Quarterlytics / Basic Materials / Gold / IAMGOLD / FY2016 Annual Report

IAMGOLD
Annual Report 2016

IAG · LSE Basic Materials
Claim this profile
Ticker IAG
Exchange LSE
Sector Basic Materials
Industry Gold
Employees 51-200
← All annual reports
FY2016 Annual Report · IAMGOLD
Loading PDF…
INTERNATIONAL 
AIRLINES
GROUP

The best is
yet to come

Annual report and accounts
2016

Contents

Strategic Report

Financial statements

Management report

100 Consolidated income statement

101 

 Consolidated statement of other 
comprehensive income

102 Consolidated balance sheet

103 Consolidated cash flow statement

104 

106 

154 

 Consolidated statement
of changes in equity

 Notes to the consolidated
financial statements

 Spanish Corporate
governance report

216 

 Group investments

Statement of Directors’
Responsibilities

Independent
Auditors’ Report

Additional Information

222 Glossary

224 Alternative performance measures

227 Sustainability indicators

228 Operating and financial statistics

IBC Shareholder information

IAG is required to prepare a Management 
Report in accordance with Article 262 of 
the Spanish Companies Act and Article 49 
of the Spanish Commercial Code. Pursuant 
to this legislation, this management report 
must contain a fair review of the progress 
of the business and the performance of 
the company, together with a description 
of the principal risks and uncertainties 
that it faces. In the preparation of this 
report, IAG has taken into consideration 
the guide published in 2013 by the Spanish 
National Securities Market Commission 
(CNMV) which establishes a number of 
recommendations for the preparation of 
management reports of listed companies. 
The Management Report is contained in 
the following sections:

11

12

14

16

Business model and strategy

Our strategy

Key performance indicators

IAG Platform for growth

27  

 Risk management
and principal risk factors

35

36

38

45

58

Financial overview

Economic landscape

Financial review

Sustainability

Corporate governance

154 

 Spanish Corporate
governance report

2

3

4

6

8

11

12

14

16

18

20

22

23

24

25

26

27 

33

34

36

45

Financial highlights

Chairman’s letter

Chief Executive Officer’s Q&A

Our network

Chief Executive Officer’s review

Business model and strategy

Our strategy

Key performance indicators

IAG Platform for growth

British Airways

Iberia

Vueling

Aer Lingus

Avios

IAG Cargo

Digital

 Risk management
and principal risk factors

Financial overview

Economic landscape

Financial review

Sustainability

Corporate Governance

54 

56 

58

69 

72

75

76 

 Chairman’s introduction
to Corporate governance

 Board of Directors

Corporate governance

 Report of the Audit and
Compliance Committee

Report of the Nominations
Committee

Report of the Safety Committee

 Report of the Remuneration
Committee

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Strategic report

“2016 was a challenging year but 
we’ve delivered a good result. 
There’s still more that we can 
do, and quite honestly, the best 
is yet to come. There are still 
improvements that we can make 
and efficiencies that can be 
delivered.”

Willie Walsh
Chief Executive Officer

The strategic report that follows contains
a fair and balanced analysis, consistent 
with the size and complexity of the 
business in accordance with the 
expectations of the regulations of
the Companies Act 2006.

 
 
 
 
2

Financial highlights

Delivering good results towards
our long-term goals

Despite the challenging environment, we have made good progress toward achieving our 
long-term goal. Our unique Group structure has supported our group performance while 
promoting the value of our brands. We have been able to leverage our brands effectively 
in different market segments. We will build on our progress and continue to invest while 
reaping further benefits from the IAG platform.

Equity Free Cash Flow (€m)

Total dividend per share1 (€)

+€574 million vly

+17.5% vly

5
5
0
2

,

1
8
4
,
1

2,500

Goal

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

8
2
1

0
0
5
2

,

0.30

0.25

0.20

0.15

0.10

0.05

0.00

Targeting sustainable 
dividends

5
3
2
0

.

0
0
2
0

.

2014

2015

2016

Long-term
goals

2014

2015

2016

Long-term
goals

RoIC2

13.5%
+1.8pts

23.1%
+11.1pts

9.0%
-0.7pts

7.3%
-6.4pts

ASK: 2.6%

ASK: 9.6%

ASK: 4.0%

ASK: 11.2%

IAG Platform

13.6%
+0.9pts

1 2016 includes recommended final dividend of € 12.5 cent per share.
2 Definition included in Alternative performance measures section. The comparison to 2015 includes the annualised results of Aer Lingus.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

3

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Chairman’s letter

and sustainable returns

“A very warm welcome 
to our sixth Annual 
Report which charts 
the start of a new 
phase in our journey 
to secure a sustainable 
and profitable future 
for our airlines and for 
International Airlines 
Group as a whole.”

Antonio Vázquez
Chairman

2016 was a challenging year for our 
business but one where once again 
we proved that the IAG business 
model continues to be resilient and 
highly effective.

Our airlines carried over 100 million 
people last year, double the number 
of passengers we carried when British 
Airways and Iberia merged six years ago. 
Although our results were hit by the 
Brexit vote and the subsequent sharp 
fall in the pound, we were still able to 
report an impressive operating profit of 
€2.5 billion on revenues of €22.6 billion.

On the morning after the UK Referendum 
we updated the market on the likely 
short-term impact on our results. 

Despite the significant impact our share 
price suffered, we were able to re-
assure the financial community at our 
Capital Markets Day in November that 
our long-term financial targets remain 
largely unchanged – an investment grade 
message that was well received.

I believe investors understand that this 
business is being carefully and skilfully 
managed to achieve its promises on 
long-term growth and sustainable 
shareholder returns.

We were delighted once again this 
year to honour our commitment to 
pay dividends. In addition, we intend 
to carry out a share buyback of 
€500 million during the course of 2017, 
further increasing cash returns to our 
shareholders. We are a cyclical industry 

where volatility – fuel price, terrorism, 
weather, politics – is a fact of life. I am 
so proud that IAG is managing these 
challenges so well that it can commit to a 
sustainable dividend policy as companies 
in more stable sectors do. 

Brexit has so far provided few certainties. 
We expect the button will be pushed on 
Article 50 in March, commencing two-
years of divorce negotiations. Beyond 
that very little is visible.

For our industry the big question is the 
future of the single market for aviation 
in Europe. I trust that geography, safety, 
security, consumers’ interests, and those 
of our whole society to cut emissions, 
will prevail over politics or short-
term interests.

Consolidation is in our DNA. Controls 
on foreign investment and competition 
regulations means that acquisition 
opportunities are relatively rare. But 
we have the resources and a uniquely 
flexible ‘plug-in and play’ system to fit 
new independent airline brands into our 
existing hub of equities, with the promise 
of huge and proven cost synergies when 
they do.

Alliances and joint business 
arrangements are also very important 
and we’re delighted that British Airways 
and Qatar have launched a joint business 
while a similar tie up between Latam, 
Iberia and British Airways is awaiting 
clearance. They will provide great 
opportunities in the Middle East and 
South America.

2016 also saw our industry sign up to the 
world’s first truly global carbon offsetting 
scheme at the 39th International Civil 
Aviation Organisation assembly – 
something we have long campaigned for. 

Our industry – which contributes about 
2 per cent of global CO2 emissions –has 
agreed to halve emissions by 2050 and 
to grow in a carbon neutral way from 
2020, despite expected strong growth in 
passenger traffic. It’s a huge challenge, 
but one IAG intends to lead on.

At the end of an eventful year I would 
like to thank people across the Group 
who work every day to make IAG such 
a successful business. I also thank 
shareholders for their continued support. 

I hope after reading this report you will 
all share my strong conviction that the 
Group is very well placed to achieve 
sustainable profitable growth in the years 
to come. These are complex but very 
exciting times.

Antonio Vázquez
Chairman

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
4

Questions and answers

With Chief Executive Officer 
Willie Walsh

IAG had a very strong 
year in 2016 despite 
some significant external 
challenges. Here Chief 
Executive Officer Willie 
Walsh explains how 
the business is tackling 
those short-term issues 
while keeping a firm and 
confident focus on the 
long-term sustainability 
of IAG.

Willie Walsh
Chief Executive Officer

Q

A

What impact has the UK’s EU 
referendum had on IAG’s financial 
performance in 2016?

The result of the Referendum vote 
on June 23 had three very specific 
impacts on our business.

The first comes because we report 
our results in euros but we’ve got a 
very big sterling revenue and profit 
base thanks to British Airways. When 
we translate that sterling profitability 
into euros it’s now being done at a 
much lower rate, following the sharp 
fall in the pound.

The second impact is that we 
have a lot of dollar expenses – it’s 
the currency we use to buy fuel 
and aircraft, for example. With the 
devaluation of both the pound 
and the euro against the dollar it 
makes those dollar-related costs 
more expensive.

The third impact became obvious to 
us in the lead up to the Referendum. 
There was a slowdown and softening 
in UK corporate activity as business 
people were, temporarily, travelling a 
bit less.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

So the combination of those three 
factors – the translation impact of a 
weak pound, the transaction impact 
of the pound and euro losing value 
against the dollar, and softer bookings 
from UK companies – have hit our 
euro-reported profitability. 

See pages 35 for more about the 
impact of UK Referendum vote to 
leave the EU.

Q

A

How is IAG generating returns in 
the current economic 
environment?

Global growth has certainly slowed 
down in 2016 and is, I think, likely to 
stay at a similar level in 2017. 

In spite of that, we remain pretty 
optimistic about the global economic 
environment and I think some areas 
of weakness in 2016 – like Brazil, an 
important market for IAG – will show 
signs of recovery in 2017.

But we do have to acknowledge that 
we’re going to be growing capacity at 
a lower rate in the immediate future 
and that means we need to focus on 
the profitable areas of our business 
and, crucially, continue to improve our 
cost performance.

We’re also continuing to innovate 
and looking to take advantage of 
new markets. We’re launching new 
longhaul flights out of Barcelona, 
for instance. “Longhaul, low-cost” is 
the label everybody is putting on 
this new initiative, but what we are 
talking about is a new transatlantic 
longhaul service out of Barcelona, 
using a new way of operating which 
responds directly to changing 
consumer demands.

Barcelona is a superb base for 
this because it is fed by Vueling’s 
shorthaul network. That, we think, 
is an essential pre-requisite for 
any successful low-cost, longhaul 
operation and other carriers in the 
market agree. We will also consider 
other locations in Europe for these 
flights in due course.

So I think IAG needs to continue to be 
both flexible and disciplined, and we 
are very well placed to do that. 

We need to recognise that we’re not 
going to be able to rely on strong 
economic growth. We need to take 
all of our investment decisions very 
carefully to make sure we make a 
sensible return. 

See pages 34 – 35 for more 
about the economic landscape

5

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Q

A

How will the Hangar 51 start-up 
accelerator benefit IAG?

The Hangar 51 start-up accelerator is 
a really exciting development for IAG. 

We recognise there are fantastic 
developments in the digital sphere. 
We want to be up to speed with 
those developments not only 
because some of these innovations 
could challenge and disrupt our 
business, but also because we want 
to identify technologies that will 
transform and enhance the way we 
work. 

So we’ve tapped into the best and 
brightest developers out there and 
we’ve got them working inside IAG 
to see if we can take advantage of 
some of their great ideas. If we can, 
we will use those ideas to change the 
way we operate, for the benefit of our 
business and, more importantly, for 
the benefit of our customers. 

I think this is going to be really 
exciting to watch.

See page 26 for more about 
our digital transformation initiative

And, importantly, we have to remain 
focused on the financial viability and 
sustainability of IAG, balancing that 
short-term profitability against the 
long-term needs of the business.

Q

A

What will be the impact of a 
Heathrow third runway on 
your business?

The UK Government decided 
in October 2016 to support the 
expansion of Heathrow with a third 
runway. But I’m pleased to say that 
support comes with conditions.

The most important condition, from 
our point of view, is that the project 
will only proceed if the cost for 
consumers remains flat. That’s 
very important for us.

We’ve got to look at an expanded 
Heathrow as an opportunity for IAG. 
But that will only be true if the costs 
of that expansion can be carried out 
in a sensible way so that we’re not 
required to foot a disproportionate 
amount of the bill and consumers, in 
general, aren’t forced to pay more for 
the operation of Heathrow.

There are also significant 
environmental challenges that will 
need to be tackled before expansion 
can go ahead.

So there are a lot of challenges that 
need to be overcome. But, overall, I’m 
quietly optimistic we will see the right 
result in the end.

See page 10 for more about 
the third runway at Heathrow

Watch the full interview on our 
website www.iairgroup.com

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
6

Our network

Our business
around the world

+100million

passengers flown to

279

destinations on

548

aircraft

Our brands

See pages 18 – 19 for more 
about British Airways

See pages 20 – 21 
for more about Iberia

See page 22 for 
more about Vueling

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

IAG combines the leading airlines in the
UK, Spain and Ireland.

The airlines’ customers benefit from a larger 
combined network for both passenger
and cargo.

See pages 12 – 13 for more about 
our strategic objectives

7

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

See page 23 for more 
about Aer Lingus

See page 24 for 
more about Avios

See page 25 for more 
about IAG Cargo

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
8

Chief Executive Officer’s review

Ensuring the long-term viability 
of the business

“2016 was a good year 
for IAG even though 
the external impact of 
the Brexit vote and the 
subsequent sharp fall 
in the pound took the 
shine off our results. 
Nevertheless, we are 
very confident about the 
future and convinced the 
best is yet to come.”

Willie Walsh
Chief Executive Officer

There are regulatory issues to be 
addressed and, as the Chairman has 
indicated, many of these will not become 
clear until the precise terms of Brexit 
are agreed and new arrangements are 
in place.

But I do think there is a common 
interest on both sides of the Atlantic in 
maintaining an “Open Skies” environment 
between the UK and the US and I fully 
expect a new agreement to be put in 
place once the current EU agreement 
with the US comes to an end after Brexit.

There is some more doubt over the future 
of the deregulated aviation market within 
Europe. This is a real issue for carriers 
operating intra-EU services, but not one 
for British Airways as all its flights are to 
and from the UK.

But it’s important to say we are not 
seeking competitive advantage from this 
situation. We would never encourage the 
UK Government to take a protectionist 
stance. Deregulation has delivered huge 
benefits for consumers and I believe 
politicians should and will act rationally 
to protect those benefits. Preserving the 
current liberalised market is the right 
way forward.

In 2016 we continued to build on all the 
tremendous progress we have made in 
the six years since IAG was first formed 
and I think we can feel both proud of 
our achievements to date and very 
confident about the long-term future of 
this business.

The year was not without its difficulties, 
of course, and a number of external 
factors took the gloss off what was 
otherwise another powerful performance 
by the Group, none more so than the 
unexpected UK vote to leave the EU and 
the subsequent sharp fall in the value of 
the pound.

The impact of Brexit led us to conclude 
that we wouldn’t be able to deliver on our 
euro profit targets for the year and on the 
morning after the vote we updated the 
market, which had a big impact on our 
share price.

During the year we looked for ways to 
counteract that impact, but the scale of it 
was significant and we did not have the 
capacity to offset it completely.

The plain fact is no company can control 
exchange rates. Although we do hedge 
against fluctuations in our transactional 
costs, we do not and would not hedge 
against translation to our reporting 
currency – that is something that the 
investment community has to factor into 
its assessments of our performance.

As a result of these factors we reported 
a full year operating profit of €2.5 billion 
compared with €2.3 billion in 2015. 
Although that outcome is below our 
expectations, I believe it is still a very 
strong result given the considerable 
turbulence we faced during the year 
and it’s one which we can still be very 
proud of.

The long-term impact of Brexit

The Brexit vote has created uncertainty 
and uncertainty is never welcome. 
But longer term we do not think it will 
undermine the fundamental strength of 
our business.

Indeed, we’ve already seen bookings by 
UK companies stabilise. I think there is 
a genuine political will to make the UK 
a strong independent trading country, 
a goal I’ve no doubt will be achieved. 
People will continue to fly for business, 
for leisure and to visit friends and family, 
so the core of our business will not only 
remain strong but will continue to grow.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

9

Operating highlights

British Airways continues to develop 
well. Its core business is robust and it is 
responding to customer demands very 
effectively. Some of its stiffest challenges 
are now coming from new competitors 
rather than traditional carriers. For 
example, Norwegian’s low-cost, 
longhaul operation at Gatwick required 
a competitive response from British 
Airways, which they’ve done and done 
very well, expanding our transatlantic 
operations out of that airport.

As promised, British Airways continued 
to open up new routes during the 
year, launching services to San Jose, 
California, San Jose, Costa Rica, Lima, 
Santiago de Chile and Tehran. Plans for 
a new service to New Orleans have also 
been announced.

We still have ambitions to expand in 
China and remain optimistic, but we face 
some challenges there. These mostly 
relate to UK visa policy, where Chinese 
visitors continue to face steep costs and 
bureaucratic delays. For that reason the 
financial performance of British Airways’ 
Chengdu route has been disappointing 
and, sadly, we had to suspend the service 
during the year.

We’re very proud of what Iberia has 
achieved through its Plan de Futuro
business transformation programme 
and I say this everywhere I go. Iberia’s 
turnaround is a fantastic example 
of genuine transformation at every 
level – from cost base, to operating 
performance, brand strength and 
customer satisfaction. The people at 
Iberia have done a truly great job.

The difficulties it faced during the year 
related mostly to macroeconomic 
factors in key markets. Latin America 
was much softer, for instance. Brasil was 
particularly difficult and, given the size of 
its economy, there were inevitable ripple 
effects across the region forcing many 
other carriers to cut capacity.

On the positive side it was terrific to see 
Iberia move into Asia with services to 
Shanghai and Tokyo. That ambition would 
have been inconceivable a few years ago 
and I have to admit I thought it would 

take them a lot longer to achieve. It just 
proves what tremendous opportunities 
are open to you when you transform a 
business so deeply.

Iberia still has more work to do on cost 
and the management team have now 
launched Plan de Futuro II to do just that. 
It’s really good news that these further 
changes are being undertaken with 
consensus. Change is no longer seen 
as something to fear within Iberia, but 
something to be debated and embraced.

Of all the Group’s airlines, Vueling had 
the most challenging year operationally 
and its profitability suffered as a result. 
The biggest disruption came from a 
long series of summer strikes by French 
air traffic controllers. These hit Vueling 
harder than most given that some 70 per 
cent of its flights to and from Barcelona 
pass through French airspace.

Given those difficult circumstances, 
I think the new management team at 
Vueling has been fantastic. They’ve 
faced up to the challenges, been honest 
about the issues confronting them and 
have not shied away from mistakes that 
were made internally. The new team has 
re-established the airline’s operational 
performance, and is making the network 
more resilient.

The current year will be about stabilising 
and consolidating Vueling’s position. It 
will be a year of financial growth with 
less dramatic increases in capacity. But 
I want to be clear - this is a great airline 
with a great future and we are absolutely 
committed to it.

2016 marked the first full year for 
Aer Lingus within the Group and I’m 
delighted to say it had a fantastic year.

That was not a surprise to us. We 
clearly believed the potential was there 
when we brought Aer Lingus into IAG. 
The management team have done an 
excellent job and the integration into 
IAG has been seamless.

It was a particularly strong year for 
Aer Lingus’ transatlantic network as it 
exploited its geographic position and 
its ability to use the Dublin hub to grow, 
helped too by some one off events 

including the 1916 centenary celebrations 
- a big event in Ireland and one that 
attracted a lot of US interest and traffic.

Capitalising on this growth, the airline 
has launched a number of new US routes 
including Los Angeles, Newark and 
Hartford, Connecticut – the latter proving 
that there is a very good business to 
be built by serving what some would 
describe as a “secondary” US city.

The challenge for Aer Lingus is to 
remain cost-competitive at a time of 
increasing competition. A lot of carriers 
are operating transatlantic services into 
and out of Ireland and we expect that 
competition to grow. But Aer Lingus 
has a very strong brand and I’ve no 
doubt it can continue to build on its 
strong position.

Cargo continues to make an important 
financial contribution to the Group. While 
its market continues to suffer a structural 
imbalance between supply and demand, 
we have adjusted to that reality better 
than most. We’ve reduced our exposure 
to dedicated freighter aircraft and have 
focused on the specialist, premium 
end of the market such as shipping 
pharmaceutical products.

Continued innovation

As mentioned previously, Hangar 51 – the 
digital start-up accelerator we launched 
in January 2017 – has been a fascinating 
programme for IAG.

But we also continue to look for other 
innovative ways to create value. Our 
Global Business Services (GBS) operation 
in Krakow, Poland, is a case in point and 
I was so impressed with the quality of 
people in the GBS team when I visited 
them for the first time during the year.

GBS plays an important role in ensuring 
we have a competitive cost base and 
an efficient structure that can support 
all of our current airlines and, if the 
right opportunity comes along, any 
new acquisitions we might make. Its 
importance will only continue to grow 
as we expand.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
10

Chief Executive Officer’s review continued

Heathrow expansion

A sustainable business

We are delighted that both the 
Government and the Civil Aviation 
Authority have said that expansion at 
Heathrow must not lead to increases in 
airport charges.

At our capital markets day in November 
we restated our financial targets for 2020 
using a set of metrics that has gradually 
evolved since we presented them at our 
first investor day in November 2011.

That’s a case we’ve made very strongly 
in the last 12 months and I’m pleased 
that ministers and the regulator agree. 
Whether or not the airport operator has 
fully understood that condition remains 
to be seen, so we will challenge them 
all the way. Its current £17.6 billion cost 
estimate for the project is completely 
unacceptable because that level of cost 
cannot be borne without an increase in 
charges that would hit our customers – 
something we will not accept.

There is a long way to go on this and it 
could be 10 or even 20 years before a 
new runway is complete. If it is done at 
a sensible price, however, it will be an 
opportunity for IAG that we will take 
advantage of.

In our latest targets we have adjusted our 
expectations on capacity growth, EBITDA 
and capital expenditure, but, despite the 
challenges we’ve faced in 2016, have kept 
targets on return on invested capital, 
operating margin, average earnings 
per share growth and equity free cash 
flow unchanged.

This, I think, clearly demonstrates how 
confident we are that we have created 
a business that is structured to deliver 
long-term, sustainable financial results.

To do so we must balance long-term 
returns with short-term profitability, 
invest wisely in areas that will generate 
good returns and re-enforce our brands, 
and, above all, remain both flexible and 
disciplined in our approach.

We can’t become complacent and we 
won’t become complacent. We know 
why we are here. Our job is to secure the 
long-term viability of this business.

It won’t always be a smooth ride. As 
in 2016, there will be turbulence to 
go through - that is the nature of 
our business.

But our ability to respond to such 
challenges is much greater today than 
five years ago and utterly different to 
where our individual airlines stood 10 
years ago.

For that reason, I remain absolutely 
confident about the future and 
convinced that the best is yet to come.

Willie Walsh
Chief Executive Officer

Management team
IAG Management Committee led by Willie Walsh is responsible for the overall direction and strategy of the Group, the delivery 
of synergies and co-ordination of central functions.

Stephen Kavanagh
Chief Executive
Officer of Aer Lingus

Alex Cruz
Chairman and 
Chief Executive
Officer of 
British Airways

Luis Gallego Martin
Chairman and Chief 
Executive Officer
of Iberia

Javier Sanchez 
Prieto
Chairman and Chief 
Executive Officer
of Vueling

Andrew Crawley
Chief Executive
Officer of IAG Cargo

Ignacio de Torres 
Zabala
Director of 
Global Services

Julia Simpson
Chief of Staff

Robert Boyle
Director of Strategy

Chris Haynes
General Counsel

Executive Directors not pictured: Willie Walsh, Chief Executive Officer; Enrique 
Dupuy de Lôme, Chief Financial Officer.

See page 56 for our Board of Directors.

For a full biography of each member 
please visit www.iairgroup.com

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

11

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Business model and strategy

Maximising value across the 
Group portfolio

IAG’s business model has 
been designed to maximise 
sustainable value creation 
for both shareholders 
and customers. The 
Group structure provides 
a common integrated 
platform to drive Group 
strategy and synergies while 
at the same time enabling 
operating companies 
to maintain their unique 
identities and optimise 
performance in their 
respective markets.

