 
to revenue forecasts, expected project outcomes and forecast operating margins in each of the operating companies. The 
relative value ascribed to each assumption will vary between CGUs as the budgets are built up from the underlying operating 
companies within each CGU Group. A long-term growth rate is applied to the budget values for 2019 to extrapolate expected 
values. 

Long-term growth rates are capped at the weighted average GDP growth rates of the markets that the CGU Group sells into. 

Discount rates are based on estimations of the assumptions that market participants operating in similar sectors to the 
Group would make, using the Group’s economic profile as a starting point and adjusting appropriately. The directors do not 
currently expect any significant change in the present base discount rate of 15.6% (2017: 11.5%). The base discount rate, 
which is pre-tax and is based on short-term variables, may differ from the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC). 
Discount rates are adjusted for economic risks that are not already captured in the specific operating assumptions for each 
CGU Group. This results in the impairment testing using discount rates ranging from 15.6% to 16.3% (2017: 11.5%) across the 
CGU Groups. 

CGU Groups to which 10% or more of the total goodwill balance is allocated are deemed to be significant. The assumptions 
used to determine ‘value in use’ for these CGU Groups are: 

Europe Ground
 / CGU specific discount rate of 15.6%
 / Long-term growth rate of 1.7%
 / Risk free rate 1.2%

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

77

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS15. Other intangible assets

Cost

At 1 January 2017

Reclassification from goodwill

Additions

Foreign exchange differences

Commence
 operations
$’000

Part 145 
approvals 
$’000

Licences 
and Brands 
$’000

Customer 
relations 
$’000

Computer 
software 
$’000

1,453

2,761

1,146

10,720

–

–

35

–

600

228

126

–

111

At 31 December 2017

1,488

3,589

1,383

Additions

Recognised on acquisition

Foreign exchange differences

At 31 December 2018

–

–

(7)

1,481

–

–

(145)

3,444

Amortisation and accumulated impairment losses

410

–

1,040

12,170

–

4,202

(682)

1,632

1,189

205

3,026

1,552

7,328

(186)

–

–

(77)

929

243

96

24

–

(62)

1,180

2,361

–

35

1,215

273

–

(7)

1,481

–

228

633

–

(145)

3,077

2,589

1,268

1,230

11,720

 Total
 $’000

16,097

548

1,573

1,461

19,679

3,171

4,202

(1,131)

17

12

973

47

1,049

3,171

–

(220)

8

9

–

17

41

–

–

58

6,110

1,441

564

8,115

2,523

7,328

(400)

17,566

1,306

15,690

4,000

25,921

At 1 January 2017

Amortisation

Foreign exchange differences

At 31 December 2017

Amortisation

Impairment loss

Foreign exchange differences

At 31 December 2018

Carrying amount

At 31 December 2018

At 31 December 2017

–

273

367

1,000

76

115

3,970

9,144

3,942

1,032

8,355

11,564

Customer relationship assets are amortised over their useful economic lives estimated to be ten years. Within this balance 
individually material balances relate to: 

 / FlyerTech: $1,835,000 (2017: $2,080,000); and
 / Hangar8 (Europe Air and Europe Ground): $2,135,000 (2017: $7,064,000). 

Licenses and brands (which include protected intellectual property) are amortised over their useful economic lives estimated 
to be ten years. There are no individually material items within this balance. 

Commence operations and part 145 approvals are legacy intangible balances comprising internally generated costs  
relating to new operations. These assets were previously identified as having an indefinite useful life. In 2018, management 
reassessed the remaining useful lives of the existing commence operations assets to be one year. Management also re-
evaluated the appropriate useful economic lives of Part 145 approvals at 5 years. In connection with this, the remaining 
useful economic life of existing Part 145 was determined to be between 1 and 2 years. These revisions to useful lives have 
been accounted for prospectively in accordance with IAS 8. 

Computer software costs comprise internally developed software costs arising in the Group’s MyAirOps Software Limited 
business as well as purchased software, such as Enterprise Resource Planning systems. All costs are amortised over their 
useful economic lives estimated to be between three and five years. The carrying value of internally developed software 
within this balance is $3,199,000 (2017: $950,000).

The recoverable value of intangible assets has been assessed as part of the Group’s annual IAS 36 impairment review 
exercise. As a result of the impairment review it was determined that an impairment charge of $4,535,000 was required 
against the Europe Air CGU Grouping to reduce the carrying value of intangible assets to the calculated value in use of  
that CGU Grouping. 

Intangible assets recognised on acquisition in the year of $4,202,000 and allocated to the Asia Air CGU were also impaired  
by $2,793,000.

78 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 201816. Property, plant and equipment

Leasehold 
property 
$’000

Aircraft 
hull and 
refurbishments
$’000

Fixtures, 
fittings and 
equipment 
$’000

Motor 
vehicles 
$’000

9,235

4,294

–

779

14,308

2,425

5

(665)

16,073

3,160

471

–

163

4,699

2,599

–

577

7,875

106

207

(443)

7,745

993

281

–

109

3,794

1,383

666

(139)

476

(97)

4,321

1,762

4,752

1,201

(283)

279

5,949

1,762

14

(108)

7,617

2,949

867

(283)

184

3,717

1,087

(51)

4,753

Total
$’000

19,690

8,507

(306)

1,648

29,539

5,425

249

(1,228)

1,004

413

(23)

13

1,407

1,132

23

(12)

2,550

33,985

373

226

(14)

9

594

315

(8)

901

7,475

1,845

(297)

465

9,488

2,544

(295)

11,737

Cost

At 1 January 2017

Additions

Disposals

Exchange differences

At 31 December 2017

Additions

Acquisitions

Exchange differences

At 31 December 2018

Accumulated depreciation

At 1 January 2017

Charge for the year

Eliminated on disposals

Exchange differences

At 31 December 2017

Charge for the year

Exchange differences

At 31 December 2018

Carrying amount

At 31 December 2018

At 31 December 2017

11,752

10,514

5,983

6,492

2,864

2,232

1,649

813

22,248

20,051

The Group’s obligations under finance leases (see note 23) are secured by the lessors’ title to the leased assets, which have  
a carrying amount of $7.3 million (2017: $6.7 million), being $5.8 million of aircraft and $1.5 million of motor vehicles 
(2017: $6.0 million of aircraft and $0.7 million of motor vehicles).

In June 2017 the Group entered into a non-cancellable Build-Operate-Transfer and Service Concession agreement with 
Sharjah Airport Authority under which the Group is committed to construct a Business Aviation Centre (“BAC”) at Sharjah 
Airport. The agreement runs from June 2017 until June 2042. Assets under construction in relation to the BAC, with a 
carrying value of $1,815,000 at 31 December 2018, are included within leasehold property. The total expected cost of the 
project is expected to be approximately $40m. The directors’ expectation is that the purchase will ultimately be funded  
by an asset finance or sale and leaseback arrangement.

Included within leasehold property are costs arising from related party transactions of $754,000 (see note 37).

On 21 December 2018 the Group entered into cancellable commitments totalling €25,759,000 to purchase three Airbus 
H145 rotary aircraft. A first €500,000 down payment was made on 17 December 2018. The second payment of €573,000  
was made on 9 January 2019. The third payment of €4,078,000 was made on 1st February 2019. The fourth payment of 
€2,576,000 will be made on 1st July 2019. The remaining commitments will be settled on delivery acceptance which is 
expected to be in December 2019 for one aircraft requiring a final payment of €6,010,000 and early 2020 for the remaining 
two aircraft requiring final payments totalling €12,021,000. The directors’ expectation is that the purchase will ultimately  
be funded by an asset finance or operating lease arrangement.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

79

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS16. Property, plant and equipment (continued)
Assets held for resale
During the year the Group disposed of its remaining asset held for sale.

Net book value at 1 January 2018

Disposals

Net book value at 31 December 2018

17. Subsidiaries
Details of the Company’s subsidiaries at 31 December 2018 are as follows:

Name

Aerstream Limited(1)

Airops Software Limited(1)

Aravco Limited(1)

Avialogistics Limited(2)

Aviation Crewing Limited

FlyerTech Limited(1)

Gama Aviation (Asset 2) Limited(1)

Place of incorporation
and operation

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

Gama Aviation (Engineering) Limited(1)

England and Wales

Gama Aviation Group Limited(4)

Gama Aviation (Training) Limited(2)

Gama Aviation (UK) Limited(1)

GA 259034 Limited(1)

Gama (Engineering) Limited(1)

GA FM54 Limited(1)

Gama Group Limited

Gama Leasing Limited(1)

Gama Support Services Limited(1)

Hangar8 AOC Limited

Hangar8 Engineering Limited

Hangar8 Management Limited

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

Infinity Flight Crew Academy Limited

England and Wales

International JetClub Limited

Optimum Aviation Limited

Ronaldson Airmotive Limited(1)

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

Aviation Beauport Holdings Limited(4)

Ferron Trading Limited(4)

Gama Aviation (Beauport) Limited(1)

Jersey

Jersey

Jersey

Gama Aviation (Engineering) Jersey Limited(1)

Jersey

Gama Aviation SA(1)

Oasis Flight Malta

Gama Aviation FZC(6)

Gama Group Mena FZE

Gama Holding FZC 

Switzerland

Malta

UAE

UAE

UAE

80 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Assets held
for resale
$’000

1,500

(1,500)

–

Proportion  
of voting and 
ownership
interest

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

49%

100%

100%

Nature of business

Dormant

Aviation software

Aviation management

Non-trading

Dormant

Airworthiness management

Aircraft operation

Holding company

Holding company

Dormant

Aviation management 

Dormant

Dormant

Aircraft leasing

Holding company

Aviation management 

Dormant

Aviation charter

Aviation maintenance

Aviation management

Dormant

Aviation management

Aviation management and charter

Dormant

Dormant

Dormant

Aviation management

Aviation maintenance

Aviation management 

Dormant

Aviation management

Holding company

Holding company

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018Place of incorporation
and operation

Proportion  
of voting and 
ownership
interest

Name

Gama Support Services FZE(1)

Gama Aviation (Engineering) Inc.(1)

Gama Aviation (Management) Inc.(1)

Gama Group Inc. 

Gama Aviation Limited(1)

UAE

USA

USA

USA

Hong Kong

Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings Limited(1)

Hong Kong

Gama Aviation Hutchison (Hong Kong) 
Limited(1)

Gama Group (Asia) Limited

Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Star-Gate Aviation (Proprietary) Limited

South Africa

Hangar8 Nigeria Limited(3)

Hangar8 Mauritius Limited

GB Aviation Holdings LLC(5)

Gama Aviation Beijing WOFE

(1) 

indicates indirect holding

Nigeria

Mauritius

USA

China

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

50%

100%

Nature of business

Aviation design and engineering

Aviation design and engineering

Aviation management 

Holding company 

Aviation management

Holding company

Aviation management

Holding company

Holder of South African AOC

Applicant of Nigerian AOC

Holding company

Joint Venture

Dormant

(2)  For the year ending 31 December 2018 below companies were exempt from the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to the audit 

of individual financial statements by parental guarantee. Gama Aviation plc has indirect holdings in these subsidiaries undertaken: 
Avialogistics Limited, registration number 02265525 
Gama Aviation (Training) Limited, registration number 09234102

(3)  The consolidated financial statements include amounts relating to Hangar8 Nigeria Limited, a company established in Lagos, Nigeria. The 

Group holds 11% of the share capital, of which 7% is owned through a wholly owned subsidiary, Hangar8 Mauritius Limited. Whilst the Group 
therefore does not have legal control of this entity, the directors and officers comprise only of management from the Group who have the 
ability to adopt, amend and control the operating and financial policies of the entity. Local regulations prevent the Group holding a legally 
controlling shareholding and therefore 89% of the share capital is held on behalf of the Group by Tinubu Investment Company Limited. 
Accordingly, the entity has been treated as a wholly owned subsidiary in these financial statements.

(4)   On 1 January 2019 these companies became dormant as part of the Group’s legal entity restructuring activities.

(5)  GB Aviation Holdings LLC is the entity jointly held with BBA Aviation plc. The company’s sole asset is its 49% investment in Gama Aviation LLC, 

the Group’s US Air associate. The Group’s ownership interest in Gama Aviation LLC is 24.5%.

(6)  Gama Aviation Plc holds a 49% shareholding in Gama Aviation FZE. The results of Gama Aviation FZE are fully consolidated within the financial 
statements because Gama Aviation Plc is exposed to variable returns from its involvement and has the ability to affect the returns through its 
power over these companies. 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

81

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS17. Subsidiaries (continued)

Details of the Company’s subsidiaries at 31 December 2017 are as follows:

Name

Aerstream Limited*

Airops Software Limited*

Aravco Limited*

Avialogistics Limited**

Aviation Crewing Limited

FlyerTech Limited*

Gama Aviation (Asset 2) Limited*

Gama Aviation (Engineering) Limited 
(formerly Gama Engineering Group Limited)*

Place of incorporation
and operation

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

Gama Aviation Group Limited*

England and Wales

Gama Aviation (Training) Limited**

England and Wales

Gama Aviation (UK) Limited*

GA 259034 Limited*

Gama (Engineering) Limited*

GA FM54 Limited*

Gama Group Limited

Gama Leasing Limited*

Gama Support Services Limited*

Hangar8 AOC Limited

Hangar8 Engineering Limited

Hangar8 Management Limited

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

Infinity Flight Crew Academy Limited

England and Wales

International JetClub Limited

Optimum Aviation Limited

Ronaldson Airmotive Limited*

Aviation Beauport Holdings Limited*

Ferron Trading Limited*

Gama Aviation (Beauport) Limited 
(formerly Aviation Beauport Limited)*

Gama Aviation (Engineering) Jersey Limited 
(formerly Aviation Beauport (Hangar Services) 
Limited)*

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

Jersey

Jersey

Jersey

Jersey

Gama Aviation Holdings (Jersey) Limited

Jersey

Gama Aviation SA*

Oasis Flight Malta

Gama Aviation FZC*

Gama Group Mena FZE

Gama Holding FZC*

Gama Support Services FZE*

Gama Aviation (Engineering) Inc. 
(formerly Gama Support Services Inc.)*

Gama Aviation (Management) Inc. 
(formerly Gama Aviation Inc.)*

Switzerland

Malta

UAE

UAE

UAE

UAE

USA

USA

82 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Proportion  
of voting and 
ownership
interest

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

Nature of business

Airworthiness management

Aviation software

Aviation management

Non-trading

Dormant

Airworthiness management

Aircraft operation

Holding company

Holding company

Aviation training

Aviation management 

Dormant

Dormant

Aircraft leasing

Holding company

Aviation management 

Dormant

Aviation charter

Aviation maintenance

Aviation management

Aviation training

Aviation management

Aviation management and charter

Dormant

Holding company

Holding company

Aviation management

100%

Aviation maintenance

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

Holding company

Aviation management 

Dormant

Aviation management

Holding company

Holding company

Aviation design and engineering

Aviation design and engineering

100%

Aviation management 

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018Place of incorporation
and operation

Proportion  
of voting and 
ownership
interest

Name

Gama Group Inc.*

Gama Aviation Limited*

Gama Group (Asia) Limited*

Gama Support Services Limited*

USA

Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Star-Gate Aviation (Proprietary) Limited

South Africa

Hangar8 Nigeria Limited***

Hangar8 Mauritius Limited

GB Aviation Holdings LLC

Gama Aviation Beijing WOFE

* 

  indicates indirect holding

Nigeria

Mauritius

USA

China

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

50%

100%

Nature of business

Holding company 

Aviation management

Holding company

Aviation design and engineering

Holder of South African AOC

Applicant of Nigerian AOC

Holding company

Joint Venture****

Dormant

**    For the year ending 31 December 2017(prior year) below companies were exempt from the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating 
to the audit of individual financial statements by parental guarantee. Gama Aviation plc has indirect holdings in these subsidiaries undertaken: 
Avialogistics Limited, registration number 02265525 
Gama Aviation (Training) Limited, registration number 09234102

***   The consolidated financial statements include amounts relating to Hangar8 Nigeria Limited, a company established in Lagos, Nigeria. The 

Group holds 11% of the share capital, of which 7% is owned through a wholly owned subsidiary, Hangar8 Mauritius Limited. Whilst the Group 
therefore does not have legal control of this entity, the directors and officers comprise only of management from the Group who have the 
ability to adopt, amend and control the operating and financial policies of the entity. Local regulations prevent the Group holding a legally 
controlling shareholding and therefore 89% of the share capital is held on behalf of the Group by Tinubu Investment Company Limited. 
Accordingly, the entity has been treated as a wholly owned subsidiary in these financial statements. Gama Aviation Plc holds a 49% 
shareholding in Gama Aviation FZE. The results of Gama Aviation FZE are fully consolidated within the financial statements because Gama 
Aviation Plc is exposed to variable returns from its involvement and has the ability to affect the returns through its power over these 
companies. 

**** GB Aviation Holdings LLC is the entity jointly held with BBA Aviation plc. The company’s sole asset is its 49% investment in Gama Aviation LLC, 
the Group’s US Air associate. The Group’s ownership interest in Gama Aviation LLC is 24.5%. Gama Aviation Plc holds a 49% shareholding in 
Gama Aviation FZE. The results of Gama Aviation FZE are fully consolidated within the financial statements because Gama Aviation Plc is 
exposed to variable returns from its involvement and has the ability to affect the returns through its power over these companies. 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

83

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS18. Investments accounted for using the equity method
Details of the Group’s investments accounted for using the equity method at 31 December 2018 are as follows:

Name

Gama Aviation LLC

Investment

Associate

Place of
incorporation and 
operation

USA

Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings Ltd*

Joint venture

Hong Kong

China Aircraft Services Limited

Associate

Hong Kong

Proportion of 
ownership interest

Proportion of voting 
power held

24.5%

100.0%

20.0%

25.0%

100.0%

20.0%

*  Until 2 March 2018 when the remaining 50.0% of the company not already owned by the Group was acquired.

Details of the Group’s investments accounted for using the equity method at 31 December 2017 are as follows:

Name

Gama Aviation LLC

Investment

Associate

Place of
incorporation and 
operation

USA

Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings Ltd

Joint venture

Hong Kong

Proportion of 
ownership interest

Proportion of voting 
power held

24.5%

50.0%

25.0%

50.0%

On 1 January 2017, Gama Aviation LLC merged its aircraft management and charter operations with Landmark Aviation LLC, 
a wholly owned subsidiary of BBA Aviation Plc. Consequently, the Group transferred a 24.5% interest to BBA Aviation Plc  
in return for 24.5% of the net assets of Landmark Aviation LLC. This transaction resulted in the recognition of a profit on 
disposal of interest in associate of $1,564,000. The Group has retained the remaining 24.5% and continues to account for  
the investment as an associate.

On 2 March 2018 the Group acquired the remaining 50.0% of Gama Aviation Hutchison that it did not already own. This 
transaction resulted in the Group obtaining control of Gama Aviation Hutchison, and the results of that company have  
been consolidated from the date of the transaction. A gain of $986,000 was recognised as part of the accounting for  
the step-acquisition. On the same date the Group acquired a 20.0% ownership interest in China Aircraft Services Limited  
from Hutchison Whampoa (China) Limited. Consideration paid for the interest was $16,000,000 which was settled in cash. 

The results of the equity accounted investments are as follows:

Revenue

Expenditure

Profit/(loss) before tax

Income tax credit

Profit/(loss) after tax

Group’s share of net profit/(loss)

Reversal of prior year losses

Share of results from equity  
accounted investments

Associate

Joint venture

Year ended  
2018  
$’000

Year ended  
2017  
$’000

Year ended  
2018  
$’000

Year ended  
2017  
$’000

494,075

387,366

(491,784)

(386,730)

2,291

209

2,500

566

–

566

636

–

636

157

1,501

1,658

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

14,793

(15,335)

(542)

–

(542)

–

669

669

The summary financial positions of the equity accounted investments are as follows:

At 1 January

Acquisition

Share of net profit/(loss)

Profit on disposal of interest in associate

At 31 December

84 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Associate

Joint venture

Year ended 
2018  
$’000

Year ended  
2017  
$’000

Year ended 
2018  
$’000

Year ended  
2017  
$’000

1,721

16,000

566

–

18,287

–

157

1,564

1,721

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018The summary financial positions of the equity accounted investments are as follows:

Total assets

Total liabilities

Net assets/(liabilities)

Group’s share of net assets/(liabilities)

19. Inventories

Raw materials and consumables

Work in progress

Associate

Joint venture

Year ended  
2018  
$’000

Year ended  
2017  
$’000

Year ended 
2018  
$’000

Year ended  
2017 
$’000

126,195

41,276

(43,749)

(37,317)

82,446

16,899

3,959

970

–

–

–

–

2018 
$’000

7,348

3,332

10,680

5,500

(7,381)

(1,881)

(941)

2017 
$’000

7,085

2,620

9,705

The directors consider that the carrying value of inventories is approximately equal to their fair value. The cost of inventories 
recognised as an expense was $20,380,000 (2017: $13,998,000), this includes an amount of $1,107,000 resulting from a write 
back of inventories (2017: write down of $384,000).

20. Other financial assets

Trade and other receivables

Amount receivable for the sale of services 

Allowance for doubtful debts

Other debtors

Amounts due from associates

Prepayments

Accrued income

2018
$’000

28,242

(3,198)

25,044

4,150

2,654

8,237

18,215

58,300

2017 
(restated)*
$’000

22,995

(2,968)

20,027

3,092

2,745

6,558

15,868

47,718

* 

the 2017 comparatives have been restated to disclose amounts due from associates separately from other debtors. This has been done to aid 
reconciliation to amounts disclosed in the related party transactions note 37.

Trade receivables
Trade receivables disclosed above are classified as loans and receivables and are therefore measured at amortised cost.