Unique operating companies

The Group portfolio enables IAG 
to provide distinctive propositions 
across different markets and customer 
segments with the ability to respond 
rapidly to changing market dynamics. 
Each operating company has its own 
unique profile and brand positioning 
and retains the independence to 
manage evolving challenges within 
their respective markets. The Group 
structure and governance have been 
designed to allow IAG to set targets and 
oversee performance while maintaining 
profit accountability at the operating 
company level.

Common integrated platform

IAG continues to develop its integrated 
platform which enables Group operating 
companies to share best practices 
effectively, generate efficiencies and 
create standardised processes. The 
integrated platform provides cost 
effective and rapidly scalable systems 
that support simplification and drive 
ongoing cost efficiency along with 
revenue improvement opportunities and 
enhanced service delivery. Through a 
partnering approach with the operating 
companies, IAG’s Global Business 
Services (GBS) continues to drive 
significant cost improvements and deliver 
high quality outcomes for the business 
through centralised and enhanced back 
office functions.

t

r a c t   quality airlines
A t
t a i n   b r and and culture
e

R

IT

S u s t a inability

P

r

o

c

u

r

e

m

e

n

t

GLOBAL
ATFO

RM

PL

Higher returns
to our
shareholders

Finan c e

Attract and dev e l o p   b e
y
people in the  i n d u s t

r

t

s

Service and
value to our
customers

Moving beyond centralisation 
of standard functions such as IT, 
Procurement and Finance, IAG’s 
integrated platform supports additional 
Group revenue generation and customer 
loyalty through its shared global reward 
currency, Avios and through IAG Cargo.

Further enhancement of IAG’s integrated 
platform is actively supported by IAG 
Digital which works across critical 
business areas to identify, evaluate 
and implement digital disruption 
opportunities that drive both step 
changes in efficiencies and generate 
greater value through new services 
and products.

Industry consolidation

IAG believes that airline consolidation 
will continue to be a critical enabler for 
sustainable industry improvements on 
both a European and a global scale and 
is continually evaluating acquisition and 
partnership opportunities that could 
enhance the Group portfolio. IAG is 
deliberately structured to enable the 
Group to assess and develop acquisition 
opportunities without unnecessarily 
distracting the operating companies from 
executing their business objectives.

See pages 12 – 13 for how we are achieving 
our goals.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
12

Our strategy

Six core strategic objectives

1

2

3

Leadership 
in IAG’s main cities

Leadership 
across the Atlantic

Stronger Europe-to-Asia 
position in critical markets

We achieve this by

We achieve this by

We achieve this by

providing the broadest choice of 
destinations to our customers in our five 
main cities: London, Barcelona, Madrid, 
Dublin and Rome.

providing the most comprehensive 
frequency and network proposition 
in collaboration with our oneworld 
partners American Airlines and 
LATAM Airlines Group.

increasing our direct network footprint, 
improving our product offering and 
leveraging our partners’ network reach.

Our performance in 2016

Our performance in 2016

Our performance in 2016

2016 saw a range of political and 
economic disruption across key IAG 
markets, resulting in a softening of 
underlying demand coupled with high 
overall industry growth. IAG’s operating 
companies have adapted to the new 
market environment by adjusting 
capacity, accelerating cost reduction 
programmes and leveraging technology 
and ancillary revenue opportunities to 
improve performance.

IAG has continued to strengthen its 
leadership position in its main cities by 
focusing on profitable markets from 
Barcelona, Dublin, London, Madrid 
and Rome adding a total of 19 new 
destinations in 2016.

Aer Lingus has looked to enhance its 
leadership position with 11 per cent 
Dublin capacity growth focused on 
longhaul destinations.

IAG has also continued to enhance its 
position in London through expansion of 
operations into new airports with Vueling 
opening four new routes from Luton, 
and Cityflyer commencing operations 
from Stansted.

As in IAG main markets, economic, 
political and security concerns continued 
to negatively impact underlying 
transatlantic demand in 2016. These 
concerns included: ongoing economic 
instability in Latin America, particularly in 
Brasil, political uncertainty across Europe 
following the UK’s Referendum vote to 
leave the EU and the Presidential election 
in America. 

At a currency level, the pound sterling 
depreciated 16.3 per cent against the 
US dollar and 13.6 per cent against the 
euro. Security concerns resulting from 
European terrorism events have also 
had significant impact on transatlantic 
performance with a softening of US 
originating traffic to Europe.

In response to changing market 
dynamics, IAG has adjusted its capacity 
plans to focus on the most attractive 
return opportunities. IAG’s newest 
member airline, Aer Lingus, continued to 
strengthen its leadership position into 
North America, launching three new 
routes to Los Angeles, Newark, New 
Jersey and Hartford, Connecticut. British 
Airways also expanded its transatlantic 
operations, launching three new 
destinations: Lima, Peru; San Jose, Costa 
Rica; and San Jose, United States, and 
a new service from London Gatwick to 
New York JFK, while Iberia reintroduced 
its service to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

IAG has continued to expand its 
presence into Asian markets with the 
reintroduction of Iberia services in 2016. 
Iberia launched two new services to 
Shanghai and to Tokyo after withdrawing 
from the region in 1998. Iberia’s new 
Tokyo service is supported by Japan 
Airlines through incorporation into the 
pre-established Siberian Joint Business.

British Airways maintained growth into 
Asia with 4 per cent higher capacity 
driven by the full year of operations into 
Kuala Lumpur, increased frequency into 
Shanghai and increased utilisation of 
the higher gauged Airbus A380 aircraft 
into Singapore.

IAG’s Europe to Asia proposition was 
further strengthened by the launch 
of a new Joint Business with Qatar, 
enabling greater IAG network reach and 
an expanded product offering into the 
Middle East, Asia and East Africa.

IAG Cargo also continued to expand its 
Asian network options by introducing 
China Southern as a new partner in the 
Partner Plus Programme.

See pages 14 – 15 for more about our 
performance indicators.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

13

4

5

6

Grow share of Europe-
to-Africa routes

Stronger intra-Europe 
profitability

Competitive cost 
positions across our 
businesses

We achieve this by

We achieve this by

We achieve this by

leveraging shorthaul growth 
opportunities and strengthening our 
presence in core established markets.

optimising our legacy shorthaul networks, 
maximising commercial collaboration 
between our business units and 
expanding our low cost carrier footprint.

leveraging our scale, integrating best 
practices and driving simplification and 
harmonisation across the Group.

Our performance in 2016

Our performance in 2016

Our performance in 2016

Volatility continued across Africa in 2016 
with ongoing geopolitical issues and 
suppressed commodity prices impacting 
traffic between Europe and Africa.

North and West African nations were the 
most impacted by these issues and, as 
a result, IAG has proactively reduced its 
capacity into a number of destinations 
including Angola, Nigeria, Morocco, 
Tunisia and Uganda.

In South Africa, IAG has continued 
to enhance its network with the 
reintroduction of Iberia’s service to 
Johannesburg (after an absence of three 
years) along with greater British Airways 
frequencies on the Airbus A380 into 
Johannesburg and the launch of a new 
London Gatwick service to Cape Town.

IAG has continued to improve intra-
European profit performance despite 
the impact of multiple external 
events (including terrorist acts, air 
traffic controller strikes) and Vueling’s 
operational disruption during the summer 
peak. The Group has achieved this 
through a range of initiatives covering 
customer satisfaction, operational 
delivery, revenue optimisation and 
cost control.

Vueling’s summer disruption in 
Barcelona had an impact on its full year 
performance. After a comprehensive 
review, Vueling’s management has 
introduced a number of critical changes, 
including network rationalisation 
and overhaul of the airline’s fleet and 
crew basing strategies, to improve 
operational resilience.

Overall IAG intra-European capacity 
grew by 7 per cent in 2016, incorporating 
a 9 per cent increase in capacity between 
home markets and the launch of 74 
new routes.

Commercial collaboration across the 
Group has also continued to strengthen 
with the successful integration of 
Aer Lingus, further expansion of the 
Avios loyalty proposition and partner 
ecosystem, and deepening of intra-
group codeshares and combined 
marketing efforts.

Over the course of 2016, IAG renewed 
its focus on deepening and accelerating 
cost reduction programmes while 
at the same time ensuring customer 
value creation. At a Group level, IAG 
is driving the next level of efficiencies 
through its integrated platform within 
GBS (finance, procurement and IT) and 
maintenance. Group synergies have also 
moved beyond the traditional centralised 
functions within GBS to include IAG 
Digital, IAG Cargo and Avios with a clear 
objective to drive further efficiencies and 
value across the operating companies.

At the operating company level, Iberia 
has commenced phase II of its “Plan de 
Futuro” focusing on further improving 
labour productivity and reducing 
overhead costs. British Airways has 
introduced “Plan4” which includes 
improvement of capital efficiency 
and overall cost competitiveness. In 
Barcelona, Vueling has commenced its 
“NEXT” business model enhancement 
programme focused on operational 
excellence and cost discipline and, in 
Dublin, Aer Lingus continues to deliver a 
range of productivity and cost initiatives 
to further improve its value carrier 
proposition and performance.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
14

Key performance indicators

Maintaining our targets
in a challenging environment

We are committed to delivering our long-term goals to reach our 
strategic objectives and deliver sustainable cash returns to our 
shareholders despite the external challenges.

Objectives

Profitability

Efficient growth

Adjusted EPS1
(€ cents)

R

Operating Profit1
(€)

R

Operating profit (€m)

Adjusted operating margin

.

6
3
1

.

7
2
1

.

2
0
9

4
.
1
7

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

0
9
3
,
1

5
3
5
2

,

5
3
3
2

,

15

100

12

9

80

60

40

20

6

0

.

2
0
4

R

RoIC1
(%)

15

Goal

9
7

.

12

9

6

3

0

2014

2015

2016

2014

2015

2016

2014

2015

2016

Goals 2016 – 2020

Targeting sustainable

Adjusted operating margin

Growth per annum

15%

12%-15%

12%+

Why we measure?

2016 Performance

We use 12 months rolling RoIC3 as a 
profitability indicator to assess efficient 
return on the Group’s asset base. It 
quantifies how well the airlines generate 
cash flow in relation to the capital 
invested in their businesses together 
with their ability to fund growth and to 
pay dividends.

In 2016 RoIC increased 0.9 points to 
13.6 per cent making progress towards 
our goal of 15+ per cent by 2020. The 
improvement was from lower capital 
expenditure compared to last year and 
improved earnings.

We measure improvement in the financial 
performance of each operating company 
through the operating profit before 
exceptional items It is also a key component 
of the Group’s remuneration policy.

We use the operating margin ratio to 
measure the efficiency of our business which 
links with our strategic objective to reach a 
competitive cost position and to optimise 
revenues through market leadership.

The Group’s operating profit, before 
exceptional items, improves by 
€200 million from last year. This 
increase reflects the Group’s drive 
towards achieving a competitive cost 
base and from improved productivity. 
The macroeconomic environment was 
challenging; driving €460 million of 
adverse currency impacts with significant 
pressure on our passenger unit revenues. 

Adjusted operating margin increased 
by 1.1 points to 12.3 per cent.

Earnings per share reflects the profitability 
of our business and the core elements 
of value creation for our shareholders. 
Growing earnings indicates that the Group 
is on the right path to create value for 
its shareholders.

We grew our adjusted earnings per share 
by 26.3 per cent in 2016.

Profit after tax before exceptional items 
grew by 29.3 per cent this year. The 
increase reflects a solid operating profit 
performance and benefits from a better 
non-operating cost result with the timing 
of derivative revaluations and one time 
profits on fleet transactions.

R

Measure directly linked to remuneration of Management Committee.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

15

The performance indicators presented 
in this report are the measures used 
to assess and monitor the Group’s 
performance against our long-term 
planning goals2.

We evaluate opportunities based on 
the strategic objectives of the Group 
and using the performance indicators to 
identify and generate sustainable value 
for our shareholders.

The IAG Management Committee reviews 
individual business plans of the operating 
companies and sets stretching annual 
financial targets for each operating 

company to support the delivery 
of the Group‘s long-term goals.

These indicators influence the 
remuneration of the operating 
companies and of the IAG 
Management Committee.

Non-financial metrics

The Group measures a range of non-
financial and sustainability metrics, 
such as the diversity of our people 
and the impact that our airlines have 
on the environment. In addition, the 
operating companies review non-

financial measures, such as airline 
punctuality and customer satisfaction, 
which are linked to variable remuneration. 
These measures are reviewed regularly 
by the management teams of the 
airlines and, by exception, by the IAG 
Management Committee.

Customer satisfaction is an important 
lead indicator of the Group financial 
performance. The customer measure “Net 
Promoter Score” (NPS) will be added as 
a non-financial performance indicator 
in 2017. This measure will be used in the 
Group’s 2017 incentive plan.

See pages 12 – 13 for more 
about strategy

See pages 76- 97 for more 
about remuneration

See pages 36 – 44 for the 
financial review

See the glossary on pages 
222 – 223 for definition
of the indicators

See pages 224 – 226 for 
reconciliation of the measures 
to the closest IFRS measure

See pages 45 – 51 for 
non-financial performance in 
our Sustainability section 
and see Sustainability 
indicators on page 227

Balance sheet and cash flow

Adjusted Net Debt
to EBITDAR1

EBITDAR1
(€m)

Equity Free Cash Flow1
(€m)

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

0.0

9
.
1

9
.
1

8
.
1

5,500

Goal

1
8
5
4

,

1
0
3
4

,

5,000

4,500

4,000

3,500

3,000

2,500

7
3
1
,
3

5
5
0
2

,

1
8
4
,
1

2,500 Goal

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

0

8
2
1

2014

2015

2016

2014

2015

2016

2014

2015

2016

Investment 
grade zone

Average per annum

€5.3bn

We use this measure to monitor our 
leverage and to assess financial headroom 
through the same lens as financial 
institutions.3

EBITDAR is an indicator of the profitability 
of the business and of the core operating 
cash flows generated by our business 
model. This measure is not impacted by 
the financing structure of our aircraft.

Per annum

€1.5-€2.5bn

Equity free cash flow4 is an indicator of 
the financial management of the business. 
It reflects the cash generated by the 
business that is available to return to our 
shareholders, to improve leverage and to 
undertake inorganic growth opportunities.

Adjusted net debt to EBITDAR improved 
to 1.8 times from an improvement in net 
debt and higher EBITDAR.

The Group’s EBITDAR improved by 
€280 million from last year contributing to 
increasing our core operating cash flows.

The Group’s equity free cash flow reached 
€2.1 billion, up €574 million versus last year.

The improvement was from stronger 
operating results, improving EBITDAR 
and from lower net capital expenditure 
spend as the Group focuses on its capital 
discipline and flexibility.

1 Before exceptional items.
2 IAG reviewed its long-term planning objectives as part of the Group’s Business Plan process and defined goals for the next five years. 

For each of the objectives The Business Plan is based on a number of assumptions relevant to our industry, including economic growth 
in our strategic markets, fuel price and foreign exchange rates. The goals and targets of the Group are therefore subject to risk. For a list 
of the risks to our business, see page 27 to 32.

3 In 2015, the full year results of Aer Lingus were included in the calculation.
4 Prior year information has been restated to reflect refinement of the definition.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
16

IAG Platform for growth

Continually transforming 
the business

In 2016 the Group made 
significant progress in the 
development of its global 
platform while exploiting the 
opportunities created and 
advancing new initiatives.

IAG’s initial synergy plans included the 
creation of a scalable platform to deliver 
IT, procurement and back office support 
functions, for new and existing airlines. 
The platform has moved forward with 
the addition of Maintenance, Repair 
and Overhaul (MRO), Fleet and Digital 
providing the Group with further sources 
of benefits and creating value for 
our shareholders.

The chart on the opposite page shows 
the components of the IAG platform 
and the status at the end of 2016.

See page 24 for more information
on Avios

See page 25 for more information
on IAG Cargo 

See page 26 for more information
on Digital

Global Business Services (GBS)

• used data analytics to optimise 

Continuing its journey toward an efficient 
and competitive platform

GBS leads centralised procurement, 
finance and IT functions on behalf of the 
Group. GBS aims to deliver services at 
market competitive costs, embedding 
innovative working practices and 
delivering a high quality of service.

Following the centralisation of processes 
and activities from 2013 to 2015, this year 
marked the beginning of transformational 
change. The chart below outlines the 
evolution of the GBS model.

Procurement

The transformation of Procurement 
was completed in 2016. The function is 
well established across the operating 
companies and Aer Lingus procurement 
was integrated into the model during 
the year.

Procurement delivered significant supplier 
savings in 2016 working closely with 
Digital, Fleet and other parts of the Group.

Main achievements:

• continued to leverage the scale of the 
Group including the integration of Aer 
Lingus in common supplier contracts 
such as media, on-board advertising 
and airport suppliers;

• continued working on harmonisation 
of fleet defining the common seat in 
Airbus A350 economy and premium 
economy and in Airbus A320 
economy;

Our GBS journey

catering loading and reduce wastage; 
and

• reduced property costs through 
increased energy efficiency and 
harmonisation of back office supplies.

Other highlights include:

• established brand partnership with 

Marks and Spencer;

• reached an agreement with Gogo and 
Inmarsat to provide high-speed inflight 
connectivity on longhaul and shorthaul 
flights respectively; and

• launched the second review of 
specification for airport ground-
handling services.

Finance

In 2016, GBS finance concluded the 
centralisation of several functions from 
the airlines, Avios and Cargo to GBS:

• financial planning and analysis 

migration from British Airways and 
Avios;

• finance processes migration from 

British Airways and Iberia;

• integration of GBS activities in Poland 
with outsourced service centres in 
India; and

• migration of Group treasury operations 

and indirect tax following the 
centralisation of the services from 
British Airways and Iberia into IAG in 
2015.

The original plans are 90 per cent 
complete, delivering a cost improvement 
of around 35 per cent.

Centralise

Optimise / Efficiencies

Leveraging the GBS platform

2013 – 2015

2015 – 2017

2017 – 2021

Benchmark 
Worldclass

Moving to the cloud

Zero-based architecture

Lift and shift procurement,
finance and IT

Offshore transactional finance

Savings, scale and simplification

Focus on British Airways and Iberia

Creation of nearshore Kraków

Nearshore fully optimised

Finance and procurement complete

Other support systems

Outsource IT towers

Offshore fully leveraged

High cost efficiency

On-boarding new 
operating companies

Enable operating companies – 
further value

Plug and play platform

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

17

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

IT

IAG maintenance activities

This year significant work has been 
undertaken with the completion 
of outsourcing the IT operations at 
British Airways and Iberia and two of 
following three IT functions at Avios and 
Aer Lingus:

• End user computing (EUC) is 

a collection of services primarily 
supporting IT equipment, software, 
services and systems that are directly 
used by our employees and our agents 
throughout our global operations; 

• Networks includes operational 

ground to air communications and call 
centre telecom charges in addition 
to the more common IT network 
requirements; and

• Service operations is responsible for 

managing IT services in the Group. This 
includes issue resolution, introduction 
of new services and ensuring that the 
complete IT environment operates 
as required.

The transformation of IT is half-way 
completed. Post transformation, IT aims 
to deliver €90 million of costs savings by 
the end of 2018.

In parallel, GBS IT continued to transform 
the business enabling the modernisation 
of websites and processes at British 
Airways and Iberia and upgrading the 
check-in system at British Airways.

Maintenance, repair and 
overhaul (MRO) 

Targeting a minimum 11 per cent 
reduction in maintenance costs 
by 2020

IAG made significant progress in its 
strategic assessment of maintenance 
activities across the Group. The team 
set up last year and led by Iberia CEO 
Luis Gallego is finalising the strategy 

IAG Platform progress

GBS
Procurement, 
Finance

GBS
IT

Heavy
Major maintenance tasks performed on aircraft temporarily 
removed from the flight schedule

Line
Minor maintenance tasks carried out on aircraft during transits 
or night stops

Components and Inventory
Off-wing repair of aircraft parts and inventory operations 
support providing replacement parts during repair

Engines
Repair in the workshop of engines removed from the aircraft 
for performance restoration/parts replacement

Technical & Engineering
Activities required to ensure fleet airworthiness and other 
support services

design phase, reviewing all maintenance 
activities to ensure maximised Group 
returns. The team have assessed 
internal competitiveness using market 
intelligence from existing outsourcing 
contracts within the Group and ad-hoc 
tenders. Plans have been reviewed to 
ensure best in class performance. A new 
top management has been appointed 
for MRO.

The Group is committed to achieving 
market competitive costs, delivering 
substantial savings from productivity, 
efficiency improvements and footprint 
optimisation. Activities for which 
the in-house model cannot ensure 
competitiveness may be subject 
to outsourcing.

Specific strategies have been defined 
for most of the activities and will deliver 
an 11 per cent cost reduction when fully 
developed. As the programme moves 
to execution, further benefits from 
Group consolidation and supplier spend 
initiatives will be defined.

Fleet

The teams have continued to work on 
the fleet harmonisation in three areas: 
cabin configuration, avionics systems and 
emergency equipment. Harmonisation 
has been extended to all new aircraft, 
including the incoming Airbus A320neos 
and Airbus A350s. The goals of the 
programme remain to lower operating 
costs through fleet simplification and 
lean and flexible capital expenditure.

MRO/Fleet

Digital

IAG Cargo

Avios

90% complete
40% complete (2015)

50% complete
25% complete (2015)

90% defined1
5% executed
5% completed (2015)

30% complete
5% complete (2015)

95% complete
95% complete (2015)

100% complete
45% complete (2015)

1 Since Capital Market Day presentation on November 4, 2016, there has been substantial progress in the definition of the MRO strategy and is nearly completed at 90 per cent.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
18

British Airways

Changing the way
we fly the world

Overview

Plan4 is built around four key pillars:

In 2016 we achieved another strong 
financial result despite an uncertain 
economic landscape and challenging 
market conditions. We have built a robust 
business plan for the future, Plan4, which 
will build on our solid fundamentals. 
The economic uncertainty created by 
the result of the UK’s Referendum vote 
to leave the EU and the subsequent 
weakening of the pound sterling, as well 
as industry overcapacity, is providing 
new challenges and opportunities for 
British Airways. We are well positioned 
to take advantage of the weak pound 
sterling with 60 per cent of our longhaul 
passengers originating outside the 
UK, enabling us to increase the mix 
of non-sterling revenue through the 
redeployment of capacity, optimising 
connecting flights and increasing the 
availability of overseas seats.

We continue to develop our longhaul 
network, with four new routes to 
commence in 2017 – Fort Lauderdale, 
Oakland, New Orleans and Santiago 
de Chile – while in 2016 we launched 
our joint business with Qatar Airways 
and a codeshare agreement with China 
Eastern. The refresh of 18 of our Boeing 
747 fleet was completed in August 
and continues to deliver an improved 
customer experience on key longhaul 
routes. We also undertook the biggest 
change yet to our check-in systems 
across our operation which, despite some 
initial instability, continues to deliver 
performance improvements.

Plan4

Plan4 targets an operating margin of 
between 12 and 15 per cent each year 
and delivery of a sustainable RoIC of 15+ 
per cent through the cycle. 

“We have the ambition 
and we have the plan to 
deliver the best value-
for-money experience for 
all of our customers.”

Alex Cruz
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 
of British Airways

Performance

£ million

Revenue
EBITDAR
Operating profit

2016

11,443
2,402
1,473

Higher/
lower

+1.2%
+12.7%
17.8%

Key statistics
Punctuality

76.8%

British Airways targets aligned with IAG targets

2016

Lease adjusted 
operating margin (%) 13.3% +1.9pts

2016-2020

12–15%

Fuel efficiency gCO2/pkm

97.8

RoIC

ASK growth 
per annum

Fleet 

13.5% +1.8pts

15%+

2.6%

293

c.2%

301

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

• Customer: invest and innovate where 

customers value it most;

• Operations: be safe, reliable and 

responsible;

• Efficiency: improve capital efficiency 

and have competitive costs; and

• People: unleash our true potential.

Invest and innovate where customers 
value it most

Plan4 will see significant investment 
in the customer, across all cabins, over 
the next five years. From January 2017, 
shorthaul catering quality and choice was 
upgraded through our new partnership 
with Marks and Spencer. Wi-Fi is being 
embodied on our aircraft from 2016, 
with 90 per cent of the longhaul fleet 
to be complete by 2019. The new British 
Airways app will enable customers to 
rebook their flights during periods of 
disruption, giving them greater choice 
and control.

In Club World, our ambition is to create 
an experience that exceeds that of our 
key competitors. £400 million will be 
invested in Club World to transform food 
and drink offered to customers, deliver a 
step-change in service; providing more 
opportunities to sleep on overnight 
flights by changing service routines and 
providing new bedding and amenities. 
The potential for a new Club World seat 
is also currently being examined. On the 
ground, the First Wing in Terminal 5 will 
open in 2017, allowing First and Gold 
Executive Club members faster direct 
access to our lounges after check-in, 
and we will also invest significantly in our 
lounges at London Heathrow, Gatwick, 
New York JFK and Boston. Club Europe 
will also be reintroduced on UK domestic 
flights in 2017.

Be safe, reliable and responsible

Operational reliability will remain a key 
focus over the next five years. British 
Airways was again more reliable than key 
competitors in 2016, with more on-time 
departures from London than easyJet 
and Ryanair according to Civil Aviation 
Authority (CAA) data. External variables, 
such as air traffic control, will continue to 
have a significant effect on our operation. 
In 2017 we will strengthen our operational 
resilience, improving punctuality through 
a greater focus on aircraft turnaround 

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

19

and additional summer aircraft availability 
by re-timing retirements and planned 
maintenance. Baggage performance 
will also be improved, especially transfer 
baggage, through a new integrated 
baggage system and increased baggage 
capacity in 2017.

Improve capital efficiency and have 
competitive costs

Through execution of Plan4 management 
will reduce non-fuel unit costs over the 
next five years. A structural change 
programme was started in 2016 and 
will be completed by the end of 2018, 
impacting all areas of the business. New 
technology will be utilised to automate 
areas of the operation and back-office 
functions, driving increased efficiency; 
IAG maintenance strategy and call centre 
initiatives will deliver significant savings 
in areas where there is substantial scope 
for functions to be optimised. These, 
along with other initiatives, will seek to 
streamline and simplify our operations 
and head office. We recently reached 
agreement with the NAPS Trustees on 
the latest triennial valuation. The low 
interest environment has driven up the 
deficit by £100 million to £2.8 billion. 
However, this new agreement only 
addresses past benefits, and we need to 
address the reality that low interest rates 
also mean costs are going to be higher 
for future service on defined benefit 
pensions. In 2017, we will be consulting 
with colleagues and the trade unions on 
future pension provision.

The weaker pound sterling has made 
investment in aircraft, which we buy in US 
dollars, more expensive. As a result, we 
need to be, and we will be, more capital 
efficient with our investments. At London 
Gatwick, our Boeing 777 fleet will be 
reconfigured, with 10 seats in each row 
of the World Traveller cabin. The number 
of World Traveller Plus seats will also 
double to 48 whilst the Club World cabin 
will reduce to 32 seats. This will result 
in the number of seats increasing from 
280 to 332 from 2018 onwards. This will 
ensure that we have a more competitive 
configuration, particularly at Gatwick, and 
is a more efficient way to continue to 
grow capacity.

Our shorthaul aircraft will also be up-
gauged and densified. The number of 
Airbus 319s in our fleet will reduce from 
44 to 26 by 2021 (being replaced by 
Airbus A320neos and Airbus A321neos 
from 2018), while Heathrow-based Airbus 
A320s will be densified to 180 seats (from 
168 seats). Airbus A321s will be densified 
to 218 seats (up from 205 seats) starting 
from early 2018.

Unleash our true potential

Our people are vital to the successful 
delivery of Plan4. We have a number 
of people-orientated initiatives, which 
will develop leaders at all levels of the 
organisation, equipping our colleagues 
with the skills necessary to deliver and 
exceed expectations consistently.

Delivering high standards of customer 
service is fundamental to our success. 
Our world class training centre, the 
British Airways Global Learning 
Academy, has continued to thrive, with 
84,500 delegates receiving instruction 
throughout the year on 9,400 specially 
tailored courses to ensure our customers 
receive the best possible service.

Digital

Digital underpins British Airways’ 
business plan. We have a long history 
of digital innovation. It is over 20 years 
since we introduced ba.com, our first 
online selling capability. We created and 
patented the first calendar-led selling 
– now a travel industry best practice. 
More recently, we introduced a full staff 
mobility programme, putting relevant 
data in front of our crew to provide a 
more tailored customer service. Digital, 
data and technology will enable us to 
transform our distribution landscape 
and capability.

Conclusion

We have solid fundamentals. The four 
pillars underpinning our new business 
plan will enable British Airways to deliver 
our vision to be the airline of choice 
with personalised service, exceptional 
reliability, a digital mind-set and unique 
British style.

Fuel efficiency – Our plan, our planet

Fuel efficiency is important to us 
from both a commercial and an 
environmental perspective. In 2014 
we set up a dedicated fuel efficiency 
team with experts in flight operations, 
network operations and engineering. 
In addition to the fuel savings 
achieved with the introduction of our 
newer and more efficient aircraft, the 
team has implemented over 41 fuel 
efficiency initiatives saving a total of 
83,000 tonnes of fuel, and reducing 
our CO2 emissions by 261,500 tonnes.

The range of initiatives introduced 
covers all aspects of our operation 
including reducing weight on the 
aircraft, improving processes on the 
ground such as delaying the engine 
start and applying reduced engine 
taxiing, and working in collaboration 
with air navigation companies to 
improve airspace, and optimise routes 
and speeds.

See pages 45 – 51 for more 
about Sustainability

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
20

Iberia

Delivering on our promise

Overview

In 2014 Iberia launched its Plan de Futuro
to radically transform a company that 
was struggling to adapt to the new and 
challenging environment in our industry.

After three years, we can state that the 
Plan has been successful: after several 
years in the red, Iberia has had its third 
consecutive year of operating profits, 
while consistently improving operational 
and key business indicators. 

We are proud of what we have achieved 
so far, but we are also aware that we have 
only completed half of the path towards 
full transformation of the company.

Industry context in 2016

2016 has not been an easy year for 
aviation. We have experienced strong 
headwinds due to terrorist attacks, the 
economic uncertainty caused by the 
UK referendum result, macroeconomic 
instability in Latin America and, in 
addition, unprecedented overcapacity 
in our core markets which has, in turn, 
resulted in yield pressure.

Iberia reacts to a complex 
environment

The tough context in 2016 has put us to 
the test but we have reacted swiftly to 
this challenging environment. 

On one hand, we have adjusted our 
capacity to the new market reality, by 
tactically reducing our exposure to 
markets with low profitability or high 
risk. In parallel, we have intensified 
our focus on strategic markets that 
can now be operated profitably with 
our lower cost base. During 2016, we 
restarted flights to San Juan in Puerto 
Rico and Johannesburg, and launched 
new routes to Shanghai and Tokyo 
supporting our strategic aim to compete 
in Asian markets.

On the other hand, we have intensified 
the execution of the initiatives of our 
ongoing Plan de Futuro.

On the revenue side, the enhancement 
of our initiatives in revenue management 
allowed us to minimise the yield erosion 
on longhaul markets, while on short 
and medium haul the expansion of 
basic fares throughout the economy 
cabin, fare simplification, and capturing 
demand early in the booking curve have 
allowed us to reach unprecedented load 
factor levels.

The introduction of new ancillary 
propositions, increasing our digital 
capabilities, further enhancing Iberia’s 
brand, and developing our sales 
programmes within IAG – such as the 
launch of On Business– enabled us 
to sustain our revenue performance in 
this unfavourable RASK context.

With regards to costs, we have 
continued implementing our Plan de 
Futuro optimization measures across 
the full cost base, with special focus on 
reduction of our labour costs, through 
voluntary collective dismissal plans (our 
2016 employee cost per ASK was 24 per 
cent lower than in 2012).

Finally, we have further developed the 
transformation of our complementary 
businesses, Airport Services and 
Maintenance, focusing on improving 
productivity, flexibility, and customer 
service. IAG’s Maintenance project is 
becoming a catalyst for us to push 
forward a new innovative approach that 
will allow Iberia to become a top-class 
world player while providing superior 
service to all IAG airlines.

The future ahead of us: 
Plan de Futuro Phase 2
2016 operating profit of €271 million 
continues the trend of 2015 and gives us 
the confidence that we are on the right 
track. But, as I said before, we are still 
half way in our transformation journey, 
particularly considering the industry 
context today.

“One of the key pillars 
of the Plan de Futuro is 
our full transformation 
of Iberia’s customer 
proposition, putting the 
customer in the centre 
of all our activities.”

Luis Gallego Martín
Chairman and Chief Executive 
Officer of Iberia

2016

4,586
738
271

Higher/
lower

(2.4)%
+6.5%
+22.6%

Performance

€ million

Revenue
EBITDAR
Operating profit

Key statistics
Punctuality

88.7%

Iberia targets aligned with IAG targets

2016

Lease adjusted 
operating margin (%) 7.6% +1.2pts

2016-2020

8-13%

Fuel efficiency gCO2/pkm

86.5

RoIC

ASK growth 
per annum

Fleet 

9.0% (0.7)pts

15%

4%

98

4%

106

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

This is why we have recently launched 
Phase 2 of our Plan de Futuro,
encompassing over 200 projects aimed 
at placing us among the best operators 
in the industry, in revenues, costs, and 
capital efficiency. This second phase 
of our plan is expected to generate 
€400 million of additional operating 
profit focusing in four areas:

• Stronger revenue and customer 

proposition;

• Best-practice costs in the industry;

• Sustainable profitability of 

complementary businesses 
(MRO and HDL); and

• Improved capital efficiency and 

flexibility to adapt to market changes.

Stronger revenue and customer 
proposition 

On the revenue side, we are redefining 
how we undertake revenue management, 
using state-of-the-art technology 
and processes, and focusing on 
ancillary revenue. 

The Joint Business model that we have 
today with our partners in the North 
Atlantic and between Europe and Japan 
has proven to be successful, which is 

why we aim to reinforce the model and 
expand it to other relevant markets.

We are also introducing our new Premium 
Economy cabin which will optimise 
revenue generation by serving an 
increasing demand of customers looking 
for a superior product at an adjusted 
fare. We are also adding slim seats to our 
narrow body aircraft to increase revenue 
generation opportunities.

Lastly, we will continue working as hard 
to remain the most punctual airline in the 
world as we have achieved in 2016. 

Best practice costs in the industry

On the cost side, we have intensified 
even further the transformation of our 
cost base, with the target of becoming 
one of the most competitive airlines 
in the industry. In this effort we are 
benefitting from increased integration 
with GBS, which should allow us to 
reduce our supplier and IT costs, one 
of the main focuses of this Phase 2. 

Also, labour restructuring is not finished 
yet and there is still work to do on this 
front. We continue working towards a 
more agile organisation, with special 
focus on reducing our SG&A costs.

Always keeping the customer at the centre
The customer is always at the centre of all decisions that we make.

We continue to invest in our fleet. After the exit of all the Airbus A340-300s 
this year and the arrival of eight new Airbus A330-200s, all our wide body 
aircraft are now fitted with our new cabin, which has been very well received 
by our customers, particularly the new entertainment system. The cabin 
improvements have been a key contributor to the significant improvement in 
our Net Promoter Score.

Moreover, we are leveraging digital as one of the key components of Iberia’s 
value proposition to our customers. In-flight connectivity has created new 
merchandising opportunities in the air such as pay-for-content and we have 
made significant improvements to our check-in process through the web, 
mobile apps, and physical kiosks, making it more efficient and seamless than 
ever before. On-time performance is one of the attributes that our customers 
value the most. This is why our commitment to operational excellence and on 
time performance is stronger than ever. We are proud of having become the 
most punctual airline in the world in 2016 and of Iberia Express reaching the 
top spot in the low cost carriers’ category.

Our customers also expect us to become a role model in embracing a 
sustainable approach to the way we operate our business. This is why in 2016 
Iberia took a leading role in a three year EU project called “LIFE+ Zero Cabin 
Waste”. Our aim is to reduce waste from catering in our aircraft by 5 per cent 
and recycle 80 per cent of the waste generated.

21

Sustainable profitability of 
complementary businesses 
(MRO and HDL)

Phase 2 of Plan de Futuro has set very 
ambitious goals to increase productivity 
and sustainable profitability of our 
complementary businesses (MRO and 
HDL), while offering competitive service 
to all the carriers in the Group..

Improved capital efficiency and 
flexibility to adapt to market changes

We are working hard to become a more 
flexible airline that adapts quickly to 
environment changes.

First, the new Premium Economy and 
the slim seats will allow us to add more 
seats to our aircraft to increase revenue 
generation opportunities.

Second, we are rethinking from the 
ground up our network and fleet plan to 
increase aircraft utilisation and achieve 
the most optimal fleet mix.

Finally, we are balancing our fleet 
financing mix to be able to adapt 
upwards or downwards to market 
changes. We are working with IAG to 
achieve harmonisation in the Group’s 
fleet, which will allow for further flexibility 
within the Group at a lower cost.

Conclusion

In summary, we are proud of the 
transformation we have achieved so far, 
but we are well aware that our work is 
not finished but we are confident that 
this new phase of our Plan de Futuro will 
allow us to complete the transformation 
that Iberia needs and reach the level of 
profitability and sustainability that we 
want for the Iberia of the future.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
22

Vueling

Continuing with
the Vueling evolution

“Vueling’s key strategic 
levers for the future 
are customer focus, 
operational excellence 
and profitability.”

Javier Sanchez-Prieto
Chief Executive Officer of Vueling

Overview

Our operational environment was 
particularly challenging in 2016. We suffered 
abnormal levels of external disruptions, 
including many industrial actions mainly 
in France, and unprecedented levels of air 
traffic controller disruptions which affected 
35 per cent of our flights compared to 12 
per cent a year earlier. Vueling took strong 
and successful measures, engaging all 
the necessary resources, to return the 
operations to expected levels.

Since 2004 Vueling has grown rapidly 
through various development stages; the 
merger of Vueling and Clickair, the Spanish 
domestic market consolidation, and its 
expansion into European markets. Vueling 
now enters into a new phase, a time to 
strengthen all aspects of the organisation 
and reinforce our foundation. In this new 
phase, the customer will be at the centre of 
everything we do. Our customers demand 
good prices and a reliable experience (in 
our segment punctuality and regularity). 
We also want the relationship with our 
company to be easy, and we will innovate 
our customer experience to improve the 
ease of doing business with us, while 
maintaining high levels of reliability.

Vueling NEXT, our plan to realise our 
new vision and strategy

Vueling has designed an integrated and 
cross-functional plan called Vueling NEXT 
that relies on four main pillars as the basis 
for its evolution into this new stage. First, 
achieving operational excellence by 
upgrading the capabilities of our operation 
to deliver a higher level of efficiency 
and reliability.

improves fleet utilisation. As a result, we 
will strengthen Spain as our top market 
in Europe, in both the leisure and business 
segments, building leadership positions in 
key Spanish cities in order to become the 
customers’ preferred choice when travelling 
between Spain and the rest of Europe. 
We will also selectively pursue other 
international growth opportunities that 
align to our strategy.

The third pillar is aimed at building a 
reliable customer proposition. Vueling will 
redesign its customer experience with the 
objective of delivering the best low cost 
customer experience in Europe. Through 
more reliable operations, we expect to 
capitalise on improvements in on-time 
performance and reliability. We will focus 
on how the customers do business with us, 
from easy booking to efficient customer 
assistance, while improving the way we 
communicate with our customers, keeping 
them up to date on their journey. Our aim is 
to meet the customers’ needs by a better 
alignment of products and services to our 
distinct customer segments.

Lastly, these changes will be supported 
by our fourth pillar, a high performing 
organisation that aims to evolve our 
team. This will focus on the right talent 
in the right job, efficient and effective 
management and engaged employees 
translating to a more customer-focused 
organisation, with broader knowledge 
and deeper experience, and the ability to 
deliver a stronger international footprint. 
Vueling will also reinforce its resources in 
key areas to support more efficient and 
stable operation. 

Vueling NEXT supports and enhances 
our continued effort to lower costs 
and increase efficiency. As an example, 
Vueling NEXT targets gains in fleet and 
maintenance utilisation and improvements 
in employee productivity, by optimisation 
of resources and planning. A customer 
oriented approach and a more robust 
operation will also yield customer service 
and compensation benefits. We will 
continue to work on supply-chain savings 
based on efficiency and leverage of the 
IAG platform and to realise efficiencies 
on new aircraft entering the fleet from 
2018, including five additional Airbus 
A321 aircraft.

Conclusion

Vueling is building a stronger platform 
to serve as a firm base for future growth 
and solid financial performance, achieving 
IAG targets.

Performance

€ million

Revenue
EBITDAR
Operating profit

Key statistics
Punctuality

68.6%

2016

2,065
315
60

Higher/
lower

5.2%
(18.6%)
(62.4%)

The second pillar will focus on building 
a sustainable and profitable network 
based on a smart restructuring that 
shifts capacity to better performing 
markets, gains efficiency through reduced 
complexity, seasonality and variability, and 

Vueling targets aligned with IAG targets

2016

Lease adjusted 
operating margin (%) 6.7% (5.1)pts

Fuel efficiency gCO2/pkm

87.3

RoIC

ASK growth 
per annum

Fleet 

7.3% (6.4)pts

11.2%

110

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

2016-2020

7-15%

15%

7%

130

Aer Lingus

Making the most 
of our opportunities

Overview

Throughout 2016, we have leveraged 
the benefits of IAG ownership, with 
accelerated network and fleet growth, 
cost synergies and increased market reach 
to deliver a record operating margin of 
13.2 per cent This result is underpinned 
by our positioning as a value carrier and 
our application of a resilient demand led 
business model – a model that is simple 
by design; centred on cost, product and 
service. We are committed to delivering 
value to our guests, and our productivity 
and non-fuel unit cost improvements in 
2016 have enabled us to deliver more 
competitive products, and to significantly 
improve our operating margin.

An ambitious strategy

Our ambition is to be the leading value 
carrier across the North Atlantic, enabled 
by a profitable and sustainable shorthaul 
network. Our strategy is based on key 
fundamentals which include a strong 
guest-focussed brand and service, a 
network that offers compelling connection 
propositions, and a competitive and 
resilient cost base. We believe that Aer 
Lingus is well positioned to continue to 
grow successfully to extract the benefits 
of IAG ownership, and to deliver on 
our targets.

A value carrier focussed 
on guest experience

Guided by our “Voice of Guest” surveys 
and direct feedback, we have continued 
to invest proactively in product, process 
and brand to improve our guest experience, 
cost and value proposition. A key focus in 
2016 was our on-time performance and we 
achieved the most punctual status every 
month at our main base of operations, and 
were placed in the top 20 most punctual 
airlines globally.

“2016 has been a year of 
profitable growth with a 
strong return on invested 
capital supported by 
reduced non-fuel unit 
cost and an improved 
guest value proposition.”

Stephen Kavanagh
Chief Executive Officer of Aer Lingus

2016

1,766
399
233

Higher/
lower

+2.8%
+40.2%
+86.9%

Performance1

€ million

Revenue
EBITDAR
Operating profit

Key statistics
Punctuality

82.5

Aer Lingus targets aligned with IAG targets1

2016

Lease adjusted 
operating margin (%) 14.9% +6.0pts

2016-2020

15%+

Fuel efficiency gCO2/pkm

87.0

RoIC

ASK growth 
per annum

Fleet 

23.1% +11.1pts

15%+

9.6%

47

8%

59

1 The comparison to 2015 includes the annualised results of Aer Lingus

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

23

The roll-out of our new transatlantic 
business cabin was completed with 
consistency across the Aer Lingus Airbus 
A330 and Boeing 757 fleets. In 2016, we 
introduced new and enhanced retail 
products, simplified boarding processes 
and automated check-in facilities, and 
launched our new loyalty programme 
AerClub, with Avios, in the fourth quarter.

These initiatives and the dedication to 
service delivered every day by the team 
at Aer Lingus have been rewarded by 
increased seat factor, guest satisfaction 
and cost efficiencies. Our “Good to 
Great” programme, which incorporates 
consistent service standards across the 
customer journey, continues to deliver, and 
we received external validation with the 
award of a 4-star rating by Skytrax during 
the year, becoming Ireland’s first and only 
4-star airline.

Building the Dublin Gateway

We remain committed to exploiting 
the geographic advantage of Dublin 
as a gateway between Europe and 
North America. In 2016, we continued 
our profitable growth, we built on the 
momentum of recent years, with direct 
services to Los Angeles, Newark and 
Hartford, strengthening IAG’s leadership 
across the transatlantic and leveraging 
the power of the Aer Lingus mainline and 
regional shorthaul networks.

The profitable network growth was enabled 
by the introduction of an additional Boeing 
757 and two Airbus A330-300s, the latter 
procured jointly with the benefit of IAG. 
In 2017, we will introduce two more Airbus 
A330-300s to add frequency and capacity 
across our networks, and we will begin a 
new direct service to Miami. We continue 
to use this growth to drive efficiency and 
productivity in our Dublin operations. 
Revisions to turn, team composition and 
increased use of automation, for example, 
in combination with the increased scale of 
operations, have improved the relative cost 
competitiveness of the Gateway.

Conclusion

In 2017, we, in Aer Lingus, will build upon 
our success and target sustainable 
returns for IAG. Our commitment to our 
demand led value carrier model will see 
us continue to focus on cost, product and 
service. In addition, we will develop our 
commercial capabilities to further leverage 
the network opportunities provided by 
fellow IAG airlines, American Airlines and 
other partners.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
24

Avios

Avios, the currency
of loyalty

In 2016 Avios continued to build on its 
successes as an independent operating 
company within IAG. It has transformed 
from a predominantly UK focused loyalty 
entity to an international loyalty currency 
business, collecting revenues in euros, US 
dollars and pounds sterling.

Key successes

Avios continued to grow its airline 
portfolio with the addition of Aer Lingus 
and its AerClub programme in the last 
quarter of 2016, and is expecting to 
launch the Vueling programme in the 
first quarter of 2017. The addition of these 
airlines has seen Avios become the single 
loyalty currency which supports all IAG 
frequent flyer plans. This offers a number 
of strategic advantages, including an 
enhanced presence within Europe.

Avios continues to evolve its loyalty 
proposition, moving it from a model 
specific to full service carriers such 
as British Airways and Iberia, to being 
compatible with new generation airline 
models such as Vueling. To achieve this 
Avios developed a collection proposition 
based on customer spend and using the 
Pay with Avios product to give customers 
the opportunity to spend Avios to reduce 
the cost of any flight.

Through 2016, Avios has evolved its 
digital capabilities, paving the way 
for the launch of its first digital, direct 
collection partnership with Pizza Express, 
leveraging digital wallet technology, 
which can be used in future partnerships. 
Card linked collection, which is available 
on mobile devices, allows users to 
register their payment card details within 
the app, enabling Avios collectors to 
earn directly. This has allowed collection 
opportunities in-store, first with Caffè 
Nero. The data gathered through these 
channels will provide insights that in turn 
will drive future development of Avios 
products and tailored communication 
to customers.

2016 also marked a year of international 
growth for Avios in the field of non-
airline partnerships, with the launch 
of key agreements, notably with fuel 
provider Cepsa in Spain and Irish Grocer 
SuperValu. Other strategic partnerships 
include a global agreement with Priceline 
Group’s Agoda. Avios took steps to 
expand its global footprint, with its first 

partnerships in both Chile and China, with 
Banco de Chile and Mileslife respectively, 
increasing the customer database.

Avios also worked on a redemption 
proposition to enable Pay with Avios for 
Flybe customers with Kulula to follow in 
2017 and offering increased availability 
and differential off-peak and peak pricing 
with British Airways and Iberia. Together 
with investment in dynamic pricing 
capability through the Pay with Avios 
product, Avios continues to work towards 
a leading redemption proposition 
offering always available redemption 
capability and a value proposition.

Coming soon

In 2017 Avios will implement a single 
bank solution, alongside new redemption 
and pricing capabilities. The single bank 
solution allows for:

• a consolidated loyalty platform for 

customers to see all their points across 
programmes;

• optimisation of customer experience 
by broadening collect and spend 
options; and

• revenue and cost synergies for the 

Group by the end of 2017 and onwards.

e-store
In April 2016, Avios launched an 
improved online e-store which 
enables British Airways Executive 
Club, Iberia Plus and Avios Travel 
Reward Programme members 
to collect generous volumes of 
Avios with over 1,000 retailers 
when shopping online.

The e-store acts as an entry 
portal, redirecting the customer 
to shop with the online retailer 
and rewarding them for their 
purchases. In 2016, 610,000 
purchases were recorded.