The average credit period taken on sales of goods is 28 days (2017: 28 days). No interest is charged on overdue receivables 
(2017 – nil). The Group recognises an allowance for doubtful debts on a customer by customer basis, based on an analysis  
of the counterparty’s current financial position, against its current overdue debt. 

Before accepting any new customer, the Group assesses the potential customer’s credit quality and requests payments  
on account, where considered appropriate, as a means of mitigating the risk of financial loss from defaults. 

Of the trade receivables balance at the end of the year, $3.8 million (2017: $3.3 million) is due from the Group’s largest  
5 customers who comprise 15% (2017: 16%) of the ledger value at the year-end. 

Trade receivables disclosed above include amounts (see below for aged analysis) which are past due at the reporting date  
but against which the Group has not recognised a specific allowance for doubtful receivables because there has not been a 
significant change in credit quality and the amounts are still considered recoverable. However, the Group carries a provision 
for IFRS 9 expected credit losses of $419,000. As permitted by IFRS 9, Group companies are required to use a provision matrix 
as a practical expedient to calculate the provision for expected credit losses for trade receivables without a significant 
financing component.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

85

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS20. Other financial assets (continued)
Ageing of past due but not impaired receivables

Not yet due

Less than 30 days

30-60 days

61-90 days 

91-120 days

Greater than 120 days

Total

2018
$’000

10,869

3,568

3,624

938

857

5,188

25,044

2017 
$’000

7,853

2,768

2,246

464

217

6,479

20,027

Amounts due from associates
Amounts due from associates of $2,654,000 represent balances arising in the ordinary course of business between the  
Group and its associate companies, China Aircraft Services Limited and Gama Aviation LLC. Amounts due to associates  
of $3,067,000 (see note 24) also arise in the ordinary course of business between the Group and the same two associate 
companies. The net payable to associates of $415,000 represents:

 / A receivable due to the Group of $330,000 from Gama Aviation LLC; and
 / A payable due by the Group of $745,000 to China Aircraft Services Limited.

These amounts are disclosed as related party transactions in note 37.

Movement in the allowance for doubtful debts

At 1 January

Opening IFRS 9 adjustment

Impairment losses recognised in income statement

Amounts written off as uncollectible

Amounts recovered during the year

Foreign exchange translation gains and losses

At 31 December

2018
$’000

2,968

327

965

(780)

(131)

(151)

2017 
$’000

3,985

–

384

(1,664)

(68)

331

3,198

2,968

In determining the recoverability of a trade receivable, the Group considers any change in the credit quality of the trade 
receivable from the date credit was initially granted up to the reporting date.

Ageing of impaired trade receivables

< 30 days 

30-60 days 

61-90 days 

91-120 days

121+ days

Total

2018
$’000

264

60

47

498

2,329

3,198

2017 
$’000

40

39

6

2

2,881

2,968

The directors consider that the carrying amount of trade and other receivables is approximately equal to their fair value. 
No security is taken on trade receivables.

86 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 201821. Borrowings

Secured borrowings at amortised cost

Finance lease liabilities (note 23)

Short term loan from associate

Other loans

Total borrowings

Finance lease liabilities

Short term loan from associate

Other loans

Amount due for settlement within 12 months

Finance lease liabilities

Other loans

Amount due for settlement after 12 months

Analysis of borrowings by currency:

31 December 2018

Finance lease liabilities

Other loans

31 December 2017 (restated)*

Finance lease liabilities

Short term loan from associate

Other loans

2018
$’000

3,056

–

9,850

12,906

1,669

–

9,850

11,519

1,387

–

1,387

Sterling 
$’000

US Dollars
 $’000

–

3,056

2017

(restated)*
$’000

3,667

5,014

31,654

40,335

1,654

5,014

30,642

37,310

2,013

1,012

3,025

Total
 $’000

3,056

9,850

9,850

9,850

–

–

31,654

31,654

–

3,056

12,906

3,667

–

–

3,667

3,667

5,014

31,654

40,335

*  The cash transaction restatement is detailed in Note 2

The other principal features of the Group’s borrowings are as follows.

2018
(i)  Finance lease liabilities are secured by the assets leased. Interest arises at an average of 5.4% (2017: 4.4%) and the leases 

expire in 2022.

(ii)  Other loans in 2018 comprise a $10.0m revolving credit facility with a repayment term of less than 1 year and which 

carries an interest rate of LIBOR + 1.90%.

(iii)  Other loans in 2017 included a loan amounting to £1.5 million, which had no fixed repayment term and carried an interest 

rate of 9.5% per annum was repaid in 2018.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

87

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS21. Borrowings (continued)

2017 (restated)
The disclosure detail below has been restated to show the correct amount for the £1.5m loan, which was incorrectly 
disclosed as £0.75m.

(i)  £1.5 million (2016: £1.5 million), which has no fixed repayment term and carries an interest rate of 9.5% per annum 

(2016: 9.5%).

(ii)  £22.0 million (2016: £15.5 million) revolving credit facility with a repayment term of less than 1 year and carries an 

interest rate of LIBOR + 1.95%

(iii)  A loan amounting to $4.0 million in 2016 was repaid in 2017. This carried an interest rate of 12% per annum and was 

repayable on demand. 

22. Deferred tax
The following are the major deferred tax liabilities and assets recognised by the Group and movements thereon during the 
current and prior reporting period.

At 1 January 2017

Movement in year

Exchange differences

At 31 December 2017

Movement in year

Exchange differences

At 31 December 2018

Fixed asset 
temporary 
differences
$’000

(1,649)

(70)

4

Tax losses
 $’000 

4,557

(1,706)

4

(1,715)

2,855

(36)

(2)

(74)

(2)

Total 
$’000

2,908

(1,776)

8

1,140

(110)

(4)

(1,753)

2,779

1,026

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset where the Group has a legally enforceable right to do so. The following is the 
analysis of the deferred tax balances for financial reporting purposes:

Deferred tax asset

Deferred tax liability

Net deferred tax asset

2018 
$’000

2,665

(1,639)

1,026

2017
 $’000

2,689

(1,549)

1,140

The Group has not recognised a deferred tax asset in respect of losses brought forward of $3.7m (2017: $3.6m) because the 
future recoverability of the asset is uncertain. 

The Group are able to recognise the deferred tax asset and its expected utilisation in future periods based on future 
profitable projections for that entity in which the deferred tax asset arose.

23. Obligations under finance leases

Amounts payable under finance leases:

Within one year

In the second to fifth years inclusive

After more than five years

Less: future finance charges

Present value of lease obligations

88 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Minimum lease payments

2018 
$’000

2017
 $’000

1,810

1,400

93

3,303

(247)

3,056

1,751

2,121

–

3,872

(205)

3,667

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018Amounts payable under finance leases:

Within one year

In the second to fifth years inclusive

After more than five years

Present value of lease obligations

Present value of minimum  
lease payments

2018 
$’000

2017 
$’000

1,669

1,301

86

3,056

1,654

2,013

–

3,667

It is the Group’s policy to lease aircraft and cars under finance leases. The average lease term is ten years for aircraft and five 
years for cars. For the year ended 31 December 2018, the average effective borrowing rate was 5.4% (2017: 4.4%). Interest 
rates are variable. 

The fair value of the Group’s lease obligations is different to their carrying amount as shown in note 31.

The Group’s obligations under finance leases are secured by the lessors’ rights over the leased assets disclosed in note 16.

24. Other financial liabilities

Trade and other payables 

Trade and other payables

Accruals

Amounts due to associates

2018 
$’000

29,015

18,078

3,067

50,160

2017

(restated)*

$’000

38,523

9,442

1,531

49,496

* 

the 2017 comparatives have been restated to disclose amounts due to associates separately from Trade and other payables. This has been 
done to aid reconciliation to amounts disclosed in the related party transactions note 37. Total trade and other payables have also been 
restated to reclassify $5.0m from amounts due to associates (which were combined with Trade and other payables in the prior year) to short 
term borrowings (see note 2).

Trade payables and accruals principally comprise amounts outstanding for trade purchases and ongoing costs. The average 
credit period taken for trade purchases is 50 (2017: 50) days. No interest is charged on the trade payables. The Group has 
financial risk management policies in place to ensure that all payables are paid within agreed credit terms. The directors 
consider that the carrying amount of trade payables approximates to their fair value.

Amounts due to associates of $3,067,000 represent balances arising in the ordinary course of business between the Group 
and its associate companies, China Aircraft Services Limited and Gama Aviation LLC. Amounts due from associates of 
$2,654,000 (see note 20) also arise in the ordinary course of business between the Group and the same two associate 
companies. The net payable to associates of $415,000 represents:

 / A receivable due to the Group of $330,000 from Gama Aviation LLC; and
 / A payable due by the Group of $745,000 to China Aircraft Services Limited.

These amounts are disclosed as related party transactions in note 37.

25. Issued capital and reserves

Ordinary shares: authorised, issued and fully paid

At 1 January 2017

At 31 December 2017

Issue of share capital

At 31 December 2018

Number

GBP

$’000

43,994,442

439,944

43,994,442

439,944

19,641,837

195,918

63,636,279

635,862

684

684

269

953

Share capital represents the amount subscribed for share capital at nominal value. The Company has one class of ordinary 
shares with a nominal value of £0.01 and no right to fixed income. 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

89

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS25. Issued capital and reserves (continued)
On 2 March 2018, 19,591,837 new ordinary shares of one pence each in Gama Aviation plc were admitted for trading on AIM. 
The Company raised gross proceeds of £48,000,000 ($65,460,000) pursuant to the placing. Hutchison Whampoa (China) 
Limited (“Hutchison”) subscribed for shares in the placing and held 21.17% of the issued share capital at 30 June 2018. 
A further 50,000 shares were issued to a director of the Company (see page 38).

Share premium

At 1 January 2017

Issue of new shares

Balance at 31 December 2018

$’000

–

63,473

63,473

Share premium represents the amount subscribed for share capital in excess of nominal value, net of placement fees of 
£1,526,000 ($1,987,000). 

Other reserves

Merger
relief
reserve
$’000

Reverse 
takeover 
reserve
$’000

Other 
reserve
 $’000

Own  
shares 
reserve
$’000

Cash 
Flow hedge 
reserve
$’000

At 1 January 2017

136,996

(95,828)

20,209

Share-based payment expense 
(Note 32)

Gains recognised on cash flow hedge 
(Note 35)

Balance at 31 December 2017

Share-based payment expense 
(Note 32)

Gains recognised on cash flow hedge 
(Note 35)

–

–

–

–

–

–

136,996

(95,828)

20,209

–

–

–

–

–

127

Balance at 31 December 2018

136,996

(95,828)

20,336

–

195

–

195

670

–

865

Total
$’000

61,377

195

127

61,699

670

–

–

–

127

127

–

(127)

–

62,369

The merger relief reserve represents differences between the fair value of the consideration transferred and the nominal 
value of the shares. In 2015, this occurred as a result of the reverse takeover. The reserve was increased in 2016 upon the 
acquisition of Aviation Beauport Limited when shares were included as part of the consideration.