In December 2016, it was also 
made possible to collect Avios 
“in-store” with particular retailers, 
such as Caffè Nero. Customers 
link their regular payment card 
through the e-store and then 
earn Avios when using that card 
at the retailer’s physical site.

“Avios offers inspiring 
travel rewards and 
experiences for its 
collectors with multiple 
ways to earn rewards 
through a growing 
alliance of leading 
brands.”

Gavin Halliday
Chief Executive Officer of Avios

Overview

Avios engages collectors, achieving 
high returns for the Group through a 
dynamic and versatile business model. It 
continues to increase customer relevance 
by broadening collection opportunities 
and linking to everyday purchases, whilst 
expanding ways to spend Avios. 

In addition to connecting IAG airlines 
and their frequent flyer plans through 
a common currency Avios presents 
opportunities for the Group to continue 
to extend its brand reach, increasing 
customer relevance in new markets 
through new airline and non-airline 
partnerships. The airlines benefit from 
the brand loyalty Avios generates, 
increasing the Group’s passenger 
and ancillary revenues.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

IAG Cargo

Resilient performance in 
challenging trading conditions

25

“The air freight industry 
as a whole has suffered 
from decades of 
underinvestment 
in technology and 
IAG Cargo now has 
a renewed focus 
on innovation and 
digitisation across 
our business.”

Andrew Crawley
Chief Executive Officer of IAG Cargo

Overview

The competitive trading environment 
of 2015 has continued into 2016 with 
growing supply from freighter and new 
generation passenger fleets outstripping 
flat demand for general freight. 2016 
started robustly, despite already high 
comparisons due to the benefits of the 
West Coast Port Strike in the first quarter 
of 2015. The second and third quarter 
saw demand fall off considerably leading 
to significant yield pressures before 
some improvement in the peak of the 
last quarter of the year. Aggressive cost 
management as well as continued focus 
on growing our premium products went 
some way to offsetting the yield pressure 
and saw IAG Cargo grow its revenue 
share of the market this year.

Differentiation through premium 
products and customer focus

The development of our premium 
products and customer experience 
was further reinforced with the 
announcement of a £55 million 
investment into a new premium freight 
facility. Set to become operational 
in 2018, the new building at London 
Heathrow has been designed around 
the modern demands of shippers and 
freight forwarders and will double our 
premium capacity.

IAG Cargo further enhanced its premium 
proposition by launching ‘Critical’, IAG 
Cargo’s first non-off loadable product. 
‘Critical’ was designed in response to 
direct feedback from our customers, 
offering them an emergency solutions 
product for time urgent shipments. The 
product, which launched in October, has 
already processed over 400 emergency 
shipments, including Formula 1 tyres and 
equipment, and emergency machinery 
parts. Our core premium products have 
also continued to perform at encouraging 
levels. With our blend of strong network, 
diverse product portfolio and customer 
offering, we achieved a premium product 
mix of 20 per cent this year. A primary 
driver of this is our pharmaceutical 
product, Constant Climate. This has 
seen consistent double digit growth 
year on year, in volume terms, shipping 
over 40,000 consignments in 2016. IAG 
Cargo has 110 quality approved Constant 
Climate gateways on its network and, 
following a Good Distribution Practice 
(GDP) certification award, is trusted as 
the industry leading product. 

IAG Cargo’s leadership in this category 
is strengthened by a commitment to 
quality training, raising standards with 
over 200 days of training annually for 
our network supply chain partners.

Growth and scale

The acquisition of Aer Lingus in August 
2015 has demonstrated the strength and 
ability of our model to integrate new 
entrants quickly and effectively into the 
Group. Our product portfolio, sales teams 
and global operations are now fully 
unified, providing significant synergies for 
our business. We have also continued to 
invest to provide our customers with a 
strong network offering and throughout 
2016 IAG Cargo has launched several 
important destinations: Lima, San Juan, 
San Jose, California, San Jose, Costa Rica 
and Tehran providing our customers with 
new options for shipping goods into 
key markets.

IAG Cargo was also able to expand its 
reach by establishing partnership deals 
with other air carriers. IAG Cargo now 
has interline partnerships with over 100 
airlines, the latest entrants this year being 
Boliviana de Aviación and Air China; 
which aid us in providing greater 
network reach for our customers.

Identifying new ways to differentiate and 
enhance our customer proposition has 
also been a key focus this year. The air 
freight industry as a whole has suffered 
from decades of underinvestment in 
technology and IAG Cargo now has 
a renewed focus on innovation and 
digitisation across our business. This year 
IAG Cargo helped launch the IAG global 
accelerator programme, Hangar 51, a new 
initiative that will find and scale some of 
the best aviation and logistics tech start-
ups, who will help us digitise our business 
and provide greater ease for customers.

Conclusion

Despite what has been a difficult year 
for the industry, we have delivered a 
stable and resilient performance. IAG 
Cargo’s model is firmly established 
and by continuing to invest in all areas 
of our business through infrastructure 
improvements, network expansion, new 
partnerships and technology advances, 
we will continue to bring further benefits 
to our customers and shareholder. 
We remain confident in our strategy 
for 2017 and beyond.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
26

Digital

Data underpins
business transformation

Digital transformation

At IAG we use five areas of digital 
transformation to create measurable 
change, preparing our business for the 
digital age:

• New business: refers to adapting our 

businesses for a fast moving market as 
well as creating new revenue streams 
enabled by technology and data.

• Product: looks to create innovative 
digital products from apps that help 
customers navigate through airports 
to chatbots that can be tested and 
adjusted at speed. New products must 
drive business value and meet the 
customers’ needs as well as their 
future expectations.

• Business process: aims to enable 

rapid scalable change through new 
processes. We use automation and 
design thinking to adjust, trim and 
remove processes.

• People: ensures we recruit and 

educate employees to have the right 
digital skills. We created Hangar 51, 
IAG’s first start-up accelerator, for this 
purpose. We also create new methods 
of work, hackathons, meetups and 
continuous engagement with the start-
up and corporate digital ecosystem.

• Data enablement: aims to provide fast 
access to the right data at the right 
time to predict, provide intelligence 
and act. Using machine learning, 
artificial intelligence and the latest 
block chain and biometric capabilities 
we aim to meet customer needs.

Some of the key 2016 
achievements include:

API’s (Application Programming 
Interface): IAG has created over 60 open 
API’s to generate revenue opportunities 
and make easier to connect with external 
partners and suppliers. IATA awarded 
British Airways, Iberia and Iberia Express 
the highest certification level for their 
New Distribution Capability (NDC) APIs. 
A key NDC development was announced 
in September 2016 between British 
Airways and KAYAK, the travel search 
engine. Customers can now book both 
direct and connecting flights and pay for 
their preferred seat on British Airways 
flights via the Kayak website.

One Order: IAG led IATA to reach 
industry approval of the One Order 
concept which will modernise the order, 
delivery and accounting processes in the 
airline industry. 
The One Order standards resolution 
was approved in October 2016 at 
the Passenger Services Conference 
composed of IATA member airlines.

Identity: IAG is working in collaboration 
with UK Government bodies, partners 
and startups to test how a digital identity 
might streamline the airline passenger 
journey. As part of this strategy IAG has 
joined OIX (Open Identity Exchange) 
whose purpose is to accelerate the 
adoption of digital identity services 
based on open standards.

Commercial in-flight
IAG has now finalised the longhaul and shorthaul connectivity strategies for the 
Group aligning with the airlines’ focus on customers. In May, IAG announced 
that Gogo will provide high-speed inflight connectivity on longhaul flights using 
next generation satellite-based systems. It will be the first European airline 
group to use Gogo’s latest technology called “2Ku”. In total, 118 British Airways, 
four Aer Lingus and up to 15 Iberia longhaul aircraft will be fitted with 2Ku. This 
is in addition to the existing Iberia and Aer Lingus’ Airbus A330 fleet which 
have Panasonic GCS connectivity. We remain on track to fit the technology pre-
delivery on British Airways Boeing 787-10s and Iberia Airbus A350s from 2018.

IAG will introduce high speed Wi-Fi to the shorthaul fleet with Inmarsat in 
Summer 2017. The first install has already been completed for British Airways 
in December 2016. This will be followed by Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling 
later in 2017. By 2019, 90 per cent of IAG airlines’ fleet will be fitted with high 
quality connectivity. In addition, IAG has started the Group’s In-Flight Portal 
development to unlock revenue from a new channel in the air. The portal will 
launch for shorthaul in September 2017 and for longhaul in October 2017.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Hangar 51
Hangar 51 is an airline industry 
accelerator programme. The 
ten week programme, based 
at IAG’s offices in London, will 
enable start-ups looking to 
enter the aviation industry to 
trial their products globally and 
receive mentoring from IAG and 
insight into the airline industry 
with a FTSE group. This will 
help them to rapidly accelerate 
their product development and 
gain valuable customer insight. 
Where a strategic alignment 
is identified the Group will 
consider investing. Hangar 51 
brings the very latest start-up 
technology and skills together 
with IAG industry expertise and 
strong global customer brands 
to develop the next airline 
industry transformations.

The programme focuses 
on four areas:

• Improving airport processes: 
making customer journeys 
through the airport easier;

• Digitising business processes: 
developing new tools to speed-
up and simplify the front, middle 
and back office businesses;

• Data driven decisions: finding 

new ways that data can 
increase customer satisfaction, 
create new revenue and cost 
efficiencies; and

• Wildcard: any idea that 

start-ups believe can improve 
customer experience.

Hangar 51 has been an 
overwhelming success with over 
450 applicants from 36 countries. 
26 of which pitched to IAG’s 
team on December 6, 2016. The 
successful applicants started at 
IAG’s offices in London on 
January 9, 2017.

For more information visit
www.hangar51.com

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Risk management and principal risk factors

27

The Board has overall responsibility for 
ensuring that IAG has appropriate risk 
management and internal controls in 
place and that they operate effectively. 
IAG has an Enterprise Risk Management 
(ERM) policy which has been approved 
by the Board.

Risk maps are reviewed by each 
operating company’s management 
committee who consider the accuracy 
and completeness of the map, 
significant movements in risk and any 
changes required to the response plans 
addressing those risks.

There is a comprehensive risk 
management process and methodology 
ensuring a robust assessment of the 
principal risks facing the Group. This 
process is led by the Management 
Committee and supported by the Head 
of ERM. Best practices are shared across 
the Group.

Throughout the Group, risk owners are 
responsible for identifying risks within 
their area of responsibility, quantifying 
and managing the risk including putting 
in place appropriate response plans. 
They are supported by risk management 
professionals who maintain risk maps 
for each operating company and at the 
IAG Group level, and ensure consistency 
over the risk management process. The 
risk maps plot each risk on an impact 
and probability scale. For each risk, 
mitigating actions are documented 
and are actively managed.

Risk management framework

At the Group level, material risks from 
the operating companies, together with 
Group-wide risks, are maintained in a 
Group risk map. The IAG Management 
Committee reviews the Group risk map 
twice during the year in advance of 
reviews by the Audit and Compliance 
Committee of the Board in accordance 
with the September 2014 UK Corporate 
Governance Code and the 2015 Spanish 
Good Governance Code of Listed 
Companies recommendations.

The IAG Board discussed risk at a 
number of meetings including a 
review of the assessment of the Group 
performance against its risk appetite; 
Chief Executive Officer updates; regular 
discussions around strategy and the 
Business Plan.

IAG has 19 risk appetite statements which 
inform the business, either qualitatively or 
quantitatively, on the Board’s appetite for 

IAG Board

IAG
Audit and Compliance Committee

IAG
Enterprise Risk Management

IAG
Management Committee

Operating
companies’
CEOs

Risk owners

Risk policy and framework

certain risks. Each risk appetite statement 
formalises how performance is monitored 
either on a Group-wide basis or within 
major projects.

The highly regulated and commercially 
competitive environment, together with 
the businesses’ operational complexity, 
exposes the Group to a number of risks. 
We remain focused on mitigating these 
risks at all levels in the business although 
many remain outside our control; for 
example, changes in government 
regulation, adverse weather, acts of 
terrorism, pandemics, fuel prices and 
foreign exchange. Risks are grouped into 
four categories: strategic, business and 
operational, financial, and compliance 
and regulatory risks. Guidance is provided 
below on the key risks that may threaten 
the Group’s business model, future 
performance, solvency and liquidity.

Where there are particular circumstances 
that mean that the risk is more likely 
to materialise, those circumstances are 
described below. The list is not intended 
to be exhaustive.

Strategic risks

Open competition and markets are 
in the long-term best interests of the 
airline industry and we have a high 
appetite for continued deregulation and 
consolidation. We seek to minimise the 
risk that government intervention or 
the regulation of monopoly suppliers 
disadvantages us.

In general the Group’s strategic risk 
was stable during the year with 
continued competitor capacity growth 
being monitored and assessed within 
the Group.

Business and operational risks

The safety and security of our customers 
and employees is a fundamental value 
to us. The Group balances the resources 
we devote to building resilience into 
operations and the impact of disruption 
on customers.

Cyber risk continues to be a risk focus 
area this year. The IAG Management 
Committee has led the response to 
cyber risk through monthly reviews 
and initiatives to ensure that there are 
consistently robust defences and incident 
response plans throughout the Group. 
There is a Group-wide Cyber Security 
Governance Board that reports to the 
Chief of Staff.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
28

Risk management and principal risk factors continued

During 2016 British Airways completed 
the implementation of its customer 
management systems that provide 
passenger check-in and aircraft 
boarding functionality.

Financial risks

IAG balances the relatively high business 
and operational risks inherent in our 
business through adopting a low appetite 
for financial risk. This conservative 

approach involves maintaining high cash 
balances and substantial committed 
financing facilities. Policies around 
fuel price and currency risk explicitly 
consider our appetite for fluctuations 
in cash and profitability resulting from 
market movements. However, we are 
also careful to understand our hedging 
positions compared to our competitors 
to ensure that we are not commercially 
disadvantaged by being over-hedged in 
a favourable market.

In 2016 events such as the UK 
Referendum vote to leave the EU and 
other political events impacted the 
business, increasing the volatility of 
the fuel price and foreign exchange.

Compliance and regulatory

The Group has no tolerance for breaches 
of legal and regulatory requirements in 
the markets in which IAG operates.

Potential impact

Management and mitigation

Risk
Strategic
Airports

IAG is dependent on and may be affected 
by infrastructure decisions or changes 
in policy by governments, regulators or 
other entities outside the Group’s control. 
London Heathrow has no spare runway 
capacity and has operated on the same 
two main runways since it opened over 
60 years ago. As a result, British Airways 
is vulnerable to short-term operational 
disruption. In October, the UK government 
confirmed a third runway expansion 
proposal at Heathrow. This proposal is 
subject to approval by the UK Parliament.
IAG is dependent on the oil industry 
making sufficient investment in fuel supply 
infrastructure.

Peak consumption at London Heathrow 
and London Gatwick airports is nearing the 
capacity of the pipe and rail infrastructure 
serving these airports. In addition, storage 
capacity at London Heathrow is lower than 
at other international airports, increasing 
the risk of any disruption to supply 
impacting our operations.
IAG is also dependent on the performance 
of suppliers of airport services such 
as airport operators, border control 
and caterers.

Brand reputation The Group’s brands have significant 

Competition

commercial value. Erosion of the brands, 
through either a single event or a series 
of events, may adversely impact our 
leadership position with customers and 
ultimately affect our future revenue and 
profitability.

The markets in which we operate are 
highly competitive. The Group faces direct 
competition on our routes, as well as from 
indirect flights, charter services and other 
modes of transport. Competitor capacity 
growth in excess of demand growth could 
materially impact our margins.

Some competitors have cost structures 
that are lower than ours, have other 
competitive advantages such as 
government support or benefits from 
insolvency protection. In addition the low 
cost model continues to be extended into 
longhaul by our competitors.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

The Group’s airlines participate in the slot trading market 
at London Heathrow airport; acquiring slots at reasonable prices 
when available.

The Group continues to promote an efficient, cost-effective, ready 
to use and fit for purpose infrastructure development at London 
Heathrow airport.

The Group enters into long-term contracts with fuel suppliers to 
secure fuel supply at a reasonable cost.

Short-term fuel shortages are addressed by contingency plans.

Plans to address capacity issues are reviewed by the IAG 
Management Committee.

Supplier performance risks are mitigated by active supplier 
management and contingency plans.

Each of our brands is supported by the Group Business Plan, 
where capital expenditure is reviewed and approved by the Board.

The Group allocates substantial resources to safety, operational 
integrity and new aircraft to maintain its market position.

We are also investing in a number of products and facilities to 
improve our customer experience, which we measure through NPS.
The IAG Management Committee devotes one weekly meeting 
per month to strategic issues. The Board discusses strategy 
throughout the year and dedicates two days per year to review 
the Group’s strategic plans. The Group strategy team supports the 
Management Committee by identifying where resources can be 
devoted to exploit profitable opportunities. The airlines’ revenue 
management departments and systems optimise market share 
and yield through pricing and inventory management activity.

The Group’s strong global market positioning, leadership in 
strategic markets, alliances, joint businesses, cost competitiveness 
and diverse customer base continue to address competition risk.

The Group is continually reviewing its product offerings 
and responds through initiatives to improve the customer 
experience. IAG plans to set up a next generation longhaul 
operation in Barcelona.

Potential impact

Management and mitigation

29

Risk
Strategic
Consolidation 
and deregulation

Although the airline industry is competitive, 
we believe that the customer would benefit 
from further consolidation. Failing airlines 
can be rescued by government support, 
delaying the opportunity for more efficient 
airlines to capture market share and 
expand. Mergers and acquisitions amongst 
competitors have the potential to adversely 
affect our market position and revenue.
Joint business arrangements such as the 
agreements with American Airlines, JAL 
and Qatar Airways include delivery risks 
such as realising planned synergies and 
agreeing the deployment of additional 
capacity within the joint business. Any 
failure of a joint business or a joint business 
partner could adversely impact our business.
The Group has a number of franchise 
partners that feed traffic into our hubs or 
major outstations. Any failure of a franchise 
partner will reduce traffic feed.
The airline industry has a number of 
alliances that improve the customer 
experience. IAG is a leading presence in the 
oneworld alliance and is reliant on the other 
members to help safeguard the network.

Digital disruption Competitors, or new entrants to the travel 

Government 
intervention

market, may use digital technology to 
disrupt the business.
Some of the markets in which the Group 
operates remain regulated by governments, 
in some instances controlling capacity and/
or restricting market entry. Changes in such 
restrictions, whilst creating longer-term 
growth opportunities for the Group, may 
have a negative short-term impact 
on our margins.
Regulation of the airline industry covers 
many of our activities including route flying 
rights, airport landing rights, departure 
taxes, security and environmental controls. 
Excessive taxes or increases in regulation 
may impact on our operational and 
financial performance.

Business and operational
Cyber attack

Financial loss, disruption or damage to 
brand reputation arising from an attack 
on our systems by criminals, terrorists or 
foreign governments.

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

The Group maintains rigorous cost control and targeted product 
investment to remain competitive.

The Group has the flexibility to react to market opportunities 
arising from weakened competitors. Vueling and Iberia Express 
give us additional flexibility in this regard as they can deploy 
capacity at short notice across Europe.

The IAG Management Committee regularly reviews the 
commercial performance of joint business agreements.

In 2016, the IAG Management Committee continued to review the 
joint business arrangement with American Airlines with respect to 
the inclusion of Aer Lingus.

The IAG Management Committee regularly reviews our franchisee 
performance and risks.

Maintaining a leading presence in oneworld and ensuring the 
alliance attracts and retains the right members is key to ongoing 
development of the network.

The Group’s focus on the customer experience, together with our 
own exploitation of digital technology, reduces the impact digital 
disruptors can have.
The Group’s government affairs department monitors government 
initiatives, represents our point of view and forecasts likely 
changes to laws and regulations.

The Group’s ability to comply with and influence changes to 
regulations is key to maintaining operational and financial 
performance. The Group continues to monitor and discuss the 
negative impacts of government policy such as the imposition 
of Air Passenger Duty (APD).

A Group Cyber Security Governance Board reviews the Group IT 
security strategy and cyber risk initiatives, and considers advice 
from industry experts. The IAG Management Committee regularly 
reviews cyber risk and supports Group-wide initiatives to enhance 
defences and response plans. Whilst ensuring that we are up to 
date with industry standards and address identified weaknesses, 
the fast moving nature of this risk means that we will always retain 
a level of vulnerability.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
30

Risk management and principal risk factors continued

Management and mitigation

The IAG Board and the Management Committee review the 
financial outlook and business performance of the Group 
through the financial planning process and regular reforecasts. 
These reviews are used to drive the Group’s financial 
performance through the management of capacity and the 
deployment of that capacity in geographic markets, together 
with cost control, including management of capital expenditure 
and the reduction of operational and financial leverage.

External economic outlook, fuel prices, and exchange rates 
are carefully considered when developing strategy and plans 
and are regularly reviewed by the Board and IAG Management 
Committee as part of the monitoring of financial and business 
performance.

Human resource departments within the operating companies 
engage in collective bargaining with the many trade unions 
representing our staff.

Management has business continuity plans to mitigate this risk 
to the extent feasible.

In 2016 the Group was impacted by air traffic controller strikes 
resulting in disruption to our operations with delays and 
cancellations and increased costs under Regulation EU261/04.

The impact of the industrial action in Europe on Vueling resulted 
in additional depth being built into the management team to 
increase resilience against any similar strike action or external 
network disruption.

System controls, disaster recovery and business continuity 
arrangements exist to mitigate the risk of a critical system failure.

In 2016, British Airways completed the implementation of its new 
customer management system that provides passenger check-in 
and aircraft boarding functionality.

Potential impact

Risk
Business and operational
Economic 
conditions

IAG remains sensitive to economic 
conditions in the markets in which it 
operates. Deterioration in either a domestic 
market or the global economy may have 
a material impact on our financial position, 
while foreign exchange and interest rate 
movements create volatility.

In 2016, the Group performance was 
negatively impacted by terrorist attacks, 
the UK Referendum vote to leave the EU, 
operational disruption including air traffic 
control industrial action and adverse 
exchange rates, partially offset by lower 
fuel prices.

In 2016 the UK contributed 35 per cent of 
Group revenue, Spain 16 per cent of Group 
revenue and USA 16 per cent of Group 
revenue.

There is continued uncertainty as we move 
into 2017 with upward pressure on fuel price 
and the changing political landscape.

The Group continues to evaluate the 
potential changes following the UK 
Referendum vote to ensure that we are able 
to operate effectively during the transition. 
At this stage, we do not believe that it will 
have a significant impact on our business 
in the longer term.
The Group has a large unionised workforce 
represented by a number of different trade 
unions.

Collective bargaining takes place on a 
regular basis and we face a significant 
level of negotiation across our operating 
companies in 2017.

Any breakdowns in the bargaining process 
and subsequent strike action may disrupt 
operations and adversely affect business 
performance.
Several possible events may cause a 
significant network disruption. Example 
scenarios include persistent air traffic 
control industrial action; war; civil unrest 
or terrorism; major failure of the public 
transport system; the complete or partial 
loss of the use of terminals; adverse 
weather conditions such as snow, 
fog or volcanic ash.

Such a disruption may result in lost 
revenue and/or additional costs.
IAG is dependent on IT systems for 
most of our key business processes. 
The failure of a critical system may cause 
significant disruption to our operation 
and/or lost revenue.

Employee 
relations

Event causing 
significant network 
disruption

Failure of a critical 
IT system

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Potential impact

Risk
Business and operational
Landing fees and 
security charges

Airport charges represent a significant 
operating cost to the airlines and have 
an impact on operations. Whilst certain 
airport and security charges are itemised 
to passengers, others are not.

Pandemic

Safety/security 
incident

Financial
Debt funding

Financial risk

Regulation provides some assurance 
that such costs will not increase in an 
uncontrolled manner; however, the Group 
may incur increased costs in the UK, Spain, 
Ireland or elsewhere.
If there is a significant outbreak of 
infectious disease such as swine flu, staff 
absence may increase which may seriously 
impact the operation. Leisure customers 
may not book holidays and corporate 
clients may discourage travel, significantly 
impacting sales.
The safety and security of our customers 
and employees are fundamental values for 
the Group.

Failure to prevent or respond effectively 
to a major safety or security incident may 
adversely impact our brand, operations 
and financial performance.

The Group has substantial debt that 
will need to be repaid or refinanced. 
The Group’s ability to finance ongoing 
operations, committed aircraft orders and 
future fleet growth plans is vulnerable to 
various factors including financial market 
conditions and financial institutions’ 
appetite for secured aircraft financing.

We used approximately 8.9 million tonnes 
of jet fuel in 2016. Volatility in the price of 
oil and petroleum products can have a 
material impact on our operating results.

The Group is exposed to currency risk 
on revenue, purchases and borrowings in 
foreign currencies.

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

31

Management and mitigation

The Group engages in regulatory reviews of supplier pricing, such 
as the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s periodic review of charges at 
Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Also, the Group is active both at 
an EU policy level and in consultations with airports covered by 
the EU Airport Charges Directive.

Management has business continuity plans to mitigate this risk to 
the extent feasible.

The corresponding safety committees of each of the airlines of the 
Group, satisfy themselves that they have appropriate resources 
and procedures which include compliance with Air Operator 
Certificate requirements. Their incident centres respond in a 
structured way in the event of a safety or security incident.

The IAG Management Committee regularly reviews the Group’s 
financial position and financing strategy.

The Group continues to have good access to a range of financing 
solutions. In 2016, British Airways, Iberia and Vueling all raised 
secured debt from a broad range of financial institutions. The 
Group’s high cash balances and committed financing facilities 
mitigate the risk of short-term interruptions to the aircraft 
financing market.
Fuel price risk is partially hedged through the purchase of oil 
derivatives in forward markets which can generate a profit or a 
loss. The objective of the hedging programme is to increase the 
predictability of cash flows and profitability. The IAG Management 
Committee regularly reviews its fuel and currency positions. 
The results of these are discussed with management and the 
appropriate hedging action taken.
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 in each 
individual currency and actively managing the surplus or shortfall 
through treasury hedging operations.

The approach to financial risk management is set out in note 26 to 
the Financial statements.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
32

Risk management and principal risk factors continued

Risk
Financial
Financial risk

Tax

Potential impact

Management and mitigation

The Group is exposed to currency devaluation 
of cash held in currencies other than the 
airlines’ local currencies of euro and sterling. 
This risk is minimised by holding cash in euro 
and sterling wherever possible but exchange 
controls in some countries will from time to 
time delay conversion and repatriation of 
funds.
Interest rate risk arises on floating rate debt 
and floating rate leases.

The Group is exposed to non-performance 
of financial contracts by counterparties, for 
activities such as money market deposits, 
fuel and currency hedging. Failure of financial 
counterparties may result in financial losses.
The Group is exposed to systemic tax risks 
arising from either changes to tax legislation 
or a challenge by tax authorities on 
interpretation of tax legislation. There is a 
reputational risk that the Group’s tax affairs 
are questioned by the media.

When there are delays in the repatriation of cash coupled 
with the risk of devaluation, risk is mitigated by the review of 
commercial policy for the route. This may involve capacity 
reductions and rebalancing the point of sale away from the local 
market towards the airline’s home market and renegotiating 
supplier contracts to allow payment in local currencies.

The impact of rising interest rates is mitigated through 
structuring selected new debt and lease deals at fixed rate 
throughout their term. The approach to interest rate risk 
management and proportions of fixed and floating debt is set 
out in note 26 to the Financial statements.
The approach to financial counterparty credit risk management 
and the Group’s exposure by geography is set out in note 26 
to the Financial statements.

The Group seeks to comply with the law, act with integrity in all 
tax matters and maintain an open relationship with regulators. 
The Group complies with the tax policy approved by the IAG 
Board. Tax risk is managed by the IAG tax department and 
reviewed by the IAG Management Committee.

Compliance and regulatory
Group 
governance 
structure

The governance structure the Group put in 
place at the time of the merger had a number 
of complex features, including nationality 
structures to protect British Airways’ and 
Iberia’s route and operating licences.
The Group is exposed to the risk of individual 
employees’ or groups of employees’ unethical 
behaviour resulting in reputational damage, 
fines or losses to the Group.

The governance structure continued to work well in 2016. We 
will continue to engage with the relevant regulatory bodies as 
appropriate regarding the Group structure.

The Group has comprehensive policies designed to ensure 
compliance, together with mandatory training programmes in 
place to educate employees in these matters.

Non-compliance 
with competition, 
bribery and 
corruption law

Viability statement
The directors have assessed the viability 
of the Group over a five year period 
to December 2021. The assessment 
takes account of the Group’s current 
position and plans and the potential 
impact of the Group’s principal risks. 
Based on this assessment, the directors 
have a reasonable expectation that 
the Company will be able to continue 
in operation and meet its liabilities 
as they fall due over the period to 
December 2021.

In making this statement the directors 
have considered the impact on our Group 
Business Plan of severe but plausible 
scenarios in which combinations of 
principal risks materialise together. The 
effectiveness of mitigating management 
actions has also been considered.

Each scenario considered the impact on 
liquidity, solvency and the ability to raise 
financing over the period to December 
2021. The directors have determined 
that the five year period to December 

2021 is an appropriate period over which 
to provide its viability statement. In 
making this assessment, the directors 
have taken account of the planning 
horizon of the five year Group Business 
Plan and the Group’s financial targets. 
In selecting the five year horizon for the 
viability statement, it is recognised that 
such future assessments are subject to 
a level of uncertainty that increases with 
time and, as a result, future outcomes 
cannot be guaranteed or predicted 
with certainty.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Financial overview

A significant step forward

33

“Through 2016 IAG has 
achieved a significant 
step forward, keeping us 
aligned with our Business 
Plan Targets, allowing us 
to improve our regular 
dividend payments and 
to face with confidence 
future investment 
opportunities.”

Enrique Dupuy de Lôme Chávarri
Chief Financial Officer

There was a significant negative 
impact of sterling weakness (pre and 
post Brexit vote) on the Group profits. 
At an Operating profit level our results 
would have been circa €460 million 
higher excluding the volatility of 
foreign exchange.

Finally, I think it is important to mention 
the significant improvement of our Equity 
Free Cash Flow generation, consistent 
with profitability, margin increases and 
CAPEX efficiency.

Through 2016 IAG has achieved a 
significant step forward, keeping us 
aligned with our Business Plan Targets 
in terms of Profitability, Returns and 
Cash Generation, allowing us to improve 
our regular dividend payments and to 
face with confidence future investment 
opportunities and shareholder 
return increases.

Enrique Dupuy de Lôme Chávarri
Chief Financial Officer

See pages 34 – 35 for more about our 
economic landscape

See pages 36 – 44 for the financial
review

See pages 27 – 32 for risk management 
and principal risk factors

www.iairgroup.com

2016 was a positive year for IAG in quite 
a challenging political, economic and 
operational environment. We achieved a 
strong operating profit of €2,535 million 
before exceptional items. Both our 
Operating profit and Equity free cash 
flow were in excess of €2,000 million, 
and were aligned with our medium-term 
targets. Net profit after tax before 
exceptional items reached €1,990 million 
and diluted earnings per share increased 
by 26.3 per cent to 90.2 euro cents 
per share.

The challenges we have been facing 
through most of the year were related 
to: terrorist attacks in Europe, pre and 
post Brexit vote uncertainties, foreign 
exchange and fuel price instability, 
higher than normal air traffic controller 
disruptions and airline sector capacity 
expansion. This changing and volatile 
environment has driven us to recalibrate 
our growth priorities and also give a 
greater focus to an efficient use and 
allocation of capital through time. Taking 
these factors into consideration, the 
Group has moderated its growth plans 
during the year, while simultaneously 
giving priority to support Aer Lingus’ 
expansion and its strategic North 
Atlantic routes.

In the last quarter of 2016, the 
political and economic environment 
stabilised somewhat, and accordingly 
our revenue and yield performance 
has been improving in most of our 
strategic markets.

In parallel we have kept our focus on 
non-fuel unit cost management with 
significant success in improving the 
productivity of our workforce through 
programmes such as Plan de Futuro
(in Iberia), Plan 4 (in British Airways) 
and an efficient expansion model (in 
Aer Lingus). Vueling’s performance 
suffered significant disruption through 
the beginning of the summer, returning 
to normality in the last quarter of the 
year. The supplier cost performance 
has been negatively affected by 
operational disruption, higher passenger 
compensation claims and changes in 
some of our maintenance contracts, 
while fleet ownership unit costs have 
remained near to flat, even through the 
fleet renewal programmes progress.

As a whole, and taking into account the 
significant fuel cost decrease through 
the year, the total unit cost reduction has 
been 7.3 per cent in constant euro terms, 
which more than offsets the unit revenue 
decline of the year.

 
 
 
 
34

Economic landscape

Ongoing developments 
that impact our industry

Global GDP growth

Eurozone GDP growth

Latin America GDP growth

Actual 2016 

International Monetary Fund 
(IMF) forecast (January 2016)
Actual 2015

+3.1%

+3.4%
+3.2%

Once again, global GDP growth came 
in below IMF expectations in 2016, but 
broadly similar to the performance in 
2015. The IMF expects the rate of GDP 
growth to increase in 2017, especially 
in emerging market and developing 
economies. However, the IMF noted that 
there is a wide dispersion of possible 
outcomes around its projections, given 
uncertainty surrounding the policy stance 
of the new US administration and its 
global ramifications.

UK GDP growth

Actual 2016
IMF forecast (January 2016) 
Actual 2015

+2.0%
+2.2%
+2.2%

UK GDP growth came in at 2.0 per cent 
in 2016, slightly down on the performance 
in 2015 and below IMF forecasts issued 
in January 2016. The rate of GDP growth 
accelerated during the year, with the 
economy growing +1.8 per cent in the 
first quarter, +2.0 per cent in the second 
quarter, and +2.2 per cent in the third 
and four quarters. The GfK Consumer 
Confidence index started the year 
positively at +4 in January compared to 
+2 in December 2015, but fell throughout 
the year, reaching a low point of -12 
in July 2016 following the UK vote in 
favour of leaving the EU. Whilst the index 
improved later in the year, it remained 
at -7 in December 2016. In contrast the 
UK unemployment rate continued to 
fall during 2016, ending the year at 4.8 
per cent, compared to 5.1 per cent in 
December 2015. For 2017, both the OECD 
and IMF forecast a significant slowdown 
in UK GDP growth; +1.2 per cent and +1.5 
per cent for the OECD/IMF respectively. 
In its forecast, the IMF stated “slower 
growth is expected since the referendum 
as uncertainty in the after-math of the 
Brexit vote weighs on firms’ investment 
and hiring decisions and consumers 
purchases of durable goods and 
housing”. However, there is a very large 
divergence in UK GDP growth forecasts 
from the various forecasting bodies with 
a range of +0.8 per cent to +2.6 per cent 
for 2017.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Actual 2016
IMF forecast (January 2016)
Actual 2015

+1.7%
+1.7%
+2.0%

Economic growth in the Eurozone 
dipped compared to 2015, but was in 
line with IMF forecasts issued in January 
2016. Growth remained stable across the 
year, with GDP growth of +1.7 per cent 
in the first quarter, and +1.8 per cent in 
the remaining quarters of the year. The 
political backdrop remained difficult with 
the rejection of constitutional reforms in 
Italy and a variety of terrorist incidents 
across Europe damaging sentiment 
and investment. In March 2016, the ECB 
announced a significant package to 
ease monetary policy, shifting the focus 
away from rate cuts to quantitative and 
credit easing, a process that the ECB has 
confirmed will be continuing throughout 
2017. The unemployment rate continued 
to fall, reaching 9.8 per cent by the end 
of 2016, compared to 10.4 per cent at 
the end of 2015. Both the OECD and IMF 
forecast a slight dip in the rate of GDP 
growth for 2017, forecasting +1.6 per cent 
and +1.5 per cent respectively.

US GDP growth

Actual 2016
IMF forecast (January 2016)
Actual 2015

+1.6%
+2.6%
+2.6%

The US GDP growth rate slowed in 2016 
compared to 2015, and IMF forecasts 
issued in January 2016. The US economy 
lost momentum in the first half of the 
year, with GDP growth of +1.6 per cent 
in the first quarter, +1.3 per cent in the 
second quarter, down from the fourth 
quarter of 2015 at +1.9 per cent. However, 
growth accelerated in the second half, 
with quarter three GDP growth of +1.7 
per cent and +1.9 per cent in quarter 
four. A strong labour market remained 
a key driver as the unemployment rate 
dropped to 4.7 per cent at the end of 
2016 from 5.0 per cent at the end of 
2015. Following the first US interest rate 
rise in seven years in December 2015, 
the US Federal Reserve voted in favour 
of a further rate rise in December 2016 
following the on going recovery in GDP 
and decline in unemployment. The OECD 
and the IMF are forecasting GDP growth 
of +2.3 per cent in 2017.

–0.7%
Actual 2016
–0.3%
IMF forecast (January 2016)
Actual 2015
+0.1%
Latin America continued to experience 
challenging conditions, with GDP 
contracting in 2016 compared to flat 
growth in 2015, and lower than IMF 
forecasts issued in January 2016. Once 
again, there was a divergence in regional 
performance, with recession in South 
America worsening (GDP growth -2.0 
per cent in 2016 compared to -1.3 per 
cent in 2015), but Central America’s GDP 
growth rate remaining robust (+3.9 per 
cent in 2016 compared to +4.2 per cent in 
2015). Brasil and Venezuela remained in 
recession, but while Venezuela’s recession 
worsened, the rate of decline in GDP in 
Brasil slowed compared to 2015 (-3.3 
per cent in 2016 compared to -3.8 per 
cent in 2015), despite the challenging 
political situation. Both Argentina and 
Ecuador slipped into recession in 2016, 
and with the exception of Paraguay 
and Peru, every other country in South 
America experienced slower economic 
growth in 2016 compared to 2015. The 
IMF expects a recovery in Latin America 
in 2017, forecasting GDP growth of 
+1.6 per cent. This mainly reflects an 
improvement in economic conditions in 
South America, with Brasil and Argentina 
forecast to emerge from recession and 
return to growth. Likewise, the IMF also 
forecasts a better performance in 2017 
in all other South American countries 
with the exception of Ecuador, where the 
IMF forecasts the recession to worsen. 
Economic growth in the other parts of 
Latin America is expected to remain 
strong in 2017.

The significant depreciation 
in sterling (GBP)
Sterling endured a significant sell-off 
following the UK’s vote in favour of leaving 
the EU. Against the euro, pound sterling 
fell 5.8 per cent on the day the referendum 
result was announced (June 23rd), but 
8.1 per cent against the US dollar, which 
represented the largest one-day fall since 
the introduction of free-floating exchange 
rates in the early 1970s. Following the vote, 
the Bank of England cut interest rates 
by 0.25 per cent to a record low of 0.25 
per cent alongside a variety of monetary 
stimulus measures including the purchase 
of UK Government and corporate bonds. 

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

However, continued weakness in the 
second half of 2016 saw pound sterling 
close the year down 13.6 per cent against 
the euro and 16.3 per cent down against 
the US dollar.

Increasing oil prices
Brent crude increased significantly in price 
during 2016, starting the year trading at 
$37.28/bbl but ending the year at $56.82/
bbl, the overall high for 2016. Oversupply 
concerns and demand uncertainty had 
subdued oil prices through the year. 
However, an agreement in principle to 
cut supply was announced by OPEC in 
September, followed by an agreement 
to the first supply cut in eight years in 
November. The importance of this accord 
was underlined by the +8.8 per cent 
rise in Brent crude on the day of the 
announcement, with prices rising a further 
+12.6 per cent by the end of the year.

Industry outlook
IATA is forecasting industry operating 
margins to 6.6 per cent in 2017, 1.7 
percentage points below the operating 
margins in both 2015 and 2016. IATA 
forecasts seat capacity to increase 5.6 
per cent in 2017, lower than the 6.2 per 
cent growth in 2016 and the 6.7 per cent 
growth in 2015. Passenger load factor 
is expected to dip slightly to 79.8 per 
cent compared to 80.2 per cent in 2016. 
Passenger yield is expected to be flat 
compared to 2017; the first time since 
2011 that passenger yields have not fallen 
year-on-year.

IATA expects Africa to continue to 
generate the lowest profitability and to 
be the only region with negative net 
post-tax margins in 2017 at -5.7 per cent 
which IATA attributes to regional conflict 
and the impact of low commodity 
prices. North American airlines are once 
again expected to generate the highest 
margins, although IATA’s forecast for 
2017 (+8.5 per cent) is lower than the 
performance in 2016 (+9.7 per cent) and 
2015 (+9.8 per cent). For Europe, IATA 
forecasts net post-tax margins of 2.9 per 
cent, lower than 2016 (4.0 per cent) and 
2015 (3.8 per cent).

Regulatory controls

The airline sector continues to be among 
the most heavily regulated industries in 
the world and 2016 saw some significant 
developments including agreement 
at the International Civil Aviation 
Organisation (ICAO) on a Global Market 
Based Mechanism to deal with airline 
carbon emissions. See page 45 for 
developments in sustainability. 

Air Passenger Duty (APD)

The UK government continues to impose 
APD on airlines, still the heaviest tax of 
its kind in the world, and which costs the 

industry over £3 billion a year. Although 
the Scottish Government has published 
its Air Departure Tax bill that will 
introduce a revised charge and reduce 
the rate of tax at Scottish airports by 
up to 50 per cent from April 2018, IAG 
continues to believe that reducing tax 
only in Scotland will distort competition 
between airports and we continue to 
argue vigorously for the abolition of APD 
which is holding back UK industry.

UK visa policy

The UK introduced a two year visa 
for Chinese visitors in 2016, but IAG 
continues to press the Government to 
deliver the promised trial of a ten year 
visa, similar to that offered by the US, 
to improve the UK’s attractiveness to 
visitors from China and to make similar 
improvements for travellers from other 
key markets, including India.

UK airports

On October 25, 2016 the UK Government 
announced it would accept the 
recommendation of the Airports 
Commission for a new runway to the 
North West of Heathrow. The scheme 
will be taken forward in the form of 
a draft National Policy Statement for 
consultation, with a first draft expected 
in early 2017.

IAG believes that expansion of Heathrow 
represents a very positive development 
for its business and for the wider UK 
economy, but has continued to challenge 
the excessive costs of the proposals put 
forward by Heathrow’s operator, HAL. 
IAG continues to argue that costs must 
be reduced and charges remain flat for 
the new capacity to be commercially 
viable. The UK government indicated 
its support for IAG’s position stating: 
the “aim should be to deliver a plan for 
expansion that keeps landing charges 
close to current levels.” IAG will actively 
engage in the forthcoming consultations 
with the operator and regulators to 
ensure that the new capacity is delivered 
cost effectively.

UK Referendum vote to leave the EU

On June 23, 2016 the UK voted to leave 
the EU. After careful evaluation, IAG has 
concluded that over the long-term, the 
UK’s secession from the EU will not have 
a significant impact on our business. 
We will continue to engage with the 
relevant authorities over the coming 
year to ensure that our views on future 
aviation relations between the UK, EU 
and other markets continue to be taken 
into account.

Irish National Aviation Policy

In 2016, the Irish Government established 
a National Civil Aviation Development 
Forum to facilitate consultation with the 

35

industry on national, EU and international 
policy. Aer Lingus is an active participant 
including on regulatory matters, aviation 
training, skills and employment. A 
comprehensive review of the regulatory 
regime for airport charges in Ireland 
was completed in 2016 and a policy 
statement by the Government on its 
proposed plan of action is expected in 
early 2017.

Spanish airports

IAG welcomes the recent decision by the 
Spanish Council of Ministers to recognise 
the importance of encouraging demand 
to benefit its economy by reducing 
charges at Spain’s airports by 2.2 per cent 
during each of the next five years. IAG 
also awaits the decision of the Spanish 
Supreme Court on a previous ruling that 
mandated a reduction in the use of one of 
Madrid-Barajas Airport’s main runways to 
mitigate noise impacts in certain weather 
conditions. However, should this restrict 
capacity, we do not anticipate that it 
would have a material impact on IAG as 
there remains significant room for growth. 

European aviation strategy

In line with the European Commission’s 
2015 Aviation Strategy the remit of the 
European Aviation Safety Agency is 
being expanded to cover security and 
ground handling and IAG continues 
to engage with EU Institutions and 
Member States to ensure its interests are 
taken into account in this and all areas. 
Working with the new Airlines for Europe 
campaign group, IAG continues to urge 
the EU Commission to reduce the impact 
of air traffic controller strikes, reform the 
out of date Regulation on airport charges 
and to discourage the proliferation of 
taxes on aviation. Following the UK’s vote 
to exit from the EU, IAG will continue to 
encourage both sides to ensure liberal air 
transport services continue to facilitate 
competition and benefit to passengers.

European Union Emissions 
Trading System (EU ETS)

Intra-European flights have been subject 
to the EU ETS since 2012. A global 
system to regulate international aviation 
emissions was agreed at the ICAO 
General Assembly in October 2016, to 
commence from 2021.

In light of this agreement, we expect the 
EU to make an announcement for the 
post 2020 EU ETS regime during 2017.

The EU Commission will develop 
proposals outlining the options for the 
treatment of intra-European international 
flights from 2021. IAG is opposed to 
double regulation of these flights in two 
separate market-based mechanisms.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
36

Financial review

IATA market growths

The air travel industry had another strong year reporting an 
increase in demand. There was an upward trend in the latter 
part of the year following the headwinds in the first six months 
with terrorist attacks and political instability. Average fares fell 
benefitting from the lower fuel environment.

Overall capacity increased 6.2 per cent and the fastest growing 
regions were the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia, with 
passenger load factors down on the Middle East. North 
America saw the highest load factor, although it was down 0.4 
points. Overall passenger load factor improved 0.1 points to 
80.5 per cent.

IATA market growths

Year to 
December 31, 2016

Capacity 
ASKs

Passenger 
load factor

Higher/ 
(lower) 

Europe
North America
Latin America
Africa
Middle East
Asia Pacific
Total market
Source: IATA Air Passenger Market analysis

4.4%
3.7%
1.9%
6.3%
13.5%
8.1%
6.2%

IAG capacity

82.4
83.5
80.8
68.6
74.7
79.7
80.5

0.2 pts
(0.4) pts
1.3 pts
0.1 pts
(1.6) pts
0.8 pts
0.1

In 2016, IAG increased capacity, measured in available seat 
kilometres (ASKs) by 4.3 per cent including Aer Lingus from 
January 1st in the base. With the exception of Africa, Middle East 
and South Asia, IAG capacity was increased across all regions, 
reflecting continued expansion at Vueling and Aer Lingus; 
restoration of routes as part of Iberia’s Plan de Futuro; and new 
destinations and larger aircraft at British Airways.

IAG passenger load factor was 81.6 per cent which was higher 
than the IATA average and broadly flat versus last year.

IAG network by region

8.9%

6.5%

12.6%

16.0%

26.8%

29.1%

Domestic
Europe
North America
Latin America and Caribbean
Africa, Middle East and South Asia

Asia Pacific

Market segments

Our Domestic and European passenger load factors improved 
in both regions, but remain lower than the European average 
reported by IATA. The Group launched 74 new intra-European 
routes, including London-Inverness, Madrid-Marseille, Paris-
Venice and Dublin-Florence.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

IAG capacity

Year to 
December 31, 2016

Domestic
Europe 
North America
Latin America and 
Caribbean
Africa, Middle East 
and South Asia
Asia Pacific
Total network

Capacity 
ASKs

Passenger 
load factor

4.0%
7.6%
4.6%
1.0%

(2.7%)

11.3%
4.3%

81.3
79.9
83.0
83.1

79.5

82.5
81.6

Higher/ 
(lower) 

3.2 pts
0.8 pts
(1.1) pts
0.0 pts

0.9 pts

(0.7) pts
0.2 pts

North America continued to represent the largest part of the 
IAG network at almost 30 per cent, with a strong passenger 
load factor, although down slightly, at 83 per cent. Capacity was 
increased through Aer Lingus’ expansion with three new routes 
to Los Angeles, Newark, New Jersey and Hartford, Connecticut. 
British Airways also launched routes to San Jose, California and 
to New York JFK from London Gatwick.

Latin America and Caribbean capacity was broadly flat. British 
Airways launched two new destinations Lima, Peru and San 
Jose, Costa Rica, while Iberia reintroduced its service to San 
Juan, Puerto Rico. Passenger load factor in this region was flat 
and was two points ahead of the industry average.