The reverse takeover reserve represents the balance of the amount attributable to equity after adjusting the accounting 
acquirer’s capital to reflect the capital structure of the legal parent in a reverse takeover.

Other reserve is the result of the application of merger accounting to reflect the combination of the results of Gama Aviation 
(Holdings) Jersey Limited with those of Gama Holding FZC, following the share for share exchange transacted on 
16 December 2014.

Own shares reserve is used to recognise the value of equity-settled share-based payments, provided to employees, including 
key management personnel, as part of their remuneration. Refer to note 32 for further details of these plans.

Cash flow hedge reserve represents the cumulative amount of gains and losses on hedging instruments deemed effective 
in cash flow hedges. 

26. Non-controlling interest

Balance at 1 January 2017

Total comprehensive profit attributable to minority interests

Non-controlling interest movement

Balance at 31 December 2017

Total comprehensive profit attributable to minority interests

Balance at 31 December 2018

90 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

$’000

581

46

897

1,524

14

1,538

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018On 18th October 2017, Gama Holdings FZC, a subsidiary of Gama Aviation Plc, transferred its entire shareholding in Gama 
Group Mena FZC to Gama Aviation Plc, and was converted to an FZE. On the same date, Gama Aviation Plc acquired the 
remaining 51% shareholding in Gama Group Mena FZE. The net liabilities acquired as part of this transaction resulted in  
the recognition of the non-controlling interest movement of $897,000 shown in the prior year.

27. Net cash generated by operating activities

(Loss)/profit before tax from continuing operations

Loss before tax from discontinued operations

(Loss)/profit before tax

Adjustments for:

Finance income

Finance costs

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

Amortisation of intangible assets

IAS 36 impairment of goodwill and acquired intangibles

Loss on disposal of assets held for sale

Share of profit of associate and joint venture

Profit arising on step acquisition/disposal of interest in associates

Share-based payment

Unrealised foreign exchange movements

Operating cash inflow before movements in working capital

Increase in inventories

(Increase)/decrease in receivables

(Decrease)/increase in payables

Decrease in deferred revenue

Decrease in provisions

Cash (expended on)/generated by operations

Taxes paid

Interest received

Interest paid

Net cash (expended on)/generated by operating activities

*  The cash transaction restatement is detailed in Note 2.

28. Changes in liabilities arising from financing activities

2018 
$’000

(30,890)

(767)

(31,657)

(586)

954

2,544

2,523

27,708

–

(566)

(986)

670

(2,897)

(2,293)

(1,585)

(9,281)

(5,039)

(26)

(560)

(18,784)

(1,633)

–

(954)

(21,371)

2017 

(restated)*
$’000

15,686

(1,952)

13,734

–

1,699

1,845

1,441

–

150

(2,327)

(1,564)

195

(2,037)

13,136

(543)

699

5,936

(223)

(249)

18,756

(3,624)

–

(1,657)

13,475

At 1 January 2018

1,012

35,656

2,013

1,654

40,335

Borrowings

Finance lease liabilities

Long-term 
$’000

Short-term 
$’000

Long-term 
$’000

Short-term 
$’000

Total 
$’000

Cash flows:

Repayments

Proceeds

Non-cash:

Acquisitions

Foreign exchange movement

At 31 December 2018

(966)

(34,714)

–

–

(46)

–

10,304

–

(1,396)

9,850

–

–

86

–

2,099

(1,654)

(37,334)

–

10,304

987

(30)

957

1,073

(1,472)

12,906

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

91

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS29. Contingent liabilities
The banking facilities of Gama Aviation Plc and its subsidiary undertakings are secured by a fixed and floating charge over  
the assets of that company and its subsidiaries. The directors consider it highly improbable that any liability will crystallise  
as a result of this composite company multilateral guarantee.

The Group was previously involved in legal proceedings relating to historic Hangar 8 trading activity prior to the merger in 
January 2015 and relating to disputes with Dustin Dryden and affiliated entities. The Company reached an agreement with 
the Dryden Parties (Dustin Dryden and associated entities) to settle the legal proceedings between the parties. Under the 
terms of the agreement, which was in full and final settlement of the court proceedings between the parties, the Dryden 
Parties undertook to withdraw their various damages claims against the Company, and to transfer value to the Company  
by a cash payment and transfer of certain assets; and the Company undertook to withdraw its debt recovery claims against 
the Dryden Parties. 

Following the settlement of the disputes with Dustin Dryden (a former executive director of the Company who resigned in 
September 2015) and affiliated entities as reported at the half year, the remaining proceedings fall into two categories.

 / The first involves proceedings by the Company to recover long-standing trade receivables that amount to approximately 
$4.3m. The Company has made adequate provisions or holds security against these claims and as a result the Board does 
not expect any further provisions will be required. In addition, based on legal advice, the Board considers the proceedings  
to recover these receivables are likely to be successful, noting that the Company has already obtained summary judgments 
for a portion of these claims in the sum of $0.7m.

 / The second involves two proceedings brought against the Company in which the claimants seek to recover damages for 

alleged contractual breaches or alleged unpaid flight charges which amount to approximately $5.8m. Based on a detailed 
analysis of the claims and legal advice, the Board believes that these claims are speculative and/or overlapping and the 
Company continues to vigorously defend them.

30. Provisions for liabilities

Consideration for subsidiary acquisition 

Total provisions

Amount due for settlement within 12 months

Amount due for settlement after 12 months

Total provisions

Provision brought forward

Utilisation of provision

Provision carried forward

31. Operating lease arrangements
The Group as lessee

2018 
$’000

–

–

–

–

–

Losses of
associate
$’000

Losses
of joint 
venture
$’000

Consideration
for subsidiary 
acquisition
$’000

–

–

–

–

–

–

540

(540)

–

 2017 
$’000

540

540

540

–

540

Total
$’000

540

(540)

–

Lease payments under operating leases recognised as an expense in the year

2018 
$’000

14,258

2017
 $’000

7,204

At the balance sheet date, the Group had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-
cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:

Within one year

In the second to fifth years inclusive

After five years

92 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

2018 
$’000

7,121

17,774

38,364

63,259

 2017 
$’000

3,837

10,115

6,181

20,133

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018Included in the commitments above is a non-cancellable Build-Operate-Transfer and Service Concession agreement with 
Sharjah Airport Authority under which the Group is committed to construct a Business Aviation Centre (“BAC”) at Sharjah 
Airport. The agreement runs from June 2017 until June 2042. The present value of the minimum lease payments is estimated 
at $8,000,000. The contract is being accounted for under IAS 17 ‘Leases’ as the contract did not meet the criteria established 
in IFRIC 12 to be treated as a service concession arrangement. Assets under construction in relation to the BAC, with a 
carrying value of $1,814,989 at 31 December 2018, are included within Property, Plant and Equipment (see note 16).

Other operating lease payments represent rentals payable by the Group for leasing of property, plant and machinery and 
cars. Leases are negotiated for an average term of five years.

32. Share-based payments
Equity-settled share option scheme
Options were granted on 6 January 2017 to certain employees of the Group. Options are exercisable at a price equal to $1.55.
The vesting period is 3 years. If options remain unexercised after a period of 10 years from the grant date, the options expire. 
Options are forfeited if the employee leaves the Group before the options vest.

Options were granted on 22 June 2018 to certain employees of the Group. Options are exercisable at a price equal to $2.06. 
The vesting period is 2-3 years. If options remain unexercised after a period of 10 years from the grant date, the options 
expire. Options are forfeited if the employee leaves the Group before the options vest.

Details of the options outstanding during the year are:

At 1 January

Granted during the year

Forfeited during the year

At 31 December

Exercisable at 31 December

The estimated fair values of the options granted is $3,047,216 (2017: $585,753).

The inputs into the Black-Scholes model are as follows: 

Share price, US$ cents

Exercise price, US$ cents

Expected volatility

Expected life, years

Risk-free rate

Expected dividend yields

2018 
000

1,310

2,132

(40)

3,402

–

 2017 
000

–

1,390

(80)

1,310

–

2018 

 2017 

207.50

205.50

37.49%

10

1.26%

1.30%

154.00

155.00

28.36%

10

1.18%

1.66%

Expected volatility was determined by calculating the historical volatility of the Group’s share price since 5 January 2015.  
The Group recognises total expenses of $670,000 (2017: $195,000) related to equity settled share-based payment 
transactions in 2018.

33. Retirement benefit schemes
The Group operates defined contribution retirement benefit schemes for all qualifying employees. The assets of the schemes 
are held separately from those of the Group in funds under the control of independent trustees. As at 31 December 2018, 
contributions of $156,000 (2017: $124,000) due in respect of the current reporting period had not been paid over to the schemes.

34. Deferred revenue

Deferred revenue 

The deferred revenue arises in respect of management fees invoiced in advance.

2018
$’000

4,300

2017
$’000

4,388

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

93

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS35. Financial instruments
The Group’s financial assets and liabilities at 31 December 2017 are presented in accordance with IAS 39. Under IFRS 9 the 
loans and receivables category of financial asset is renamed financial assets at amortised cost. The Group’s financial assets 
and liabilities at 31 December 2018, as defined under IFRS 9 and their estimated fair values are as follows:

Financial 
assets at 
amortised 
cost
$’000

Financial 
liabilities at 
amortised  
cost
$’000

Book
Value
 total
$’000

Fair
 value
total
$’000

10,020

49,754

–

–

10,020

49,754

10,020

49,754

At 31 December 2018

Financial assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Trade and other receivables

Financial liabilities

Trade and other payables

Borrowings

Net financial assets/(liabilities)

58,658

(59,604)

–

–

(48,638)

(48,638)

(48,638)

(9,850)

(9,850)

(946)

(9,850)

(946)

At 31 December 2017 (restated)*

Financial assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Trade and other receivables

Financial liabilities

Trade and other payables

Borrowings (restated)

Loans and 
receivables
$’000

22,349

40,813

Financial 
liabilities at 
amortised 
cost
$’000

Book
Value
 total
$’000

Fair
 value
total
$’000

–

–

22,349

40,813

22,349

40,813

–

–

(51,063)

(51,063)

(51,063)

(36,668)

(36,668)

(38,859)

Net financial assets/(liabilities)

63,162

(87,731)

(24,569)

(26,760)

*  The cash transaction restatement is detailed in Note 2.

The fair value of cash and cash equivalents, trade and other receivables and trade and other payables approximate their 
carrying amounts due to the short-term maturities of these instruments. The fair value of obligations under finance leases 
and borrowings are categorised within the level 3 hierarchy and calculated using the discounted cash flow method. 

Financial risk management objectives
The Group is exposed to financial risks in respect of:

 / Capital risk;
 / Foreign currency;
 / Interest rates;
 / Credit risk; and 
 / Liquidity risk.

A description of each risk, together with the policy for managing risk, is given below. 

35.1 Capital risk management
The Group manages its capital to ensure that the company and its subsidiaries will be able to continue as going concerns 
while maximising the return to stakeholders through the optimisation of the debt and equity balances. The Group’s overall 
strategy remains unchanged from 2017.