IAG decreased its capacity to Africa, Middle East and South 
Asia due to weaker demand resulting from geopolitical issues. 
Flying was reduced this year to Angola, Nigeria, Morocco, 
Tunisia and Uganda. Other decreases resulted from the full 
year impact of reductions made last year to Entebbe, Senegal 
and Gambia. Additional capacity was deployed to South Africa 
with Iberia reintroducing Johannesburg and British Airways 
launching a Cape Town route from London Gatwick. Passenger 
load factor improved 0.9 points.

In Asia Pacific, the capacity increase was driven by the full year 
impact of the network and aircraft changes made by British 
Airways last year on Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Haneda. In 
2016, Iberia launched its new service to Tokyo and Shanghai. 
Passenger load factors increased to 82.5 per cent, one of the 
highest regions on the IAG network.

Acquisitions

The 2016 Group performance includes Aer Lingus for the full 
year. Aer Lingus was acquired on August 18, 2015, therefore the 
Group’s 2015 comparator performance only includes Aer Lingus 
since the acquisition date. Metrics reported as on a like-for-like 
basis include Aer Lingus for the full year in the base.

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

37

Exchange impact before exceptional items

Passenger revenue

Exchange rate movements are calculated by retranslating 
current year results as though they had been generated at 
prior year exchange rates. The reported results are impacted 
by translation currency from converting results from currencies 
other than euro to the Group’s reporting currency of euro, 
primarily British Airways and Avios. From a transaction 
perspective, the Group performance is impacted by the 
fluctuation of exchange rates, primarily exposure to the pound 
sterling, euro and US dollar. The Group exchange rates used and 
the estimated impact of translation and transaction exchange 
rates on operating profit before exceptional items are set out 
as follows. At constant currency, the Group’s operating profit 
before exceptional items would have been €2,995 million, 
€460 million higher than the reported result.

The Group hedges its transaction exposures but not any 
potential impact from translation.

€ million
Reported revenue

Translation impact 
Transaction impact 
Total exchange impact 
on revenue

Reported operating expenditure

Translation impact 
Transaction impact 
Total exchange impact 
on operating expenditures

Reported operating profit 

Translation impact 
Transaction impact 
Total exchange impact 
on operating profit

Translation (average)
£ to €
Transaction
£ to €
€ to $
£ to $

Revenue

Higher/ 
(lower)

(1,781)
532

(1,249)

1,523
(734)

789

(258)
(202)

(460)

Higher/ 
(lower)

(10.2%)

(10.2%)
(0.9%)
(11.7%)

2016

1.23

1.23
1.11
1.36

€ million

Passenger revenue
Cargo revenue
Other revenue
Total revenue

2016

19,924
1,022
1,621
22,567

Year 
over year

(2.0%)
(6.6%)
13.0%
(1.3%)

Higher/(lower)

Per ASK 
at ccy 

(5.4%)

On a reported basis, passenger revenue for the Group was 
down 2.0 per cent, with 5.6 points of adverse currency, while 
capacity was increased 9.4 per cent. At constant currency 
(‘ccy’), passenger unit revenue (passenger revenue per ASK) 
decreased 5.4 per cent from lower yields (passenger revenue/ 
revenue passenger kilometre) with a small, 0.2 point, increase 
in load factor. Including Aer Lingus results from January 1, 2015, 
on a like-for-like basis, passenger unit revenue decreased 5.6 
per cent.

In the first half of 2016 yields decreased with demand 
impacted by the increased frequency of terrorist attacks (Paris, 
Brussels, and Nice) and from fare pressure driven by a low fuel 
commodity price environment. Lower fuel prices impacted oil 
related routes and stimulated industry capacity growth, creating 
areas of demand weakness, particularly across Latin America, 
Africa, and the Middle East. Revenue performance across the 
Group was strongest in the Domestic and European markets.

The economic weakness in Latin America, together with 
industry capacity growth in North America has had an impact 
on Iberia and British Airways’ year over year passenger unit 
revenue performance. Aer Lingus continued its expansion into 
North America through Dublin leveraging the strength of its 
shorthaul network.

The summer period saw British Airways revenue performance 
impacted by the UK’s referendum vote to leave the EU, creating 
economic uncertainty leading up to and following the vote. 
Summer also saw a high level of air traffic control industrial 
action in Europe which contributed to significant temporary 
operational disruption at Vueling. The Vueling operational 
performance recovered and stabilised in the fourth quarter.

In summary, the revenue environment has been challenging 
in 2016, and although passenger unit revenues remain down 
versus last year, the end of the period saw an improvement in 
trend. Despite the lower fares, the Group’s operating margin 
improved with the benefit of a reduction in fuel cost.

Together, the Group carried over 100 million passengers, an 
increase of 12 million from 2015, with passenger load factor 
improvement across three of the four carriers.

Cargo revenue

The competitive trading environment for the airfreight industry 
continued into 2016. Global supply from freighter and new 
generation passenger fleets have continued to outstrip demand 
for general freight. Cargo volume measured in tonne kilometres 
(CTK) increased by 3.0 per cent with a reduction in yield of 
9.3 per cent at ccy. IAG Cargo continue to focus on premium 
product growth and has been able to grow its revenue share 
of the market this year despite the industry challenges. IAG 
Cargo also integrated Aer Lingus to add breadth to its network 
and allow access to new products such as its industry leading 
constant climate product.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
38

Financial review continued

Other revenue

Fuel, oil and emissions costs

Other revenue includes the BA Holidays programme, Avios 
product redemption and third party point sales, maintenance 
and handling activity. Other revenue rose 13.0 per cent, from an 
increase in activity at BA Holidays and from higher third party 
maintenance business at Iberia. The MRO business performed 
more heavy maintenance overhauls in 2016 versus 2015. Avios 
revenues increased reflecting additional points sold to finance 
partners and from higher product redemptions.

Total revenue for the Group reduced 1.3 per cent (or 5.8 per cent 
on a like for like basis), impacted by weaker sterling and from 
decreases in passenger and cargo revenues due to lower yields. 
This was partially offset by improvements in Other revenue 
related to the Group’s non-airline businesses.

Expenditure before exceptional items

Employee costs

On a reported basis, employee costs for the Group were down 
3.5 per cent, 6.9 points at ccy. On a unit basis and at ccy, 
employee unit costs improved 5.5 per cent.

Employee unit costs improved at British Airways and Iberia due 
to lower variable pay from not achieving performance targets 
and from efficiency initiatives, offsetting wage increases. Aer 
Lingus reported a strong employee unit cost performance 
versus last year driven by productivity improvements. Its ASKs 
increased 9.6 per cent with broadly the same number of MPEs 
(measured in average manpower equivalent ‘MPE’) as last year. 
Some of the efficiencies were achieved at Dublin station and 
through the use of seasonal crew. For the Group, productivity 
also increased 5.1 per cent, with improvements at each airline, 
with the exception of Vueling. Versus last year, Vueling’s MPEs 
increased significantly, while productivity and employee 
unit costs were affected by the operational disruption. The 
performance also reflects the impact of the new EU flight time 
limitation regulations, shifting certain activities from contracted 
to internal and strengthening of the existing workforce.

Overall productivity improved while the Group employed 4.1 per 
cent more employees than last year (or 0.1 per cent on a like for 
like basis) with an average of 63,387 people.

Higher/(lower)

Year 
over year

(3.5%)

Per ASK 
at ccy 

(5.5%)

2016

4,731

Higher/(lower)

Year 
over year

5.1%
4.1%

2016

4,708
63,387

Employee costs

€ million

Employee costs

Productivity

€ million

Productivity
Average manpower equivalent

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Total fuel costs for the year decreased by 19.9 per cent. At 
ccy, and on a unit basis fuel costs are down 25.8 per cent 
from lower fuel prices, net of hedging and from improved unit 
consumption. The foreign exchange transaction impact on fuel 
costs net of hedging was adverse c. 6 percentage points for 
the Group, reflecting the stronger US dollar against the pound 
sterling and euro. Unit consumption improved c. 2.5 percentage 
points with new generation aircraft and more efficient 
operational procedures.

Fuel, oil and emissions costs

Higher/(lower)

€ million

Fuel, oil costs and 
emissions charges

Supplier costs

2016

Year 
over year

Per ASK 
at ccy 

4,873

(19.9%)

(25.8%)

Total supplier costs for the year increased by 10.7 per cent. At 
ccy and on a unit basis, supplier costs rose 4.8 per cent. In 2016 
the Group’s non-ASK businesses, such as MRO, BA Holidays 
and Avios grew, increasing supplier costs, in particular Handling, 
catering and other operating costs and Engineering and other 
aircraft costs with a corresponding increase in Other revenue.

Supplier costs

€ million

Supplier costs:

Handling, catering 
and other 
operating costs
Landing fees and 
en-route charges
Engineering and 
other aircraft costs
Property, IT and 
other costs
Selling costs
Currency 
differences

Higher/(lower)

2016

Year 
over year

Per ASK 
at ccy 

4.8%

2,664

2,151

1,701

870
896

100

3.6%

14.3%

21.9%

13.7%
(1.8%)

122.2%

Excluding the additional costs related to the non-airline activity, 
supplier unit cost increased 2.8 per cent reflecting a mixed 
performance across the airlines and by cost categories. British 
Airways’ airline supplier unit costs at ccy are up, reflecting 
one-time engineering benefits in 2015 not repeated this year 
and loss of sub-leased rentals. Iberia airline supplier unit cost 
at ccy decreased from a reduction in selling costs from lower 
commissions paid and from airport discounts. Vueling supplier 
unit costs are adverse reflecting higher compensation costs 
related to operational disruption and from one-time engineering 
benefits in the base. Aer Lingus had a strong supplier unit 
cost performance with efficient growth and a number of cost 
saving initiatives.

39

By supplier cost category:

Ownership costs

Handling, catering and other operating costs rose 12.6 per 
cent at ccy. This increase is due to additional BA Holiday 
activity (c.3 points), 14 per cent more passengers carried, and 
from higher EU compensation claims, including the cost related 
to the operational disruption at Vueling. These factors were 
partially offset by improvements such as cleaning services and 
ground handling costs.

Supplier cost category (vly at ccy)

+2.4%

+21.7%

+12.6%

+19.2%

+17.7%

Handling, catering and other operating costs
Landing fees and en-route charges
Engineering and other aircraft costs
Property, IT and other costs
Selling costs
Currency differences

Landing fees and en-route charges were higher by 17.7 per 
cent excluding currency impacts. The increase reflects a twelve 
point impact from Aer Lingus, which is in excess of its ASK 
contribution, due to a shorter stage length. The remaining 
variance is from additional flying hours, with sectors flown up 
7.3 per cent.

The Group’s ownership costs were up 4.1 per cent, with 
4.1 points of adverse currency. In 2016, depreciation costs 
increased from higher IT charges as the renewal of technology 
replaced fully depreciated assets, including the British Airways 
new check in and departure control system. The current year 
charge also reflects a partial impairment of British Airways’ 
Openskies operation in France, the full year impact of owning 
Aer Lingus, and accelerated depreciation of Iberia’s Airbus 
A340-300s in 2015. Operating lease costs rose at Aer Lingus, 
British Airways and Vueling, partially offset by a reduction from 
a tax court ruling in Iberia. The Group had 32 additional leased 
aircraft compared to the same period last year partially due to 
fleet renewal with 13 less owned aircraft.

Total operating costs decreased 2.4 per cent (or 6.9 per cent on 
a like for like basis) impacted by the weaker sterling – reducing 
our euro cost base, from lower fuel commodity prices and 
through management cost initiatives. These were partially offset 
by supplier inflationary increases and from higher activity. Total 
unit costs decreased by 7.3 per cent excluding currency.

Ownership costs

€ million

Ownership costs

Higher/(lower)

Year 
over year

4.1%

Per ASK 
at ccy 

(1.1%)

2016

2,046

Engineering and other aircraft costs were up 19.2 per cent 
excluding currency impacts reflecting additional MRO activity 
(c.7 points). Maintenance costs increased from volume with 
more aircraft and higher flying hours, up 10.7 per cent. They also 
increased from the timing of the recognition of provisions linked 
to the Group’s shift to pay as you go maintenance contracts.

Number of fleet

Number of fleet

Shorthaul
Longhaul

Higher/(lower)

Year 
over year

2.3%
6.2%
3.6%

2016

359
189
548

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Property, IT and other costs are up 21.7 per cent excluding 
currency, of which 5 points relates to the full year impact of Aer 
Lingus. The remaining increase primarily reflects lost sub-leased 
revenue following a new agreement for terminal 7 at JFK airport.

Selling costs increased 2.4 per cent excluding currency. 
Additional costs were incurred related to higher passenger 
numbers and from initiatives in new markets, offset by lower 
commissions paid.

Overall supplier unit cost performance reflected an upward 
trend from higher compensation claims and the continued 
shift towards maintenance contracts linked to flying hours, 
partially offset by the Group’s structural initiatives aimed to 
improve efficiency.

Operating profit

The Group’s operating profit, before exceptional items, for the 
year was €2,535 million, a €200 million improvement from last 
year. This increase reflects the Group’s drive towards achieving 
a competitive cost base with improved productivity and non-
fuel cost savings. These positive results have been reached in 
a challenging macroeconomic environment with €460 million 
adverse currency impact, reducing passenger unit revenues 
but improving total unit costs. The Group’s adjusted operating 
margin improved 1.2 points to 12.3 per cent.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
40

Financial review continued

Financial performance by Brand

Capacity

Operating profit and loss performance 
of operating companies

Aer Lingus
British Airways
Iberia
Vueling

Aer Lingus
British Airways
Iberia
Vueling

8%

11%

21%

60%

Operating profit

2%

9%

11%

78%

British Airways operating profit was 
£1,473 million, excluding exceptional 
items, an improvement of £223 million 
over the prior year on a capacity increase 
of 2.6 per cent. British Airways’ home 
market environment was impacted by 
the UK’s referendum vote to leave the 
EU with significant volatility in its primary 
currency and from weaker demand 
surrounding the vote. The devaluation 
of sterling benefitted British Airways’ 
revenues in sterling terms while it was 
adverse on the cost base. Passenger 
revenue increased for the year, as 
did BA Holidays revenue reflecting 
continued growth.

British Airways launched Plan4 this year 
to streamline and simplify its operations 
and its head office function, this included 
recognising an exceptional charge for the 
year of £124 million. In 2016 cost savings 
have been achieved with efficiency gains 
in employee and operational costs.

Overall, British Airways’ adjusted 
operating margin improved 1.9 points to 
13.3 per cent.

*For comparative purposes, the 2015 
base has been restated to exclude British 
Airways’ share of Avios profits.

ASKs
RPKs
Seat factor (per cent)

Passenger revenue
Cargo revenue
Other revenue
Total revenue
Fuel, oil costs and emissions charges
Employee costs
Supplier costs
EBITDAR
Ownership costs
Operating profit before exceptional items
Adjusted operating margin

British Airways*
£ million

Aer Lingus
€ million

2016

178,732
145,170
81.2

10,340
589
514
11,443
2,469
2,444
4,128
2,402
930
1,473
13.3%

Higher/ 
(lower)

2.6%
2.2%
(0.3)pts

2016

23,533
19,194
81.6

1.3%
0.2%
4.0%
1.2%
(18.5%)
(1.4%)
12.7%
12.7%
5.5%
17.8%
1.9pts

1,707
45
14
1,766
319
327
721
399
166
233
14.9%

Higher/ 
(lower)

9.6%
9.5%
(0.0)pts

4.9%
(15.8%)
(62.5%)
2.8%
(17.8%)
(1.2%)
0.8%
40.2%
3.8%
86.9%
5.9pts

Passenger yield (£ pence or € cents/RPK)
Unit passenger revenue (£ pence or 
€ cents/ASK)
Total unit revenue (£ pence or 
€ cents/ASK)
Fuel unit cost (£ pence or € cents/ASK)
Non-fuel unit costs 
(£ pence or € cents/ASK)
Total unit cost (£ pence or € cents/ASK)

7.13

(1.1%)

8.90

(4.2%)

5.78

(1.4%)

7.26

(4.3%)

6.40
1.38

4.20
5.58

(1.3%)
(20.6%)

4.1%
(3.3%)

7.51
1.36

5.16
6.53

(6.0%)
(25.1%)

(8.1%)
(12.2%)

For the full year, Aer Lingus operating 
profit was €233 million, an improvement 
of €109 million over last year on a like 
for like basis. Capacity was increased 9.6 
per cent with the introduction of two 
additional Airbus A330s to support Aer 
Lingus’ longhaul expansion, including 
new destinations such as Los Angeles 
and Newark.

Following on from the growth and facing 
significant industry pressure, passenger 
yields were down. The increase in 
operating profit reflects the benefit 
of a lower fuel price environment and 
cost savings, partially offset by the 
revenue weakness.

Aer Lingus’ cost savings were achieved 
through efficient growth with higher 
productivity and from supplier and 
ownership initiatives leveraged through 
IAG. This included areas such as catering, 
cleaning, maintenance, ground handling 
and aircraft lease extension negotiations.

Aer Lingus, adjusted operating margin 
increased 5.9 points to 14.9 per cent. This 
performance reflects a turnaround from 
prior years, creating a competitive cost 
base and positioning itself to continue on 
its growth strategy.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Capacity

8%

11%

21%

60%

Operating profit

2%

9%

11%

78%

Aer Lingus
British Airways
Iberia
Vueling

Aer Lingus
British Airways
Iberia
Vueling

Iberia’s operating profit was €271 million, 
up €49 million versus last year, achieving 
an adjusted operating margin of 7.6 
per cent. Capacity for the year was up 
4.0 per cent, on decreasing passenger 
unit revenues, impacted by capacity 
imbalance in longhaul, particularly in 
parts of Latin America and to a lesser 
degree in North America. Spain and 
the rest of Europe remain a challenging 
environment, while Iberia’s revenue 
performance was relatively stable.

In 2016, Iberia’s MRO business increased 
its external revenues by approximately 
€100 million while continuing to provide 
services to other Group companies.

On the cost side, airline non-fuel 
unit costs improved through higher 
productivity and from supplier initiatives, 
in particular efficiencies in IT and lower 
selling costs.

Iberia is continuing on its transformation 
journey with a focus on improving 
profitability in its strategic markets and 
the launch of the Plan de Futuro II.

*For comparative purposes, the 2015 
base has been restated to exclude 
Iberia’s share of Avios profits.

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

41

Vueling
€ million

Higher/ 
(lower)

11.2%
13.2%
1.5pts

5.3%
–
(1.3%)
5.2%
(5.5%)
18.0%
19.9%
(18.6%)
12.3%
(62.4%)
(5.1pts)

Operating profit and loss performance 
of operating companies

Iberia*
€ million

ASKs
RPKs
Seat factor (per cent)

Passenger revenue
Cargo revenue
Other revenue
Total revenue
Fuel, oil costs and emissions charges
Employee costs
Supplier costs
EBITDAR
Ownership costs
Operating profit before exceptional items
Adjusted operating margin

2016

62,282
51,064
82.0

3,393
253
939
4,586
1,003
1,032
1,813
738
467
271
7.6%

Higher/ 
(lower)

2016
4.0% 33,884
5.1% 28,046
82.8

0.9pts

(5.0%)
(5.4%)
9.1%
(2.4%)
(19.8%)
0.6%
4.8%
6.5%
(1.1%)
22.6%
1.2pts

2,049
–
16
2,065
504
214
1,032
315
255
60
6.7%

Passenger yield (€ cents/RPK)
Unit passenger revenue 
(€ cents/ASK)
Total unit revenue 
(€ cents/ASK)
Fuel unit cost (€ cents/ASK)
Non-fuel unit costs 
(€ cents/ASK)
Total unit cost (€ cents/ASK)

Vueling’s operating profit was 
€60 million with an adjusted operating 
margin of 6.7 per cent, down 5.1 points 
versus last year. 2016 was a difficult 
year with significant Air traffic control 
industrial action impacting Vueling’s 
network operations. This high level of 
industrial action coupled with existing 
stretch in Vueling’s resources, due in 
part to the rate of growth and in part 
to time of year (the summer peak 
period), led to significant customer 
disruption. The issues were addressed 
through contingency plans and 
temporary resources.

6.65

(9.6%)

7.31

(7.0%)

5.45

(8.7%)

6.05

(5.3%)

7.36
1.61

5.32
6.93

(6.2%)
(22.9%)

(1.4%)
(7.4%)

6.09
1.49

4.43
5.92

(5.4%)
(15.0%)

6.4%
0.1%

Vueling’s underlying unit revenue 
performance, although down, was 
amongst the strongest in the Group.

Vueling’s non-fuel unit cost performance 
reflects higher compensation and 
employee costs, in part from disruption, 
but also from the new EU Flight 
time legislation.

The Vueling NEXT programme will 
build a stronger platform to support its 
future growth.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
42

Financial review continued

Exceptional items

Dividend policy statement

In determining the level of dividend in any year, the Board 
considers a number of factors, including:

• Earnings of the Group

• On-going cash requirements and prospects of the Group and 

its operating companies

• Levels of distributable reserves by operating company and 

efficiency of upstreaming options

• Dividend coverage and

• Its intention, to distribute regular returns to its shareholders in 

the medium and long term.

The Company received distributions from each of the four 
airlines in 2016, although due to accumulated losses in certain 
companies they were not all distributable. Distributions may 
also be restricted by certain matching principles associated 
with the Group’s pension schemes, see note 32 of the 
Financial statements.

Notwithstanding these factors, the Company’s distributable 
reserves position was strong, with €6.1 billion available at 
December 31, 2016.

Liquidity and capital risk management

IAG’s objectives when managing capital are to safeguard the 
Group’s ability to continue as a going concern, to maintain an 
optimal capital structure in order to reduce the cost of capital 
and to provide future returns to shareholders.

The Group monitors capital using adjusted gearing, adjusted 
net debt to EBITDAR and liquidity.

In 2016, the Group’s financial headroom increased as adjusted 
net debt to EBITDAR decreased to 1.8 from 1.9 in 2015.

Adjusted net debt reduced to €8,159 million and adjusted 
gearing improved 3 points to 51 per cent for the period from 
higher profit after tax.

The Group’s equity free cash flow improved €574 million 
in 2016 due to the increase in EBITDAR and EBITDA before 
exceptional items with a stronger operating result and from 
lower net capital expenditure (‘CAPEX’) spend. The EBITDAR 
improvement brings the Group closer to its average long term 
planning goal of c.€5.3 billion on average per annum.

Overall, the Group generated sufficient equity free cash flow 
in 2016 to support the recommendation of an interim and final 
cash dividend of €498 million for its shareholders with cash 
coverage of 4.1 times (2015: 2.8 times).

In February 2017, the Group also announced its intention to 
carry out a share buyback programme as part of its corporate 
finance strategy to return cash to shareholders while reinvesting 
in the business and managing leverage. The programme will be 
€500 million, carried out during the course of 2017 and may be 
implemented through one or more share buyback programmes.

For a full list of exceptional items, refer to note 5 of the Financial 
statements. Below is a summary of the significant exceptional 
items recorded.

In 2016, net exceptional charges at the operating profit level 
were €51 million (2015: €17 million). The net exceptional charge 
included in Employee costs relate to items at British Airways. 
In 2016, changes to the US Post-Retirement Medical Benefits 
were made to align with national trends in the US resulting in 
a credit of €51 million which has been offset by a €144 million 
restructuring charge related to initiatives developed to improve 
overall efficiency and effectiveness. The exceptional item in 
Fuel, oil and emissions in 2016 and 2015 reflects the impact 
of recording Aer Lingus fuel cost at the hedged price in 
the pre-exceptional column, rather than at spot price in the 
reported column.

In 2015, exceptional charges in Property, IT and other relate 
to Aer Lingus acquisition costs of €33 million and a legal 
settlement at British Airways.

Non-operating costs and taxation

Net non-operating costs after exceptional items were 
€122 million, down from €517 million last year. The improvements 
are non-recurring, reflecting a:

• €230 million positive swing in partially unrealised gains from 
losses on derivative instruments not qualifying for hedge 
accounting; and

• €105 million improvement in profit or loss on the sale of 
property plant, equipment and investments. The Group 
recognised a gain on the sale and lease back of Airbus A319s 
and Boeing 787s in 2016, versus a loss on disposal of the 
Boeing 737s last year.