The capital structure of the Group consists of debt, which includes the borrowings disclosed in note 21, cash and cash 
equivalents and equity, comprising issued capital, reserves and accumulated profit as disclosed in the consolidated 
statement of changes in equity and in note 25. 

94 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018The Board of directors reviews the capital structure on a regular basis. As part of this review, the committee considers  
the cost of capital and the risks associated with each class of capital, against the purpose for which the debt is intended.

A combination of finance leases and loans are taken out to fund aircraft which are owned by the Group. Debt is also secured 
to support the on-going operations and future growth of the Group. 

35.2 Market risk
The Group’s activities expose it primarily to the financial risks of changes in foreign currency exchange rates and interest 
rates. The Group seeks to reduce foreign exchange exposures arising from transactions in various currencies through a  
policy of matching, as far as possible, receipts and payments across the Group in each individual currency. There has been  
no change to the Group’s exposure to market risks or the manner in which these risks are managed and measured. Interest 
rate risk is discussed further in section 35.2.2 Interest rate risk management.

35.2.1 Foreign currency risk management
The Group undertakes transactions denominated in foreign currencies; consequently, exposures to exchange rate fluctuations 
arise. In particular the Group is exposed to sterling, euro and swiss franc exchange rate fluctuations. The Group seeks to 
reduce foreign exchange exposures arising from transactions in various currencies through a policy of matching, as far as 
possible, receipts and payments across the Group in each individual currency. In addition, where necessary, exchange rate 
exposures are managed by entering into foreign exchange forward contracts.

The following table summarises the Group’s derivative financial instrument that was entered into during the year. 

Outstanding  
contract

Cash flow hedges

Average exchange rate

Foreign currency

Notional value

Fair value

2018

2017

2018
$’000

2017
$’000

2018
$’000

2017
 $’000

2018 
$’000

2017 
$’000

Floating USD forward 
up to 31 December 2018 $1.335/£

$1.345/£

–

12,000

–

8,922

–

127

There were no outstanding contracts at 31 December 2018.

This forward contract was forecast to be fully effective. As at 31 December 2017, the gain under the forward foreign 
exchange contract deferred in the cash flow hedge reserve relating to the anticipated future transactions was $127k.  
The forecast was that the sales and purchases would take place during 2018, at which time the amount deferred in equity  
will be reclassified to the income statement. The fair value of the forward foreign currency contract is categorised within  
the level 2 hierarchy and is measured at the market value of forward contracts with similar terms and conditions at the 
balance sheet date.

The table below summarises the FX exposure on the net monetary position of entities against their respective functional 
currency, expressed in Group’s presentational currency:

USD/GBP
$’000

USD/EUR
$’000

USD/HKD
$’000

GBP/EUR
$’000

GBP/CHF
$’000

USD/Other
$’000

At 31 December 2018

Entities with functional currency USD

Entities with functional currency GBP

Entities with functional currency CHF

Entities with functional currency HKD

(58)

(893)

–

–

(104)

1,065

–

–

–

Total

(951)

(104)

At 31 December 2017

Entities with functional currency USD

Entities with functional currency GBP

Entities with functional currency CHF

Total

27

6,524

–

6,551

–

–

–

–

–

–

(78)

987

–

–

–

–

–

1,287

–

–

1,287

–

(115)

–

(115)

–

87

(4)

–

83

–

(658)

(6)

(664)

(7)

–

–

–

(7)

(87)

–

(13)

(100)

Foreign currency sensitivity analysis
The following table details the Group’s sensitivity to a 10 per cent change in the relevant foreign currencies. This percentage 
has been determined based on the average market volatility in exchange rates in the previous 24 months. The sensitivity 
analysis includes only outstanding foreign currency denominated monetary items and adjusts their translation at the year 
end for a 10 per cent change in foreign currency:

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

95

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS35. Financial instruments (continued)

At 31 December 2018

Total effect on profit of positive movements

Total effect on profit of negative movements

At 31 December 2017

Total effect on profit of positive movements

Total effect on profit of negative movements

USD/GBP
$’000

USD/EUR
$’000

USD/HKD
$’000

GBP/EUR
$’000

GBP/CHF
$’000

(95)

95

(655)

655

(10)

10

–

–

99

(99)

129

(129)

–

–

(12)

12

8

(8)

(66)

66

35.2.2 Interest rate risk management
The Group is exposed to interest rate risk as it finances fixed asset purchases using both fixed and floating interest rates.  
The risk is managed by the Group by maintaining an appropriate mix between fixed and floating rate borrowings. 

The Group’s exposure to interest rates on financial liabilities is detailed in section 35.3 Liquidity risk management section.  
The Group’s exposure to interest rates on financial assets has been assessed by management as insignificant. 

Interest rate sensitivity analysis
The sensitivity analysis below has been determined based on the exposure to interest rates for non-derivative instruments  
at the balance sheet date. For floating rate liabilities, the analysis is prepared based on the average liability held by the Group 
over the year. A 1 per cent increase or decrease represents management’s assessment of the reasonably possible change in 
interest rates. 

If interest rates had been 1% basis points higher and all other variables were held constant, the Group’s:

 / loss for the year ended 31 December 2018 would decrease by $130,000 (2017: -$454,000); and 
 / other comprehensive income would not be impacted (2017: nil). 

The Company’s sensitivity to interest rates has increased during the current year due to the increase in the value of loans held. 

35.3 Liquidity risk management
Ultimate responsibility for liquidity risk management rests with the Board of directors. The Group manages liquidity risk by 
maintaining adequate reserves and banking facilities, by continuously monitoring forecast and actual cash flows, and by 
matching the maturity profiles of financial assets and liabilities wherever possible. There has been no change to the Group’s 
exposure to liquidity risks or the manner in which these risks are managed and measured during the year. Further details are 
provided in the Strategic Report.

The maturity profile of the financial liabilities is summarised below. The table has been drawn up based on the undiscounted 
cash flows of financial liabilities based on the earliest date on which the Group can be required to pay. 

At 31 December 2018

Trade & other payables

Finance lease creditors

Loans

At 31 December 2017 (restated)

Trade & other payables

Finance lease creditors

Loans

Weighted 
average 
effective 
interest 
rate %

Less than 
1 year
$’000

2-5 years
$’000

After 
more than 
5 years
$’000

n/a

5.4%

3.3%

n/a

2.8%

4.4%

50,160

1,815

9,850

49,496

1,751

35,656

–

1,398

–

–

2,126

1,012

–

–

–

–

–

–

Total 
$’000

50,160

3,213

9,850

49,496

3,877

36,668

35.4 Credit risk management
Credit risk refers to the risk that a counterparty will default on its contractual obligations resulting in financial loss to the 
Group. The Group has adopted a policy of only dealing with credit worthy counterparties and requesting payments on 
account, where appropriate, as a means of mitigating the risk of financial loss from defaults. The Group’s exposure is 
continuously monitored.

96 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018Trade receivables consist of a large number of customers, coming from diverse backgrounds and geographical areas. 
On-going review of the financial condition of accounts receivable is performed. Further details are in note 20.

The carrying amount of financial assets recorded in the financial statements represents the Group’s maximum exposure to 
credit risk. There has been no change to the Group’s exposure to credit risk or the manner in which these risks are managed 
and measured during the year.

36. Events after the balance sheet date
On 10 January 2019 the Group completed a trade and asset purchase of a paint and interior completion business operated  
by Lotus Aviation Group at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport for $1,000,000 in cash. The purchase was made by the Group’s 
subsidiary, Gama Aviation Engineering Inc. and will be operated as a bolt-on to the company’s existing operations. 

On 29 March 2019 the Group announced that, as part of a commercial agreement with a key customer, it had agreed to 
purchase a consignment of spare parts from Oneti Lebanon SARL (“Oneti”) for $2.1m for onward sale to that key customer. 
The majority shareholder of Oneti is Mr G A Khalek, a related party to Mr M A Khalek, CEO and a substantial shareholder of 
Gama Aviation Plc. The Group achieved a margin on the onward sale to the key customer that is in the normal range for this 
type of transaction. The transaction between Gama Aviation and Oneti is considered to be a related party transaction for the 
purposes of AIM Rule 13, and accordingly the Board (excepting Mr M A Khalek), having consulted with Jefferies International, 
the Company’s nominated adviser, considered the terms of the transaction to be fair and reasonable insofar as the 
Company’s shareholders are concerned.

On 3 April 2019 the Group announced the appointment of Simon To, a current non-executive Director of the Company, as 
Chairman with immediate effect. Following the announcement, Sir Ralph Robins retired from the Board with immediate effect. 

37. Related party transactions
Balances and transactions between the company and its subsidiaries, which are related parties, have been eliminated on 
consolidation and are not disclosed in this note. Transactions between the Group and its associates are disclosed below.

List of related parties, including associates:
The following list is presented in accordance with the objectives of IAS 24 Related party disclosures and all relationships are 
disclosed according to their substance rather than their legal form.

Oneti Lebanon Sarl (“Oneti”) and connected parties
 / Oneti –  is a company that is majority owned and controlled by Mr G A Khalek, brother of Mr M A Khalek (Chief Executive 

Officer);

 / Mr G Khalek – the brother of Mr M A Khalek; and
 / Cedar Trading Investment Corporation – is a company beneficially owned by Mr G A Khalek.

Other related parties
 / Mr M A Khalek – has significant influence over the company through his position as Chief Executive Officer and his 

ownership interest >20%; 

 / BBGA Ltd – is the national trade association in which Mr M A Khalek served as a director and Chairman until March 2019;
 / EBAA – is the European trade association in which Mr M A Khalek serves on the Board of Governors;
 / Merritt Property LLC – owns a 39% membership interest in Gama Aviation LLC and is owned by Thomas Connelly and  

John Tesei, who control Gama Aviation LLC;

 / Valentia Properties Limited – is owned by Mr M Peagram, a non-executive director of the Group, which invoices the Group 

for professional services; 

 / Golconda Investments Ltd – is owned by Mr R Steeves, a non-executive director of the Group until January 2019, which 

invoices the Group for professional services;

 / Air Arabia/ Felix Trading Company LLC – Felix Trading Company LLC (“Felix”) has a significant ownership interest in Gama 
Aviation FZE, which is controlled by the Group (see note 17). The principals of Felix also have significant ownership interest 
in Air Arabia, which is a client of the Group;

 / Gama Aviation SPV – is a company registered in Abu Dhabi Global Market – a related party through potential ownership 
and control rights via the terms of a loan agreement and because the Group has significant influence over its operations 
(but not control); and

 / Gama International Saudi Arabia (“GISA”) – a related party through the potential ownership and control rights over  

Gama Aviation SPV and because the Group has significant influence over its operations (but not control).

Associates 
 / GB Aviation Holdings LLC – is a joint venture in which the Group owns a 50% membership interest;
 / Gama Aviation LLC – is an associate in which GB Aviation Holdings LLC owns a 49% member interest; and
 / China Aircraft Services Limited – is an associate in which the Group owns a 20% equity interest.

Entities previously reported as related parties
 / Saudi Bin Laddin Group (SBG) and Crescent Investment LLC – These entities were previously reported as a related party 
but have been removed in the current period, reflecting the substance of the relationship, which is one of a minor share-
holder who is also a customer.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

97

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS37. Related party transactions (continued)
Trading transactions
During the year, Group companies entered into the following transactions with related parties who are not members  
of the Group:

Gama Aviation LLC (branding fee)

Gama Aviation LLC (other trading balances)**

Merritt Property LLC

Valentia Properties Limited

Golconda Investments Ltd

Air Arabia

Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings Ltd***

Gama International Saudi Arabia

China Aircraft Services Limited

BBGA Ltd

Oneti and connected parties

Sale of services

Purchase of services

2018 
$’000

3,750

5,675

–

–

–

318

–

525

1,034

–

–

2017

(restated)*

$’000

4,000

4,286

1,000

–

–

212

2,072

–

–

–

4,112

2018 
$’000

–

643

–

26

35

–

–

–

2,222

15

776

2017

(restated)*

$’000

–

172

–

33

–

–

17

–

–

–

681

*  As part of the Group’s financial review a thorough review of related party transactions was undertaken. As a result of this work, the 2017 
comparatives have been restated to correct for an omission of balances relating to Gama Aviation LLC, which was incorrectly disclosed as 
Gama Charters LLC with no balances reported. The comparatives also omitted an amount recognised in the Group’s consolidated revenue 
balance of $1,000,000 from Merritt Property LLC, arising from a modification to the Group’s branding fee agreement with Gama Aviation LLC, 
which was agreed in 2017 (details below). 

**  For ease of understanding the branding fee and other trading balances have been separated in the summary table above. The 2017 restated 

balance for other trading balances represents management’s estimate of sales and purchases of services based on information available from 
the prior period.

*** Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings became a subsidiary in the year ended 31 December 2018 and balances between this company and the 
Group are no longer included in related party disclosures. The 2017 (restated) balances are shown here to aid reconciliation to disclosures in 
notes 20 and 24.

The following amounts were outstanding at the balance sheet date:

Gama Aviation LLC

Oneti Ltd and connected parties

Merritt Property LLC

Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings**

Air Arabia

Gama International Saudi Arabia

China Aircraft Services Limited

Amounts owed by
related parties

Amounts owed to
related parties

2018  
$’000

322

–

1,000

–

138

1,000

–

2017

(restated)*

$’000

–

–

1,000

1,522

–

–

–

2018  
$’000

–

407

–

–

–

–

745

2017

(restated)*

$’000

5,390

369

–

–

–

–

–

*  As part of the Group’s financial review a thorough review of related party transactions was undertaken. As a result of this work, the 2017 

comparatives have been restated to correct for omission of the following balances:

 / Gama Aviation LLC, which was incorrectly referred to as Gama Charters LLC, which is the previous name of the same legal entity; and
 / Merritt Property LLC, from which the Group was owed $1,000,000 arising from termination of the Group’s historic branding agreement 

with Gama Aviation LLC, which was agreed in 2017 (details below).

**  Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings became a subsidiary in the year ended 31 December 2018 and balances between this company and the 
Group are no longer included in related party disclosures. The 2017 (restated) balances are shown here to aid reconciliation to disclosures in 
notes 20 and 24.

98 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018Material Transactions with Related Parties 
Oneti and connected parties
In the prior year the Group entered into an Equipment Purchase and Utilisation Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Oneti. 
Under the Agreement, Oneti agreed to purchase the Disposable Spare Part inventory (the “Inventory”) held by the Group’s 
subsidiary, Gama Aviation Engineering Limited for $4.1m representing the value at the then applicable manufacturer list  
price of the parts.

Concurrent with the above transaction, the Group repaid the $4.0m loan from Oneti. The balance of interest due to Oneti 
under the terms of the loan of $0.2m, which had accrued during 2017, was still outstanding as at 31 December 2018 and  
was settled in cash in February 2019.

Included within amounts capitalised in relation to the Group’s construction of the Business Aviation Centre in Sharjah,  
U.A.E (see note 16) are consultancy and other costs totaling $0.8m, which was incurred by the Group under its consultancy 
agreement with Oneti. These costs have been incurred over the period February 2016 to December 2018.

The Group provided charter flights to Mr G A Khalek and to Mr M A Khalek totaling $79,000 and $53,000 respectively which 
were charged at cost to the respective individuals and settled against amounts due to Oneti at the time. The Group also 
made some other incidental disbursements on behalf of Mr G A Khalek and to Mr M A Khalek totaling approximately $35,000 
and $10,000 respectively, which were also settled against amounts due to Oneti at the time.

Gama Aviation LLC
The Group’s financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2017 included a cash receipt of $5.0m from Gama Aviation 
LLC, which the Board has now determined was, in substance, a short-term loan. The cash, which was received in December 
2017 and repaid in January 2018, was previously included in Trade and Other Payables but has now been reclassified to 
Borrowings in the comparative figures for 2017.This has the effect of increasing borrowings by $5.0m at 31 December 2017. 
This reclassification does not change the previously disclosed amounts for Current Liabilities or Net Assets, nor does it 
impact the Income Statement or Earning Per Share for the prior period.

In April 2018 the Group made a cash contribution to working capital of $3.6m to Gama Aviation LLC.

In June 2018 the Group recorded cash from and corresponding payables due to Gama Aviation LLC totalling $5.8m. This  
cash was returned and the payable extinguished in July 2018. In the Group’s 2018 interim results the payable balance was 
presented within trade payables in the statement of cash flows.

At 31 December 2018 the Group’s had a net receivable position with Gama Aviation LLC of $0.3m. These amounts are due in 
the ordinary course of business and the value of consideration received is considered to be at market value and is recorded on 
an arm’s length basis. The Group derives income from the provision of certain IT support, hangarage and engineering services 
provided to Gama Aviation LLC in line with its Ground Division business model. 

Gama International Saudi Arabia (“GISA”)
During the year ended 31 December 2018 the Group has made loans of approximately $1.0m to GISA for the purpose of 
establishing a start-up business under the Gama brand. The outstanding loan balance at the year-end was $1.0m. Revenue  
of $0.5m has also been included in the consolidated income statement representing the sale of services by the Group’s 
Middle East business to GISA.

On 31 January 2019 GISA novated the loan owing to the Group to Gama Aviation SPV. At the same time the sole shareholder 
of GISA pledged the shares of GISA to Gama Aviation SPV and the Group entered into a franchise agreement with Gama 
Aviation SPV. The share pledge grants the Group a charge over the shares of Gama Aviation SPV Ltd enforceable in 
accordance with its terms in the event of default under the loan agreement signed with Gama Aviation SPV.

Merritt Property LLC
In January 2017 the Group entered into a Termination Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Gama Aviation LLC. The Agreement 
brought the previous branding agreement between the Group and Gama Aviation LLC to a close at the same time as the 
Group entered into a new branding agreement with GB Aviation Holdings LLC.

The Termination Agreement made provision for a final payment from Merritt Property LLC (which was a 39% owner of Gama 
Aviation LLC at the time) to the Group of $1.0m in lieu of branding fees forgone, which was recognised as income by the 
Group in the year ended 31 December 2017.

The arrangement was reviewed as part of the Group’s transition to IFRS 15 and it was determined that the conditions for 
revenue recognition under IFRS 15 had not been met in 2017 because the payment terms were not agreed until the end of 
2018. This determination resulted in an adjustment to the balance sheet at 1 January 2018 to de-recognise the accrued 
income from 2017 and to recognise the income in 2018, when the payment terms were established. 

China Aircraft Services Limited (“CASL”)
The Group is engaged in a collaboration with CASL, it’s 20% associate, for the provision of business jet maintenance services 
by CASL from its Hong Kong facilities supporting both the Group’s managed aircraft as well as third parties. Under this 
collaboration the Group derives certain revenues. In addition, CASL derives revenues from the Group for the provision of 
maintenance services to its managed aircraft.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

99

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALSSTRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS37. Related party transactions (continued)
Remuneration of key management personnel
The remuneration of the executive directors of the Group, who are also the key management personnel of the Group, are set 
out below in aggregate for each of the categories specified in IAS 24 Related party disclosures. The amounts disclosed in 2017 
include short-term employee benefits in relation to Neil Medley, who is Chief Operating Officer, but was not an executive 
director in the prior year as he was considered to be part of the key management personnel of the Group. As all the key 
management personnel are remunerated in Pounds Sterling, the disclosure has been presented in that currency.

Short-term employee benefits

Post-employment benefits

Total

2018  
£’000

1,370

129

1,499

2017  
£’000

1,100

142

1,242

Details of directors’ remuneration are given in the Remuneration Report on pages 27 to 30.

Ultimate controlling party
The Company’s ordinary shares are publicly traded on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock 
Exchange. There is no single controlling party. 

38. Provision for employees end of service indemnity
Provision for employees’ end of service indemnity is made in accordance with the U.A.E. labour laws and is based on current 
remuneration and cumulative years of service at the reporting date.

At 1 January

Amounts charged for the year

Paid during the year

At 31 December

2018  
$’000

333

124

(14)

443

2017  
$’000

296

109

(72)

333

100 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018/ PARENT COMPANY’S INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT
/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

Conclusions relating to going concern
We have nothing to report in respect of the following 
matters in relation to which the ISAs (UK) require us to 
report to you where:

 / the directors’ use of the going concern basis of accounting 

in the preparation of the parent company financial 
statements is not appropriate; or

 / the directors have not disclosed in the financial statements 
any identified material uncertainties that may cast significant 
doubt about the parent company’s ability to continue to 
adopt the going concern basis of accounting for a period  
of at least twelve months from the date when the financial 
statements are authorised for issue.

Overview of our audit approach
 / Overall materiality: £249,000, which is 2% of the parent 

company’s total assets, restricted to 50% of group materiality

 / Key audit matters were identified as impairment of 

investments

Key audit matters
The graph below depicts the audit risks identified and their 
relative significance based on the extent of the financial 
statement impact and the extent of management judgement. 

Independent auditor’s report to the members  
of Gama Aviation Plc

Opinion: Our opinion on the parent company  
financial statements is unmodified
We have audited the parent company financial statements 
of Gama Aviation Plc for the year ended 31 December 2018, 
which comprise the parent company statement of financial 
position, the parent company Statement of Changes in 
Equity and notes to the financial statements, including a 
summary of significant accounting policies. The financial 
reporting framework that has been applied in their 
preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom 
Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting 
Standard 101 ‘Reduced Disclosure Framework’ (United 
Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:
 / give a true and fair view of the state of the parent 

company’s affairs as at 31 December 2018; 

 / have been properly prepared in accordance with United 
Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
 / have been prepared in accordance with the requirements 

of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International 
Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. 
Our responsibilities under those standards are further 
described in the ‘Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the 
parent company financial statements section’ of our report. 
We are independent of the parent company in accordance 
with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit 
of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s 
Ethical Standard as applied to listed entities, and we have 
fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with 
these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we 
have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis 
for our opinion.