The great majority of the Group’s activities are taxed in 
the countries of effective management of the main airline 
operations (UK, Spain or Ireland, with corporation tax rates 
during 2016 of 20 per cent, 25 per cent and 12.5 per cent 
respectively). The Group’s effective tax rate for the year is 
19.6 per cent (2015: 20 per cent).

Although the Group continues to offset prior year tax losses 
and other tax assets against its current year taxable profit, 
in 2016 the Group paid corporation taxes of €318 million 
(2015: €245 million). This represents 13.5 per cent (2015: 13.6 per 
cent) of the Group’s accounting profit before tax.

Profit after tax and Earnings per share (EPS)

Profit after tax before exceptional items was €1,990 million, 
up 29.3 per cent. The increase reflects a solid operating profit 
performance in a challenging environment. Diluted earnings per 
share before exceptional items is one of our key performance 
indicators and increased by 26.3 per cent.

Dividends

The Board is proposing a final dividend to shareholders 
of 12.5 euro cents, which brings the full year dividend to 
23.5 euro cents. The final dividend will be paid, subject to 
shareholder approval at the Annual General Meeting to 
shareholders on the register on the record date.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Cash flow

€ million
EBITDAR before 
exceptional
Rentals (before 
exceptional)
EBITDA
Net interest 
Tax 
Net capex
Equity Free Cash 
Flow 
Movement in working 
capital and other 
Pension and 
restructuring 
Acquisition of 
subsidiary (net of 
cash and deposits)
Dividend paid
Net financing and 
refinancing
Other investing 
movements
Other financing 
movements
Cash inflow
Opening cash, cash 
equivalents and 
interest-bearing 
deposits
Net foreign exchange 
differences
Cash and cash 
equivalents and 
other interest-
bearing deposits

2016

2015

Higher/ 
(lower)

4,581

4,301

(759)
3,822
(148)
(318)
(1,301)

2,055

235

(659)
3,642
(149)
(245)
(1,767)

1,481

(575)

280

(100)
180
1
(73)
466

574

810

(946)

(671)

(275)

–
(442)

187

2

(45)
1,046

(438)
(163)

438
(279)

1,067

(880)

45

(184)
562

(43)

139
484

5,856

4,944

912

(474)

350

(824)

6,428

5,856

572

43

€ million

British Airways
Iberia
Aer Lingus
Vueling
IAG and other Group 
companies
Cash and cash 
equivalents and 
interest-bearing 
deposits

2016

2,958
1,179
855
648

2015

2,806
832
772
633

Higher/ 
(lower)

152
347
83
15

788

813

(25)

6,428

5,856

572

In 2016, the Group net CAPEX included delivery of 11 new 
aircraft, two Airbus A380s, two Boeing 787-9s, four Airbus 
A330s, and three aircraft from the Airbus A320 family. This 
capital expenditure has been partially offset by €1,582 million of 
proceeds from the sale and leaseback of 26 new aircraft (nine 
Airbus A321 family, eight Airbus A330 family and nine Boeing 
787-9s). The Group also received proceeds for the sale and 
leaseback of 12 of its owned Airbus A319s, which were divested 
to reduce any residual value risk.

In comparison, 2015 deliveries included nine new aircraft, two 
Airbus A380s, five Boeing B787-9s, one Airbus A320 and one 
Embraer E-190. In 2015 the Group sale and leaseback was 
€111 million. The current year net CAPEX of €1,301 million is 
below the Group’s long term planning goal of an average of 
€1,700 million per annum.

Movements in Working capital generated a €235 million 
increase in free cash flow primarily related to an increase in 
sales in advance of carriage. In 2015, the significant use of cash 
through working capital reflects higher prepayments including 
fuel, a reduction in payables primarily with lower fuel prices, and 
the addition of Aer Lingus from August 18, 2015.

Pension and restructuring payments are higher at British 
Airways due to an increase in cash sweep of €403 million and 
from a low base with some of the 2015 payment made in 2014.

In 2015, the acquisition of Aer Lingus net of its cash and 
deposits was a cash outflow of €438 million.

In 2016, the cash Dividend paid reflects the 2015 final 
dividend and the 2016 interim dividend. In 2015, the cash 
dividend was only the 2015 interim dividend, the Group’s first 
dividend payment.

Net financing and refinancing are discussed on the next page.

Taking these factors into consideration, the Group’s cash 
in flow for the year was €1,046 million and after net foreign 
exchange differences, the increase in cash net of exchange
was €572 million. Adequate cash levels are maintained by each 
operating company.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
44

Financial review continued

Net debt, adjusted net debt and adjusted gearing

Net debt

€ million

Debt 
Cash and cash 
equivalents and 
interest bearing 
deposits
Net debt 
at January 1 
Increase in cash net 
of exchange
Net cash outflow 
from repayments 
of debt and lease 
financing 
New borrowings and 
finance leases 
(Increase)/decrease 
in net debt from 
regular financing
Debt 
Cash and cash 
equivalents and 
interest bearing 
deposits
Net debt through 
acquisition
Financing raised 
through acquisition 
Exchange and 
other non-cash 
movements
Net debt at 
December 31 
Capitalised aircraft 
lease costs 
Adjusted net debt 
at December 31

2016

(8,630)

2015

(6,617)

5,856

4,944

912

(2,774)

(1,673)

(1,101)

572

–

572

1,130

1,026

104

(1,317)
(187)

(905)
121

(412)
(308)

(406)

406

913

507

(913)

(507)

–

–

–

–

302

(642)

(2,087)

(2,774)

944

687

(6,072)

(5,736)

(336)

(8,159)

(8,510)

351

Net debt at December 31, 2016 was €2,087 million, a reduction 
of €687 million in the year from the stronger cash position.

Higher/
(lower)

(2,013)

Net debt from regular financing activities increased 
€187 million, with new borrowings slightly exceeding the current 
year’s regular debt and lease repayments. The level of 2016 
new borrowings and finance leases reflected the timing of fleet 
deliveries for the Group.

In 2015, the Group’s Net debt through acquisition was 
€507 million from the addition of Aer Lingus. The improvement 
reflected Aer Lingus’ strong cash position and mix of operating 
versus financing leases. Also related to the 2015 Aer Lingus 
acquisition, IAG launched two tranches of convertible bonds 
totalling €1 billion.

Capitalised aircraft lease costs rose during the year from 
the full year impact of Aer Lingus and from an increase in 
leased aircraft at British Airways as part of the regular fleet 
renewal programme.

Capital commitments and off balance sheet arrangements

Capital expenditure authorised and contracted for amounted 
to €14,022 million (2015: €16,091 million) for the Group. The 
majority of this is in US dollars and includes commitments until 
2022 for 106 aircraft from the Airbus A320 family, 18 Boeing 
787s, 43 Airbus A350s, and 5 Airbus A330s.

Expected fleet deliveries in each of 2017 and 2022 is nine 
aircraft, compared to an average of 38 aircraft for each of 2018, 
2019, 2020 and 2021. The expected net capital expenditure by 
year follows the pattern of the fleet deliveries. Overall, the Group 
maintains flexibility in its fleet plans through the use of deferrals, 
options and its renewal terms.

(1,087)

1,087

IAG does not have any other off-balance sheet 
financing arrangements.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Sustainability

Committed to our 
sustainability goals

“We are proud to have 
played a part in the 
historic agreement at 
the International Civil 
Aviation Organisation 
(ICAO) securing the 
world’s first carbon 
offsetting scheme.”

Antonio Vázquez
Chairman

45

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

We remain committed to our ambition 
to make IAG the world’s leading airline 
group on sustainability and we continue 
to develop our environmental and 
corporate responsibility programmes to 
support that goal.

It’s been an important and eventful year 
in this regard. 

The historic agreement at the 39th
ICAO General Assembly to create 
a global market-based measure to 
address airline carbon emissions was a 
very significant milestone for our industry, 
backed by really ambitious targets to 
halve emissions by 2050 and to grow 
in a carbon neutral way from 2020. It 
will take a huge effort to achieve these 
targets, but the ambition is clearly there 
and shared internationally.

We were also delighted to see the UK 
Government recognise the importance 
of sustainable alternative aviation 
fuels by including them in their policy 
considerations for the first time. There 
are many challenges to overcome 
with the use of these fuels but we are 
convinced they will play an important 
part in improving the environmental 
performance of our industry.

We’ve advocated for these two 
significant developments for a very 
long time and are pleased to see such 
good progress.

We’ve also been busy internally. During 
2016 we established new programmes 
and governance systems to ensure 
our sustainability strategy is more 
closely matched up with our core 
business strategy. Sustainability is now 
highlighted as a central part of IAG’s 
business model with a focus on creating 
value in a sustainable way and on 
responsible environmental, social and 
corporate governance.

The IAG business model (page 11) 
describes how we create value for all 
our stakeholders and it provides the 
anchor for all our sustainability work 
throughout the business. Sustainability 
is also embedded in our Enterprise 
Risk Framework and is now supported 
by an improved governance structure. 
In addition we are now linking our 
programme to the UN’s Sustainable 
Development Goals.

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

On an operational level we continue to 
make real progress reducing our carbon 
and noise impacts, greatly helped by 
new operating procedures and the arrival 
of 37 new aircraft in our fleet which on 
average produce 20% less CO2 and are 
50% quieter than the planes they replace.

In the year ahead we will continue this 
work – supporting the implementation 
of the global market based scheme for 
our industry, pressing ahead with our 
sustainable alternative fuels project 
in the UK and taking action to make 
sure we have a consistent approach to 
environmental management across all of 
our operating companies.

Antonio Vázquez
Chairman

See pages 11 - 13 for more about our 
Business model and strategy

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
46

Sustainability continued

Sustainability overview
Governance

As IAG’s sustainability strategy matures, 
and as part of our materiality study 
and risk assessment in 2016, we have 
extended the scope of our sustainability 
governance to include all the operating 
companies and business units within the 
Group. The IAG Management Committee 
and Board have also approved the 
establishment of a new Sustainability 
Committee bringing sustainability in line 
with other governance models managed 
by the IAG Management Committee.

Materiality

In 2016 we updated our materiality 
assessment to clarify the relative 
importance of the Environmental, 
Social and Governance (ESG) issues 
for IAG. Based on the Global Reporting 
Initiative (GRI) guidance, we drew 
on external stakeholder materiality 
feedback and balanced this through 
the same scoring grid with input from 
our own understanding of the most 
material issues.

Sustainability structure

IAG Board

IAG
Audit & Compliance Committee

IAG
Management Committee

The exercise proved valuable in checking 
that IAG’s sustainability strategy and 
plans give proportionate and appropriate 
attention to each ESG matter at both 
Group and operating company level. It 
also informed our approach to this report, 
enabling a focus on the material issues of 
most interest to our stakeholders.

We intend to repeat the exercise 
periodically to gather feedback 
from additional stakeholder groups 
to help further refine and focus our 
sustainability reporting.

Sustainability risks and enterprise risk 
management

The IAG Sustainability Committee reports 
regularly to the Management Committee 
and at least once a year to the IAG Board 
on sustainability risks, in line with the 
requirements of our Spanish Corporate 
Governance Code. This year we have 
aligned our sustainability strategy to 
the IAG Enterprise Risk Management 
(ERM) function.

We have identified our sustainability risks 
following the ERM methodology and all 
risks have owners within the operating 
companies. We work with them to ensure 
that the risks are appropriately managed 
to mitigate them effectively.

The sustainability risk assessment 
identified two areas this year where 
further management attention was 
needed, supply chain sustainability 
governance and the consistency of 
approach to environmental compliance. 
These have now been addressed with 
action plans put in place following the 
risk assessment.

We consider the impact of sustainability 
and environmental matters as part of our 
overall strategy and planning processes 
including sustainability risks.

IAG 
Sustainability Committee

IAG
Sustainability

Aer Lingus
CEO

British 
Airways
CEO

Iberia
CEO

Vueling
CEO

IAG Cargo
CEO

Avios
CEO

IAG GBS
CEO

Operating Company Sustainability Representatives

IAG Sustainability Network

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

47

UN Sustainable Development Goals
In September 2015, as part of the United Nation’s Summit on Sustainable Development, all 193 Member States of the United 
Nations adopted a plan to “end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030. At the heart of this 
‘Agenda 2030’ are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Fulfilling these goals will take significant effort by all sectors in 
society and it is widely recognised that business has an important role to play.

For IAG, it is possible to draw connections to many of the UN SDGs and will include those connections in the future performance 
reporting. However, we have also selected a smaller number of SDGs, set out in the table below, that we believe reflect the material 
issues and opportunities for IAG. For these, during 2017 we will be working to align our strategies in support of these goals and 
undertaking formal commitment and reporting via UN SDG channels.

UN SDG selected for IAG sustainability strategyRelevance to IAG and key opportunities for action in 2017 and beyond

Goal 5: Gender equality: Achieve 
gender equality and empower all women 
and girls.

Gender equality has been a key consideration in planning the long-term 
composition of the IAG Board itself and further strategies are in place across 
the organisation to encourage greater gender equality. The Group reports 
employees by gender.

Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy: 
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, 
sustainable and modern energy for all.

IAG is proactively working with partners in fuel production and waste 
management to develop the technology and market for sustainable 
aviation fuels which not only help address climate impacts but also support 
affordable, reliable energy supply for aviation and other users.

Goal 8: Decent work and economic 
growth: Promote sustained, inclusive 
and sustainable economic growth, full 
and productive employment and decent 
work for all.

As one of the largest airline groups in the world, IAG contributes to global 
economic prosperity by transporting goods and connecting people, places, 
communities and cultures. In 2016 IAG transported over 5,454 million tonnes 
of cargo kilometres, carried over 100 million passengers, employed 63,387 
people (average manpower equivalent) and paid €318 million in taxes.

Goal 13: Climate Action: Take urgent 
action to combat climate change and 
its impacts.

IAG has and will continue to take a strong leadership role in shaping national 
and international policy to support aviation in addressing its climate change 
impacts. We also actively support and implement the industry’s four pillar 
strategy to address climate impacts by pursuing more efficient aircraft 
operations, investing in improved technology including newer aircraft and 
sustainable low-carbon fuels, and actively supporting global carbon pricing 
for aviation.

Sustainability future focus
In aviation, due to the long-term development timescales for new aircraft technologies and infrastructure, it is important 
we continually seek out opportunities to innovate to address our sustainability impacts. Here are some of the exciting 
opportunities we are working on:

Real time data sharing to optimise fuel efficiency

Internet connection to our aircraft is currently being deployed in IAG’s airlines and will offer opportunities to optimise flight 
efficiency. In 2017, we are implementing new Group-wide fuel efficiency software to enable better tracking and benchmarking 
of our operational flight efficiency, providing a platform to evolve to real-time fuel performance management.

 Deriving sustainable aviation fuels from waste materials

IAG is actively exploring opportunities in this area and, with the right policy incentives in place, we believe aircraft could be 
operating on up to 25 per cent sustainable alternative fuels by 2050. In 2017, we continue to lobby for policy support for these 
fuels and intend to formalise our working with strategic partners to progress one or more UK projects.

Carbon pricing

The Paris climate change agreement demonstrates both government and industry commitment to develop low carbon 
economies. IAG believes putting a cost on carbon is the most effective mechanism to address carbon emissions global market 
based measure, Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), is a positive step towards 
full carbon pricing for the aviation sector and in 2017 IAG will continue to engage in international discussions to further build 
on this.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
48

Sustainability continued

Sustainability performance
This year, following a report benchmarking exercise, we have refined our focus on sustainability performance measures. 
This section focuses on the core areas of our sustainability performance reflecting our most material matters, while a broader 
overview across all our sustainability performance measures, consistent with previous years, is provided on page 227. During 2017 
we will be working to establish consistent data capture to begin reporting on energy efficiency, customer satisfaction and supply 
chain metrics too. The sustainability programmes, initiatives and performance measures presented in this report are co-ordinated 
across the Group through the IAG sustainability network.
Aspect and 
link to 
SDGs

Performance 
indicator

Performance

Climate

Jet fuel
(Million 
tonnes fuel)

Average age of 
aircraft fleet
(Years)

Flights only 
emissions intensity
(gCO2/pkm)

Scope 1

Direct GHG 
emissions
(Million tonnes 
CO2e)

Economic 
return 
versus 
climate 
impact

Revenue per 
tonne CO2e
(€/tonne CO2e
for scope 1 and 
2 emissions 
combined)

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Target / future direction
As commercial aircraft remain 
reliant on liquid kerosene for 
the foreseeable future, IAG’s 
climate change focus is on 
purchasing more fuel efficient 
aircraft, developing sustainable 
jet fuel, pursuing operational fuel 
efficiency and supporting the 
CORSIA global carbon offsetting 
scheme.
The long-term replacement of 
Boeing 747, Boeing 767 and 
Airbus A340 aircraft with Airbus 
A350 and Boeing 787 aircraft 
continues. Some new longhaul 
deliveries have been delayed by 
approximately one year, however 
the average age of the fleet is 
forecast to continue to fall due 
to significant deliveries of new 
shorthaul aircraft.

Target: 10 per cent improvement 
by 2020 compared to 2014.

Grammes of CO2 per passenger 
kilometre is a standard industry 
measure of fuel efficiency.

Another way to interpret this 
same metric is ‘how far can be 
travelled for one tonne of CO2?’ 
For IAG in 2012, the distance 
was 9,950 km and in 2016 it 
was 10,672 km a 7.3% per cent 
improvement.

IAG reports Green House Gas 
(GHG) emissions in accordance 
with the GHG Protocol’s three 
categories; Scope 1, Scope 2 
and Scope 3 emissions. Put 
simply, these can be summarised 
respectively as; our flying, our 
buildings and our other indirect 
sources (such as supply chain, 
staff commuting etc.). 
This new Group metric is 
designed as a long-term 
measure to track the connection 
between economic growth and 
climate impact of our operations.

2016 highlights
• Global aviation carbon 

offsetting scheme (CORSIA) 
agreed

• Sustainable aviation fuels 

included in UK Consultation

Million tonnes fuel

8
2
8

.

9
8
8

.

3
9
7

.

• 37 new aircraft purchased 

Years

(11 Boeing 787s, one Airbus 
A380, 12 Airbus A330s, and 
12 Airbus A320s)

• 14 aircraft retired from fleet (four 
Boeing 767s and three Boeing 
747s in British Airways, seven 
Airbus A340-300s in Iberia)

• Total aircraft fleet at end of 

December 2016: 548

• IAG achieved 2 per cent 

gCO2/pkm

2014

2015

2016

.

8
0
1

.

8
0
1

.

5
0
1

2014

2015

2016

improvement, continuing to 
exceed the industry target 
of 1.5 per cent annual 
improvement in fuel efficiency

• We are monitoring closely 

any delays in fleet replacement 
and its potential impact on 
this target

• Board approval was given to 
reconfigure nine Boeing 777 
aircraft to accommodate an 
average of 56 additional seats, 
improving emissions intensity

• Fuel efficiency successes. See 

case study page 50
• IAG discloses detailed 

information about our GHG 
emissions annually through 
the Carbon Disclosure Project 
(CDP). Reports are publicly 
available to view online

• 2016 CDP score for IAG under 
the new scoring format was C

2020
target:
87.3

.

5
7
9

.

6
5
9

.

7
3
9

2014

2015

2016

Million tonnes 
CO2e

.

2
2
5
2

0
4
6
2

.

.

1
2
8
2

• We have seen an increased level 
of revenue per tonnes of CO2e. 
This dropped in 2016 due to a 
levelling off of general revenue
as explained on page 37

2014

2015

2016

€/tonne CO2e

6
9
7

4
6
8

6
9
7

2014

2015

2016

Aspect 
and link 
to SDGs

Noise

Performance 
indicator

Average noise
(QC LTO cycle)

Waste

Average aircraft 
cabin waste per 
passenger
(Kg/passenger)

Target / future direction

Target: reduce noise per flight 
by 10 per cent to 1.0 by 2020 
compared to 1.1 in 2015.

This metric measures average 
noise per flight taking into 
account arrival and departure 
noise for each aircraft type (using 
QC values which are a relative 
categorisation based on certified 
noise levels) and the number of 
flights operated in a year. Note: 
for a single flight a Boeing 747 
QC score would be 6.0 whereas 
an Airbus A320 would be 1.0.
During 2017 we will be working 
to establish average aircraft 
cabin waste baselines and 
intend to begin reporting 
Group performance on this 
from next year onwards. Both 
British Airways and Iberia’s 
performance compares 
favourably with IATA published 
average cabin waste figures.

Air quality

Aircraft fleet 
that meet 
ICAO CAEP 6 
standard for 
NOx emissions 
(%)

We are actively working to 
minimise impact on local air 
quality through our investment 
in new aircraft and the 
improved operational practices.

Employment  Average 

manpower 
equivalent
(Number)

Gender 
diversity

Board, senior 
management, 
and Group Level 
(%) Female

Seeking efficiencies to 
maintain a competitive cost 
base but recognise that 
number of employees is a 
positive economic and social 
metric that will fluctuate 
with passenger demand and 
business growth.

IAG encourages greater 
gender equality at all levels 
in the workplace including 
in our general work force, 
graduate programme, in senior 
management and at Board 
level.

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

49

1
1
.
1

8
0
.
1

2015

2016

8
6
0

.

3
3
0

.

2016 highlights
• 99 per cent of fleet meet ICAO 

Performance

QC LTO cycle

Chapter 4 noise standard

• 46 per cent of fleet meet latest 
ICAO Chapter 14 noise standard

• Improved continuous descent 

operations

• Noise mitigation collaboration 

in Madrid

2020
target:
1.0

• Iberia take lead in EU catering 

Kg/passenger

1
6
0

.

waste project

• British Airways progress in 

reducing on-board catering 
in shorthaul

• British Airways increase in 

longhaul cabin waste due to 
increased packaging weight of 
tuck boxes and Club Kitchen

2015

2016

British
Airways

Iberia

• Trialled electric tug device

% ICAO CAEP 6

• Increased instances of single 

engine taxiing

• Limiting use of auxiliary 

power units

• 24 per cent of our aircraft fleet 
meet latest ICAO CAEP 8 NOx 
standard

• British Airways won Gold 
accreditation by Fair Train 
for quality work experience 
placements, 350 placements 
hosted

2
6

5
6

7
6

2014

2015

2016

Average manpower equivalent

4
8
4
9
5

,

2
9
8
0
6

,

7
8
3
3
6

,

• British Airways Science, 

% Female

technology, engineering and 
mathematics (STEM) work 
experience programmes 
attracted 19 per cent females to 
participate, 10 per cent increase 
on 2015

• Proactive recruitment of female 
Board members has improved 
IAG Board’s female 
representation from 17 per cent 
in 2013 to 25 per cent in 2016

2014

2015

2016

43%

44%

44%

23%

23%

25%

24%

27%

25%

2014

2015

2016

Board

Group

Senior Management

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
50

Sustainability continued

Sustainability in action
Our actions in support of our sustainability strategy

Climate Change

Global aviation 
carbon offsetting scheme

In 2016 we made a significant step 
towards our industry goal of carbon 
neutral growth from 2020, when 
ICAO, achieved agreement to develop 
CORSIA, the world’s first global 
market based measure to address 
aviation carbon emissions. 

From 2021, airlines will buy emissions 
units to offset their share of the 
sector’s growth emissions to fund 
sustainable carbon reduction projects 
around the world.

The voluntary first phase from 2021 
to 2026 has attracted strong support 
from the international community 
with 66 nations, so far declaring their 
commitment to participate. Over its 
life to 2035 it is expected to cover 
over 85 per cent of international 
aviation emissions growth.

IAG and our airlines have been 
involved in the development of 
CORSIA for eight years and will 
continue to play an active role over the 
next three years.

IAG expects the CORSIA scheme 
will replace international aviation’s 
inclusion in the EU emissions trading 
system to avoid double regulation.

Successfully implementing CORSIA 
will allow us to develop further plans to 
deliver on our longer-term target of a 
50 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions 
by 2050.

Sustainable aviation fuels

In 2016, Oslo and Los Angeles airports 
introduced a regular supply of 
sustainable jet fuel for use in commercial 
airliners. These milestone projects 
benefitted from regional support and 
as the cost differential between fossil 
and, jet fuel currently is significant, 
this demonstrates government 
policy support is essential for these 
emerging technologies.