High

Potential
financial
statement
impact

Impairment of 
investments

Intercompany 
balances

Low

Low

Extent of management judgement

High

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

101

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS 
/ PARENT COMPANY INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT (CONTINUED)
/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, were of most significance in our audit of the parent 
company financial statements of the current period and include the most significant assessed risks of material misstatement 
(whether or not due to fraud) that we identified. These matters included those that had the greatest effect on: the overall 
audit strategy; the allocation of resources in the audit; and directing the efforts of the engagement team. These matters 
were addressed in the context of our audit of the parent company financial statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion 
thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters.

Key Audit Matters

Impairment of investments 
The directors are required to make an annual assessment to 
determine whether the Company’s investments of £122.1m 
are impaired.

The process for assessing whether impairment exists under 
International Accounting Standard (IAS) 36 ‘Impairment  
of assets’ is complex. The process of determining the  
value in use, through forecasting cash flows related to  
cash generating units (CGUs) and the determination of  
the appropriate discount rate and other assumptions to  
be applied can be highly judgemental and can significantly 
impact the results of the impairment review.

We therefore identified impairment of investments as  
a significant risk, which was one of the most significant 
assessed risks of material misstatement.

How the matter was addressed in the audit

Our audit work included, but was not restricted to: 

 / obtaining management’s impairment analysis and 
recalculating the arithmetical accuracy of those 
calculations including the sensitivity analyses;

 / comparing the assumptions utilised in the impairment 
models, including growth rates, discount rates and 
terminal values to budgets, previous results and third 
party support;

 / challenging management’s assessment of impairment 

indicators relating to investments 

 / comparing current market capitalisation to carrying value 

of net assets and calculated value in use for the subsidiaries; 

 / testing the accuracy of management’s forecasting 
through a comparison of budget to actual data and 
historical variance trends and reviewing the cash flows  
for exceptional or unusual items or assumptions; and

 / considering the detailed disclosures to ensure information 
provided in the financial statements is compliant with the 
requirements of IAS 36 and consistent with the results of 
the impairment review.

The company’s accounting policies on non-current assets 
are shown in note 1 to the parent company financial 
statements and related disclosures are included in note 4. 

Key observations
The company has recognised an impairment charge of £21.1m 
in the year. Based on our audit work, we have concluded that 
there is no further impairment of the investments required to 
be recognised in the financial statements. 

102 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Our application of materiality
We define materiality as the magnitude of misstatement  
in the financial statements that makes it probable that  
the economic decisions of a reasonably knowledgeable 
person would be changed or influenced. We use materiality 
in determining the nature, timing and extent of our audit 
work and in evaluating the results of that work. 

We determined materiality for the audit of the parent 
company financial statements as a whole to be £249,000, 
which is 2% of the parent company total assets restricted  
to 50% of group materiality. This benchmark is considered 
the most appropriate because it is a key focus area for 
management and the users of the accounts and represents 
underlying results of the business.

Materiality for the current year is lower than the level  
that we determined for the year ended 31 December 2017, 
reflecting the change in reported results.

We use a different level of materiality, performance 
materiality, to drive the extent of our testing and this  
was set at 60% of financial statement materiality for  
the audit of the parent company financial statements. 

The graph below illustrates how performance materiality 
interacts with our overall materiality and the tolerance for 
potential uncorrected misstatements.

Overall materiality

Performance materiality       60%
Tolerance for potential 
uncorrected mistatements  40%

We also determine a lower level of specific materiality for 
related party transactions of nil based on their significance 
to the financial statements. 

We determined the threshold at which we will communicate 
misstatements to the audit committee to be £12,000.  
In addition, we will communicate misstatements below  
that threshold that, in our view, warrant reporting on 
qualitative grounds.

An overview of the scope of our audit
Our audit approach was based on a thorough understanding 
of the company’s business and is risk-based. An interim visit 
was conducted before the year end to complete advance 
substantive audit procedures and to evaluate the internal 
controls environment including its IT systems. There has 
been no change in the scope of the audit from prior year. 

Other information
The directors are responsible for the other information.  
The other information comprises the information included  
in the annual report, other than the financial statements  
and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial 
statements does not cover the other information and, except 
to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do 
not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. 

In connection with our audit of the parent company financial 
statements, our responsibility is to read the other information 
and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is 
materially inconsistent with the parent company financial 
statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise 
appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material 
inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are 
required to determine whether there is a material misstatement 
of the parent company financial statements or a material 
misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work 
we have performed, we conclude that there is a material 
misstatement of this other information, we are required to 
report that fact. 

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Our opinion on other matters prescribed by the 
Companies Act 2006 is unmodified
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course 
of the audit:

 / the information given in the strategic report and the 

directors’ report for the financial year for which the parent 
company financial statements are prepared is consistent 
with the parent company financial statements; and

 / the strategic report and the directors’ report have been 

prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

103

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ PARENT COMPANY INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT (CONTINUED)
/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

Matters on which we are required to report under  
the Companies Act 2006
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the 
parent company and its environment obtained in the course 
of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements 
in the strategic report or the directors’ report.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception
We have nothing to report in respect of the following 
matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 
requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

 / adequate accounting records have not been kept by  

the parent company, or returns adequate for our audit  
have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

 / the parent company financial statements are not in 

agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
 / certain disclosures of directors’ remuneration specified  

by law are not made; or

 / we have not received all the information and explanations 

we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of directors for the financial statements
As explained more fully in the directors’ responsibilities 
statement set out on page 34, the directors are responsible 
for the preparation of the parent company financial 
statements and for being satisfied that they give a true  
and fair view, and for such internal control as the directors 
determine is necessary to enable the preparation of parent 
company financial statements that are free from material 
misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the parent company financial statements,  
the directors are responsible for assessing the parent 
company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, 
as applicable, matters related to going concern and using  
the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors 
either intend to liquidate the parent company or to cease 
operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the parent 
company financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about 
whether the parent company financial statements as a whole 
are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud 
or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our 
opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, 
but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance 
with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement 
when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or  
error and are considered material if, individually or in the 
aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence 
the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these 
parent company financial statements.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit  
of the financial statements is located on the Financial 
Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/
auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part  
of our auditor’s report.

Other matter
We have reported separately on the group financial 
statements of Gama Aviation Plc for the year ended 
31 December 2018. That report includes details of the  
group key audit matters; how we applied the concept  
of materiality in planning and performing our audit;  
and an overview of the scope of our audit. 

Use of our report
This report is made solely to the company’s members,  
as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the 
Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so 
that we might state to the company’s members those matters 
we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for 
no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we 
do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than 
the company and the company’s members as a body, for our 
audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Nicholas Watson BSc ACA
Senior Statutory Auditor
for and on behalf of Grant Thornton UK LLP
Statutory Auditor, Chartered Accountants
London

23 April 2019

104 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ PARENT COMPANY STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

Fixed assets 

Tangible fixed assets 

Investments

Current assets

Trade and other receivables 

Cash at bank and in hand

Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Net current assets

Total assets less current liabilities

Provision for liabilities

Deferred tax liability

Net assets

Capital and reserves

Called up equity share capital 

Share premium account

Merger reserve

Share-based payment expense

Profit and loss account

Equity shareholder funds

Note

2018 
£’000

2017 
 £’000

3

4

5

6

7

–

122,082

122,082

22,168

2,247

24,415

–

92,619

92,619

33,486

111

33,597

(21,323)

(25,348)

3,092

8,249

125,174

100,868

–

–

125,174

100,868

636

46,278

89,495

648

440

–

89,495

195

(11,883)

10,738

125,174

100,868

As permitted by Section 408 of the Companies Act 2006, no separate Company profit and loss account has been included  
in these financial statements. The Company made a loss after tax of £20,889,000 for the year (2017: loss of £155,000).

The financial statements were approved by the Board of directors and authorised for issue on 23 April 2019, and are signed 
on their behalf by:

David Stickland
Director

The notes on pages 108 to 115 form part of these parent company financial statements. 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

105

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ PARENT COMPANY STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

Share 
premium 
£’000

Share-based 
payment 
reserve 
£’000

Merger 
reserve
£’000

89,495

–

–

–

–

Retained 
earnings
£’000

Total
£’000

12,037

101,972

(155)

(155)

(155)

–

(155)

195

(1,144)

(1,144)

89,495

10,738

100,868

–

–

–

–

–

(20,889)

(20,889)

(20,889)

(20,889)

–

–

46,474

453

(1,732)

(1,732)

89,495

(11,883)

125,174

–

–

–

195

–

195

–

–

–

453

–

648

At 1 January 2017

Loss for the year

Total comprehensive income for the 
year

Share-based payment contribution

Dividend paid 

At 31 December 2017

Loss for the year 

Total comprehensive income for the 
year

Share  
capital
£’000

440

–

–

–

–

440

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

–

Issuance of shares

196

46,278

Share-based payment contribution

Dividend paid 

At 31 December 2018

–

–

–

–

636

46,278

106 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

/ NOTES TO THE PARENT COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

1. Accounting policies
Statement of Compliance
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards and in accordance with 
Financial Reporting Standard 101 ‘The Reduced Disclosure Framework’ (FRS 101). The principal accounting policies adopted 
in the preparation of the financial statements are set out below. These polices have all been applied consistently throughout 
the period unless otherwise stated. The financial statements have been prepared on a historical cost basis. The Company’s 
financial statements are presented in Sterling. 

Changes in accounting policies
There have been no changes in accounting policies during the year.

Disclosure exemptions adopted
The following disclosure exemptions have been adopted:

 / Preparation of a cash flow statement
 / The requirements in IAS 24 Related Party Disclosures to disclose related party transactions entered into between two  

or more members of the Group as they are wholly owned within the Group.

 / Presentation of comparative reconciliations for property, plant and equipment and intangible assets
 / Disclosure of key management personnel compensation
 / Capital management disclosures
 / Disclosures in respect of standards in issue not yet effective

The following disclosure exemption has also been adopted as equivalent disclosures are provided in the parent consolidated 
financial statements:

 / Reduced financial instruments disclosures relating to IFRS 7 as equivalent disclosures are provided by the parent entity.

Going concern
The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis. The company recorded a loss of £20,889k for the year 
(2017: loss of £155k), had net current assets of £3,092k (2017: £8,249k net current assets), and had net assets of £125,174k 
(2017: £100,868k).

The directors have considered the cash flow requirement for the Group for a period including twelve months from the date  
of approval of these financial statements. Based on these projections the directors consider that the company and the Group 
will have sufficient cash resources during this period to pay it liabilities as they fall due.

Financial assets
Trade receivables and other receivables are measured at amortised cost less provision for doubtful debts, determined as set 
out in “impairment of financial assets” in note 2 to the consolidated accounts. Any write-down of these assets is expensed  
to the income statement. The effects of application of the IFRS 9 expected credit loss model to amounts owed from Group 
companies is deemed to be immaterial because intercompany balances are repayable on demand and attract an interest rate 
of 0%. Such balances are also covered by parent company letters of support where liquidity is not readily available.

Taxation
Current tax, including UK corporation tax is provided at amounts expected to be paid (or recovered) using the tax rates and 
laws that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the balance sheet date.

Deferred tax balances are recognised in respect of all temporary differences that have originated but not reversed by the 
balance sheet date, except that the recognition of deferred tax assets is limited to the extent that the Company anticipates 
making sufficient taxable profits in the future to absorb the reversal of the underlying temporary differences. Deferred tax 
balances are not discounted.

Valuation of investments
Investments are stated at cost less any provision for impairment. Profits or losses arising from disposals of fixed asset 
investments are treated as part of the result from ordinary activities. At each balance sheet date Gama Aviation Plc  
reviews the carrying amount of its investment to determine whether there is any indication that this asset has suffered an 
impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the 
extent of the impairment loss (if any). Recoverable amount is the higher of fair value less costs to sell and value in use. In 
assessing the value in use, the estimated future cash flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount  
rate that reflects the current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the investment asset 
for which the estimates of future cash flows have not been adjusted. If the recoverable amount of an asset is estimated  
to be less than its carrying amount, the carrying amount of the asset is reduced to its recoverable amount. An impairment 
loss is recognised immediately in profit or loss.

Fixed assets
Fixed assets are measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and any accumulated impairment losses. Depreciation is 
charged so as to allocate the cost of assets less their residual values over their estimated useful lives, using the straight-line 
method over 3 – 8 years. 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

107

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ NOTES TO THE PARENT COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

2. Loss attributable to shareholders
As permitted by Section 408 of the Companies Act 2006, no separate Company profit and loss account has been included  
in these financial statements. The Company made a loss after tax of £20,889k for the year (2017: loss of £155,000). 

The Company paid an ordinary dividend of £1,732,000 to shareholders in the period. The Directors note that at the time  
of the dividend payment sufficient distributable reserves were available to make the distribution. The Company has  
closed the year with a significant deficit in retained earnings, but this arises almost entirely from an impairment provision 
recorded in relation to the Company’s Europe Air investments. The Company has a positive dividend stream receivable  
from subsidiaries, which will serve to recapitalise the Company in the 2019 financial year and facilitate the payment of  
a dividend to shareholders in 2019 as planned and indicated in the Group Strategic Review.

The total fees of the Group’s auditor, Grant Thornton UK LLP, for services provided are analysed in note 6 to the consolidated 
financial statements.

The average monthly number of employees (including executive Directors) was nil (2017: nil). There are no employees of  
the Company and the Directors are employed and remunerated by other companies within the Group. Details of the total 
average employee numbers and employee costs are included in note 8 to the consolidated financial statements.

3. Tangible fixed assets

Cost

Balance at 1 January 2017

Eliminated on disposal

Balance at 31 December 2017 and 31 December 2018

Accumulated depreciation

Balance at 1 January 2017

Eliminated on disposal

Balance at 31 December 2017 and 31 December 2018

Carrying amount

At 31 December 2017 and 31 December 2018

4. Investments

Balance at 1 January 2017

Additions

Transfers from subsidiary undertaken

Contributions to subsidiaries and associates

Balance at 31 December 2017

Additions

Provision for impairment

Closing balance at 31 December 2018

Total 
£’000

53

(53)

–

53

(53)

–

–

Total
 £’000

85,583

3,859

2,982

195

92,619

50,548

(21,085)

122,082

The provision for impairment related primarily to the Company’s legacy investment in Hangar8 business, mainly as 
attributable to the Group’s Europe Air Division (see note 14 to the Group accounts)

Included in additions of £50,548,000 is £648,000 in respect of share-based payment charges arising in relation to subsidiaries 
of the Company.

108 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

Details of the Company’s subsidiaries at 31 December 2018 are as follows:

Name

Aerstream Limited(1)

Airops Software Limited(1)

Aravco Limited(1)

Avialogistics Limited(2)

Aviation Crewing Limited

FlyerTech Limited(1)

Gama Aviation (Asset 2) Limited(1)

Place of incorporation  
and operation

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

Gama Aviation (Engineering) Limited(1)

England and Wales

Gama Aviation Group Limited(4)

Gama Aviation (Training) Limited(2)

Gama Aviation (UK) Limited(1)

GA 259034 Limited(1)

Gama (Engineering) Limited(1)

GA FM54 Limited(1)

Gama Group Limited

Gama Leasing Limited(1)

Gama Support Services Limited(1)

Hangar8 AOC Limited

Hangar8 Engineering Limited

Hangar8 Management Limited

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

Infinity Flight Crew Academy Limited

England and Wales

International JetClub Limited

Optimum Aviation Limited

Ronaldson Airmotive Limited(1)

England and Wales

England and Wales

England and Wales

Aviation Beauport Holdings Limited(4)

Ferron Trading Limited(4)

Gama Aviation (Beauport) Limited(1)

Jersey

Jersey

Jersey

Gama Aviation (Engineering) Jersey Limited(1)

Jersey

Gama Aviation SA(1)

Oasis Flight Malta

Gama Aviation FZC(6)

Gama Group Mena FZE

Gama Holding FZC 

Gama Support Services FZE(1)

Gama Aviation (Engineering) Inc.(1)

Gama Aviation (Management) Inc.(1)

Gama Group Inc. 

Gama Aviation Limited(1)

Switzerland

Malta

UAE

UAE

UAE

UAE

USA

USA

USA

Hong Kong

Gama Aviation Hutchison Holdings Limited(1)

Hong Kong

Gama Aviation Hutchison (Hong Kong) 
Limited(1)

Hong Kong

Proportion  
of voting and 
ownership
interest

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

49%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

Nature of business

Dormant

Aviation software

Aviation management

Non-trading

Dormant

Airworthiness management

Aircraft operation

Holding company

Holding company

Dormant

Aviation management 

Dormant

Dormant

Aircraft leasing

Holding company

Aviation management 

Dormant

Aviation charter

Aviation maintenance

Aviation management

Dormant

Aviation management

Aviation management and charter

Dormant

Dormant

Dormant

Aviation management

Aviation maintenance

Aviation management 

Dormant

Aviation management

Holding company

Holding company

Aviation design and engineering

Aviation design and engineering

Aviation management 

Holding company 

Aviation management

Holding company

Aviation management

Gama Group (Asia) Limited

Hong Kong

100%

Holding company

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

109

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ NOTES TO THE PARENT COMPANY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
/ FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2018

4. Investments (continued)

Name

Place of incorporation  
and operation

Star-Gate Aviation (Proprietary) Limited

South Africa

Hangar8 Nigeria Limited(3)

Hangar8 Mauritius Limited

GB Aviation Holdings LLC(5)

Gama Aviation Beijing WOFE

(1) 

indicates indirect holding

Nigeria

Mauritius

USA

China

Proportion  
of voting and 
ownership
interest

100%

100%

100%

50%

100%

Nature of business

Holder of South African AOC

Applicant of Nigerian AOC

Holding company

Joint Venture

Dormant

(2)  For the year ending 31 December 2018 below companies were exempt from the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to the audit 

of individual financial statements by parental guarantee. Gama Aviation plc has indirect holdings in these subsidiaries undertaken:

Avialogistics Limited, registration number 02265525

  Gama Aviation (Training) Limited, registration number 09234102

(3)  The consolidated financial statements include amounts relating to Hangar8 Nigeria Limited, a company established in Lagos, Nigeria.  

The Group holds 11% of the share capital, of which 7% is owned through a wholly owned subsidiary, Hangar8 Mauritius Limited. Whilst the 
Group therefore does not have legal control of this entity, the Directors and officers comprise only of management from the Group who have 
the ability to adopt, amend and control the operating and financial policies of the entity. Local regulations prevent the Group holding a legally 
controlling shareholding and therefore 89% of the share capital is held on behalf of the Group by Tinubu Investment Company Limited. 
Accordingly, the entity has been treated as a wholly owned subsidiary in these financial statements.

(4)  On 1 January 2019 these companies became dormant as part of the Group’s legal entity restructuring activities.

(5)  GB Aviation Holdings LLC is the entity jointly held with BBA Aviation plc. The company’s sole asset is its 49% investment in Gama Aviation LLC, 

the Group’s US Air associate. The Group’s ownership interest in Gama Aviation LLC is 24.5%.

(6)  Gama Aviation Plc holds a 49% shareholding in Gama Aviation FZE. The results of Gama Aviation FZE are fully consolidated within the financial 
statements because Gama Aviation Plc is exposed to variable returns from its involvement and has the ability to affect the returns through its 
power over these companies. 

110 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

 
5. Trade and other receivables

Amounts falling due within one year:

Amounts owed by Group companies

Other debtors

Tax and social security

Prepayments and accrued income

2018 
£’000

2017
 £’000

21,718

64

50

336

33,351

128

–

7

22,168

33,486

Amounts due from Group companies are repayable on demand and do not carry any interest charge. The Company  
classifies its financial assets as at amortised cost only if both of the following criteria are met, the asset is held within a 
business model whose objective is to collect the contractual cash flow and the contractual terms give rise to cash flows  
that are solely payments of principal and interest. Amounts due from Group companies carried at amortised cost total 
£7,287,000 (2017: £33,351,000). 

Balances totalling £14,431,000 are recorded at fair value as the balances were assessed and failed the solely payments  
of principal and interest test. A fair value loss totalling £2,464,000 has been recorded in the year.

6. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Amounts owed by subsidiary undertakings

Trade creditors

Other payables

Bank loan

Accruals and deferred income

2018 
£’000

12,360

217

6

7,848

892

2017 
£’000

2,982

231

19

21,962

154

21,323

25,348

Amounts due to Group companies are carried at amortised cost and are repayable on demand and do not carry any interest charge.

The bank loan is a revolving credit facility with a repayment term of less than 1 year and carries an interest rate of LIBOR 
+1.90 % for non-Euro drawdowns and EURIBOR + 1.90% for Euro drawdowns (2017: LIBOR +1.95%).

7. Share capital

Issued and fully paid ordinary shares

At the beginning of the period

Other issues for cash during the year

At the end of the period

Nominal  
value

2018  

number

2018  
£’000

2017  

number

2017  
£’000

1p

1p

1p

43,994,442

19,641,837

63,636,279

440

43,994,442

196

–

636

43,994,442

440

–

440

Further details of movements in the Company’s authorised and issued share capital are given in note 25 to the consolidated 
financial statements.

8. Related party transactions
The Company has taken advantage of the exemption not to disclose transactions with 100% owned members of the Group 
headed by Gama Aviation Plc on the grounds that 100% of the voting rights of the Company are controlled within the Group, 
and the Company is included in the consolidated financial statements.

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018 

111

STRATEGIC REPORTGOVERNANCEFINANCIALS/ NOTES

112 

GAMA AVIATION ANNUAL REPORT 2018

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(FSC) chain-of-custody certified.

Design and production
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Gama Aviation Plc
Business Aviation Centre
Farnborough Airport
Farnborough
Hampshire
GU14 6XA
UK

gamaaviation.com

 
 
 
 
 
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