Global policy development has 
progressed to address the new reporting 
methods required to take account of 
sustainable jet fuels within the CORSIA 
scheme. The government has launched 
a formal UK consultation on future fuels 
policy to 2030 that includes aviation 
fuels. We are committed to investing 
in sustainable fuel technologies and 
to working with a range of partners to 
achieve them.

Carbon fund

British Airways’ carbon fund uses 
customer donations from flight bookings 
on ba.com to invest in renewable energy 

and energy efficiency projects to 
provide community benefits and 
mitigate climate change. The Carbon 
Fund supported seven additional 
energy projects in 2016, bringing the 
total to 21, exceeding €2 million in 
community benefits.

We also invested in projects for 
schools and community leisure centres 
in the UK but the fund also supported 
the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya 
with a solar pump to provide a reliable 
water supply for local communities 
and wildlife. The solar power also 
provides free Wi-Fi for local schools.

IAG fuel efficiency network

The IAG fuel efficiency network 
enables each airline’s experts to 
share best practice. This year we 
undertook further single engine 
taxiing, continuous descents, 
compressor washing regimes and, 
procuring a Group-wide fuel efficiency 
software system.

This year Aer Lingus’ introduced an 
improved descent procedure into 
London Heathrow. Aircraft can fly 
a more efficient gradual descent 
towards the holding point. With 8,000 
flights a year on that route this saves 
over 300 tonnes of fuel, and over 
1,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum.

Noise
Continuous descent operations 
(CDO) help reduce noise by keeping 
aircraft higher over the ground 
for longer, and save fuel. CDO 
performance is closely monitored in 
the UK, and British Airways and Aer 
Lingus are already among the top 
performing airlines, regularly achieving 
over 90 per cent compliance. In 2016, 
Iberia’s crew training to support CDOs 
achieved 22 per cent improvement to 
79 per cent compliance, and Vueling 
achieved 15 per cent improvement 
to 62 per cent compliance. During 
2017 we will continue our focus on 
this and aim to see all our operating 
companies achieving over 80 per 
cent CDO compliance in the UK.

We have also been working with a 
range of stakeholders at Madrid-
Barajas airport to explore opportunities 
to mitigate approach noise. This is in 
the context of an ongoing court case 
where residents affected by Madrid 
Barajas airport’s approach routes are 
calling for a reduction in the number 
of overflights. Working with multiple 
stakeholders (including Madrid-Barajas 
Airport, Airbus, Iberia and IAG) we are 
pursuing operational and technical 
innovations to help mitigate noise and 
achieve an acceptable balance for 
all stakeholders.

Supply chain
IAG engages with suppliers 
on standards of quality, safety, 
environmental responsibility 
and human rights. Supplier 
audit priority is based on annual 
expenditure, factories located in 
high-risk geographies, and the 
supplier strategic importance IAG 
also continues to strengthen its 
partnership with Sedex, a non-
profit organisation dedicated 
to driving improvements in 
responsible and ethical business 
practices in global supply chains. 
In 2016 IAG continued progress 
on health, safety and environment 
by executing audits and working 
on mitigation actions together 
with our suppliers through a focus 
on safety leadership, training and 
local programmes.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

51

Wildlife trafficking

In April 2016 Transport industry 
leaders, including IAG, and 
intergovernmental organisations, 
signed the United for Wildlife 
Transport Taskforce Buckingham 
Palace Declaration. The declaration 
aims to reduce the levels of 
trafficking of endangered animals 
by improving information sharing, 
staff training and resource sharing.

The endangered animal trade is a 
growing problem and the transport 
industry is looking to remove 
the use of our industry for this 
illegal trade.

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
i
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Modern 
slavery policy

As part of the UK Modern Slavery 
Act, IAG is required to publish a 
Group wide statement outlining 
our activity in this important area. 
We take this issue seriously and 
have made efforts in the past to 
ensure that there are no examples 
of modern slavery within our 
business. We also conduct audits 
and inspections to reduce any 
likelihood of activity within our 
supply chains and also on-board 
our aircraft, particularly in relation 
to human trafficking. In 2017 we 
will publish a statement outlining 
our commitment to reducing 
modern slavery on our website.

Air quality – electric 
tug trial

British Airways began trialling the 
Mototok electric pushback device 
in April 2016 to test whether it 
would be suitable for the airline’s 
shorthaul operation in Terminal 
5A at London Heathrow. The 
device allows aircraft to push back 
entirely by remote control. As well 
as reducing costs and improving 
safety with zero emissions it 
also has local air quality and 
climate change benefits over a 
traditional tug. The trial confirmed 
the Mototok’s effectiveness and 
British Airways are exploring 
opportunities for adoption on 
selected shorthaul operations.

Energy 
efficiency

IAG has begun co-ordination 
of data monitoring on energy 
efficiency and we intend to begin 
reporting performance on this 
from next year. However there has 
already been progress in this area 
over recent years; British Airways 
for example established a baseline 
in 2013 for a set of core sites, 
primarily those directly managed 
by British Airways and its facilities 
management suppliers. By the 
end of 2016 electricity use at 
these sites had been reduced by 
25 per cent and gas use has been 
reduced by 46 per cent compared 
to 2013.

Charity

Waste

Reducing cabin waste is important 
in terms of cost, natural resources, 
fuel and carbon emissions. 
However this needs to be balanced 
with maintaining the quality of 
our commercial product and flight 
experience for passengers. Also, 
waste regulations add complexity 
as international catering waste 
from flights outside the EU is 
classified as category 1 waste (a 
high risk waste due to potential 
animal by-product content) and its 
management in the EU is restricted 
to landfilling or incenaration.

In 2016 Iberia took a leading role 
in a three year EU project ‘LIFE+ 
Zero Cabin Waste’. Its goals are: 

• 5 per cent reduction in waste,

• waste recovery with 80 per cent 
of total cabin waste diverted 
from landfill; 

• improved separation and 

recycling to reduce the cost of 
disposal, and

• establish a model that can be 
replicated by other airlines.

The project began at Madrid’s 
Barajas airport, where Iberia’s 
catering company Gate Gourmet 
currently collects 6,000 tonnes 
of cabin waste per year (4,000 
tonnes Category 1). Crew and 
ground staff training, new 
equipment and new procedures 
are all being developed along with 
a new test treatment for Category 
1 waste. During the project’s final 
year the model will be replicated 
at London Heathrow airport to 
test its transferability.

Vueling customers and staff raised 
more than €250,000 in 2016. Vueling 
will renew their alliance with Save 
the Children for another year to 
keep supporting their work for child 
refugees in Europe.

Flying Start, British Airways corporate 
charity partnership with Comic Relief, 
launched the Big Charity Choice in 
2016. £200,000 was allocated across 
five youth charities who received 
between £10,000 and £100,000 each. 

British Airways Flying Start fundraising 
totaled £3 million in 2016.

Aer Lingus has supported Special 
Olympics Ireland since 2003 and 
contributed €14,000 to the total of 
€650,000 raised on Ireland National 
Collection Day in April 2016. In 2017, 
Aer Lingus will again support Special 
Olympics Ireland, providing flight 
support for athletes attending the World 
Winter Games in Austria in March and 
sending five staff volunteers to support 
Team Ireland.

Iberia participated in three main 
charity projects in 2016; transporting 
humanitarian aid to Africa and Latin 
America, supporting child protection 
with Save the Children in Guatemala 
City and continuing collaboration 
with Unicef and Amadeus on the 
“100% Let’s vaccinate every child” 
initiative. Donations of €690,000 
from Iberia customers since 2013 has 
enabled more than 1.8 million children 
to be vaccinated.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
Corporate governance

In this section

Corporate Governance

54 

56 

58

69 

72

75

 Chairman’s introduction to Corporate governance

 Board of Directors

Corporate governance

 Report of the Audit and Compliance Committee

Report of the Nominations Committee

Report of the Safety Committee

76 

 Report of the Remuneration Committee

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

“2016 has really tested the Group. 

However, the quality of our 
brands, our core management 
allied with IAG’s unique structure 
are our key assets to face these 
head-winds. The Board remains 
enthusiastic and confident 
about the future.”

Antonio Vázquez
Chairman

In compliance with the Financial 
Reporting Council’s UK Corporate 
Governance Code, the company has 
prepared the Corporate Governance 
Report that follows.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
54

Chairman’s introduction to corporate governance

An efficient Board support
that creates value

“The IAG Board 
continues to evolve in 
important ways and in 
a challenging economic 
and political environment 
over the last 12 months 
has proved itself to 
be highly effective in 
supporting the Group’s 
management and 
adding value.”

Antonio Vázquez
Chairman

The main role of the Board of Directors is to supervise the 
Group’s day-to-day management, helping them to create a 
profitable and sustainable business and to maximise the value 
of the Company for the long term.

2016 was in some ways a testing year. The uncertainties caused 
by the Brexit referendum had a significant and immediate 
impact on the Group’s share price. However, we took swift 
action to offer the financial community guidance on the 
immediate impact of the vote on the business and were able 
to reassure investors that our long-term financial and operating 
targets remain robust.

Our annual two-day strategy meeting gave Board members an 
excellent opportunity to spend time with the Group’s executive 
teams, to get a detailed update on the performance of the 
different businesses within the Group and to reflect deeply on 
the challenges that lie ahead for IAG as a whole. This year’s 
meeting was particularly important, coming, as it did, at the 
start of a new five-year strategy cycle for the business.

We were delighted to hold this meeting in Dublin. It gave us 
a chance to welcome our colleagues from Aer Lingus to the 
Group and the opportunity to introduce our non-executives 
to the Aer Lingus team, a meeting that proved very useful for 
everyone concerned.

Board changes and succession planning

I am fortunate indeed to be supported by a superb and 
extremely talented group of fellow directors with a broad range 
of international experience in commerce, finance and public 
policy. They bring great strength to the Company and I thank 
them all for their support and dedication.

During the year Sir Martin Broughton stepped down as Deputy 
Chairman and Senior Independent Director, having served for 
six years on the IAG Board and 10 years at British Airways. He is 
succeeded by Patrick Cescau as Senior Independent Director. 
César Alierta also retired during the year. On behalf of the 
Board, I would like to thank them both for their commitment 
and service to IAG in these very important first six years of the 
Company’s life.

In seeking new Board members, we were keen to recruit a 
director with deep corporate finance and M&A experience 
and one with a detailed knowledge of the retail sector. So we 
were delighted to welcome Emilio Saracho, Vice Chairman of 
JP Morgan, and Marc Bolland, the former Marks & Spencer 
CEO, to the Board. The process we followed in making these 
appointments is described in detail in the Nominations 
Committee report on page 72.

We refreshed the composition of the different Board 
committees following these appointments to make sure 
we have the right mix of skills and experience on each and 
that duties are shared in an effective way amongst all of 
the directors.

We remain committed to recruiting a diverse Board in terms of 
gender, background and experience around the world. Currently 
we have three women non-executive directors on the Board, 
but we are committed to making sure four of our 12 Board 
members are women by the end of 2020.

All Board members are subject to re-election each year, a 
practice that is common in the UK but rare in other markets.

The October meeting of the Nominations Committee was 
particularly devoted to looking at succession plans both for 
the Board and for the IAG executive team, where of course the 
Board plays an important role in supporting the Chief Executive.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

55

I think we can be very proud that we’ve been able to draw on 
the skills and talents of people within the Group to fill important 
senior executive positions in our operating businesses in recent 
times, not least the leaders of British Airways, Vueling and our 
Cargo business.

Although we are always keen to look at new talent from outside 
the Group, it is excellent that we are providing such fantastic 
opportunities for our own people to progress. It is proof that we 
have a superb inventory of talent within IAG.

We engaged the same firm that carried out the first external 
evaluation of Board performance in 2013 to get a real 
perspective on how well we have adapted our approach 
and structures since the Company’s earliest days. I’m glad to 
say that the review confirmed our view that the Board has 
made meaningful progress and built on its strengths in the 
last three years. In particular, the review found that there has 
been a substantial improvement in our ability to add value to 
the Company.

While that is encouraging, we are always conscious that there 
is room for further improvement. We constantly challenge 
ourselves to get better and to set the right tone from the top.

Following internal discussions, we have set ourselves a number 
of objectives to further strengthen the Board. These are 
described in more detail on page 64, but would highlight three 
particular priorities:

In the short term we will place an emphasis on developing 
Board scrutiny of the risk agenda beyond the Audit and 
Compliance Committee; Longer term we want to enhance 
the contribution we make to developing Group strategy; 
and continuing to play a full and supportive role in succession 
planning is also high on our agenda:

These are somewhat uncertain times for the world and for 
our industry. But I am convinced that the Board and the 
governance structure we have created for the Group are 
playing an essential role in placing IAG in a position of great 
and continuing competitive advantage.

Antonio Vázquez
Chairman

We plan to maintain a special focus in this important matter 
both at Board and management level during 2017.

Risk management and control

As a company listed on both the Spanish and the London 
Stock Exchanges we are obliged to meet both Spanish and 
UK listing requirements and to take account of governance 
standards in both countries. We have brought ourselves into 
line with new Spanish and UK standards in recent years and 
continue to do so.

For example, in line with a Spanish Corporate Governance Code 
recommendation, we arranged for the full Board to review the 
Group’s risk map in 2016 in addition to reviews carried out by 
the Audit and Compliance Committee and plan to do so on an 
annual basis. The risk map was presented to the Board by the 
new Head of Enterprise Risk Management, a position created 
after this function was centralised at Group level.

The Board also held a special session with the Company’s 
external auditor to review developments and any relevant work 
undertaken on risk and accounting matters.

Evaluating the Board’s effectiveness

We continued to evaluate the effectiveness of the Board, both 
internally and externally.

I spoke in depth with all my colleagues – as I do each year – to 
get their feedback on the operation of the Board and their 
recommendations and ideas on where we might improve 
our performance.

In addition we staged an external evaluation of Board 
performance which proved very fruitful and has led to some 
important discussions.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
56

Board of Directors

Antonio Vázquez
Chairman
Key areas of experience:
retail, sales/marketing, finance, governance.

N

S

Willie Walsh
Chief Executive Officer
Key areas of experience:
airline industry.

S

Patrick Cescau
Senior Independent Director
Key areas of experience:
retail, finance, sales/marketing, governance.

NA

Current external appointments:
Member, Advisory Board of Telefónica América 
Latina. Member, Advisory Board of the 
Franklin Institute. Member, Advisory Board of 
Loyola University.

Previous relevant experience:
Chairman, Iberia 2012-2013. Chairman and CEO, 
Iberia 2009-2011. Chairman and CEO, Altadis 
Group 2005-2008. Chairman, Logista 2005-
2008. Non-Executive Director, Iberia 2005-
2007. CEO of Altadis Cigars and other various 
positions in Altadis Group 1993-2005. Various 
positions at Osborne 1978-1983 and Domecq 
1983-1993.

Current external appointments:
Chairman of the IATA Board of Governors. 
Chairman of the National Treasury 
Management Agency of Ireland.

Previous relevant experience:
Chief Executive Officer, British Airways 2005-
2011. Chief Executive Officer, Aer Lingus 2001-
2005. Chief Operating Officer, Aer Lingus 
2000-2001. Chief Executive Officer, Futura 
(Aer Lingus‘ Spanish charter airline) 1998-
2000. Joined Aer Lingus as cadet pilot in 1979.

Current external appointments:
Non-Executive Chairman, InterContinental 
Hotel Group. Trustee, LeverHulme Trust. 
Member, Temasek European Advisory Panel. 
Patron, St Jude India Children’s Charity.

Previous relevant experience:
Senior Independent and Non-Executive 
Director, Tesco 2009-2015. Director, INSEAD 
2009-2013. Senior Independent and Non-
Executive Director, Pearson PLC 2002-2012. 
Group Chief Executive, Unilever 2005-2008. 
Chairman, Unilever PLC. Deputy Chairman, 
Unilever NV, Food Director. Prior to being 
appointed to the Board of Unilever in 1999 as 
Group Finance Director, he was Chairman of 
a number of the company’s major operating 
companies and divisions including the USA, 
Indonesia and Portugal.

Marc Bolland
Non-Executive Director
Key areas of experience:
general management, commercial 
management/marketing, retail, 
hospitality industry.

R

S

Enrique Dupuy de Lôme
Chief Financial Officer
Key areas of experience:
finance, airline industry.

Current external appointments:
Chairman, Iberia Cards.

Previous relevant experience:
Chief Financial Officer, Iberia 1990-2011. 
Head of finance and deputy director of 
financial resources, Instituto Nacional de 
Industria (INI) and Teneo financial group, 
1985-1989. Head of subsidiaries at Enadimsa 
(INI Group), 1982-1985, Chairman IATA 
finance committee.

Current external appointments:
Head of European Portfolio Operations, 
The Blackstone Group, L.P. Non-Executive 
Director, Coca-Cola Company. Non-Executive 
Director, Exor S.p.A. Vice President, UNICEF UK.

Previous relevant experience:
Chief Executive, Marks & Spencer 2010-2016. 
Chief Executive, WM Morrison Supermarkets 
PLC 2006-2010. Non-Executive Director, 
Manpower Inc. USA 2005-2015. Chief 
Operating Officer 2005-2006, Executive 
Director 2001-2005 and other executive and 
non-executive positions, Heineken 1986-2001.

Committee Membership Key

Baroness Kingsmill CBE
Non-Executive Director
Key areas of experience:
government, legal and regulatory affairs.

N

R

Current external appointments:
Non-Executive Director, Industria de Diseño 
Textil S.A. (Inditex). Non-Executive Director, 
EON Supervisory Board. Non-Executive 
Director, Telecom Italia. Chairman, Monzo Bank 
Ltd., Member of the International Advisory 
Board, IESE Business School. Member 
of the House of Lords since 2006.

Previous relevant experience:
Vice Chair and Senior Independent Director, 
APR Energy 2010-2015. Non-Executive 
Director, British Airways 2004-2011. Deputy 
Chairman, Competition Commission 
1997-2003. Chairman, Department of Trade 
and Industry’s Accounting for People task 
force 2003.

A

N

Audit and Compliance Committee

Nominations Committee

R

S

Remuneration Committee

Committee Chair

Safety Committee

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

57

James Lawrence
Non-Executive Director
Key areas of experience:
finance, consumer, airline sector.

A

Current external appointments:
Chairman, Great North Star LLC. Non-
Executive Director, Smurfit Kappa Group. Non-
Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit 
Committee, Avnet Inc.

Previous relevant experience:
Chairman, Rothschild North America 2012-
2015. CEO, Rothschild North America and 
Co-Head of Global Investment Banking 
2010-2012. Non-Executive Director, British 
Airways 2006-2011. Executive Director and 
Chief Financial Officer, Unilever 2007-2010. 
Vice Chairman, Chief Financial Officer and 
Head of International, General Mills 1998-2007. 
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial 
Officer, Northwest Airlines 1996-1998. Executive 
Vice President and other executive positions, 
Pepsi-Cola 1992-1996. Chairman and Co-
Founder, LEK Consulting 1983-1992. Partner, 
Bain & Company 1977-1983.

María Fernanda Mejía
Non-Executive Director
Key areas of experience:
consumer, customer development, strategic 
planning, supply chain, innovation, marketing 
communications, merger and acquisitions.

A R

Current external appointments:
Senior Vice President and President of Kellogg 
Latin America, Corporate Officer and member 
of Kellogg’s Global Leadership Team. Board 
Member of the Council of the Americas.

Previous relevant experience:
Vice-President and General Manager Global 
Personal Care and Corporate Fragrance 
Development Colgate-Palmolive Co. 2010-
2011, Vice-President Marketing and Innovation 
Europe/South Pacific Division Colgate-
Palmolive Co. 2005-2010, President and CEO 
Spain and Spain Holding Company 2003-
2005, General Manager Hong Kong and 
Director, Greater China Management team 
2002-2003, Marketing Director Venezuela 
2000-2002, Marketing Director Ecuador 
1998-2000.

Kieran Poynter
Non-Executive Director
Key areas of experience:
professional services, finance services, 
corporate governance.

SA

Current external appointments:
Chairman, F&C Asset Management PLC. 
Senior Independent Director and Chairman 
of the Audit Committee, British American 
Tobacco PLC.

Previous relevant experience:
Chairman, Nomura International plc 
2009-2015. Member, Advisory Committee 
for the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
on the competitiveness of the UK 
financial services sector 2009-2010. 
Member, President’s committee of the 
Confederation of British Industry 2000-
2008. Chairman and Senior Partner, 
PricewaterhouseCoopers 2000-2008. 
Managing Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers 
1998-2000 and other executive positions at 
PricewaterhouseCoopers 1982-1998.

Emilio Saracho
Non-Executive Director
Key areas of experience:
corporate finance, investment banking.

N

Current external appointments:
Vice Chairman and Member of the Investment 
Banking Management Committee, JPMorgan 
Chase & Co. Non-Executive Director, Industria 
de Diseño Textil S.A. (Inditex).

Previous relevant experience:
Deputy CEO for EMEA 2012-2015, CEO 
Investment Banking for EMEA 2012-2014 and 
member of the Executive Committee 2009-
2013, JP Morgan Chase & Co. CEO, JP Morgan 
Private Banking for EMEA 2006-2012. Member 
of the Board, Cintra 2008. Member of the 
Board, ONO 2008. Chairman, JP Morgan Spain 
and Portugal 1998-2006. Global Investment 
Banking Head, Santander Investment (UK) 
1995-1998. Spanish Market Manager, Goldman 
Sachs International 1990-1995. Investment 
Banking division Manager, Banco Santander de 
Negocios 1985-1990. Analyst, Chase Manhattan 
Bank 1980-1985. Member of the Board, 
Fiseat 1988.

Dame Marjorie Scardino
Non-Executive Director
Key areas of experience:
commercial management, government 
affairs, communications, digital and media, 
legal services.

N

R

Current external appointments:
Senior Independent Director, Twitter, Inc. 
Senior Independent Director, Pure Tech Health 
Inc. Member, charitable boards including The 
MacArthur Foundation (Chairman), London 
School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 
(Chairman), and The Carter Center. Member, 
Board of the Royal College of Art. Member 
of the Visiting Committee for the MIT Media 
Lab. Member, Board of Bridge International 
Academies (HQ – Kenya).

Previous relevant experience:
Chief Executive Officer, Pearson plc 1997-2012. 
Chief Executive Officer, The Economist Group 
from 1993-1996. President, The Economist 
Group US 1985-1993. Lawyer practising in the 
US 1975-1985.

Alberto Terol
Non-Executive Director
Key areas of experience:
finance, professional services, information 
technology, hospitality industry.

A

R

Current external appointments:
Non-Executive Director, Indra Sistemas, S.A. 
Non-Executive Director, Broseta Abogados. 
International Senior Advisor, Centerbridge. 
Executive Chairman of various family 
owned companies.

Previous relevant experience:
Non-Executive Director, OHL 2010-2016. Non-
Executive Director, Aktua 2013-2016. Non-
Executive Director, N+1 2014-2015. International 
Senior Advisor BNP Paribas 2011-2014. 
Member, Global Executive Committee Deloitte 
2007-2009. Managing Partner, EMEA Deloitte 
2007-2009. Managing Partner, Global Tax & 
Legal Deloitte 2007-2009. Member, Global 
Management Committee Deloitte 2003-2007. 
Managing Partner, Latin America Deloitte 
2003-2007. Managing Partner, Integration 
Andersen Deloitte 2002–2003, Managing 
Partner, Europe Arthur Andersen 2001-2002. 
Managing Partner, Global Tax & Legal Arthur 
Andersen 1997-2001. Managing Partner, 
Garrigues 1997-2000.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
58

Corporate governance

IAG as a Group
IAG is responsible for the Group’s strategy and business plan. It centralizes the Group’s corporate functions, including the 
development of its global platform.

Board*
Comprises ten non-executive directors and two executive directors (IAG CEO and CFO) and is responsible for: 

• the supervision of the management of the Company

• the approval of the strategy and general policies of the 

• approval of any significant contractual commitment, asset 
acquisition or disposal or equity investment or divestment

Company and the Group

• the definition of the Group structure

• the determination of the policy on shareholders’ remuneration

• the approval of major alliances

• ensuring the effectiveness of the Company’s corporate 

• the definition of the shareholders disclosure policy

governance system

Chairman

Antonio Vázquez
• chairs the shareholders’ meetings

• leads the Board’s work

• sets the Board’s agenda and directs its 

discussions and deliberations

• ensures that directors receive accurate, timely 

and clear information, including
the Company’s performance, its strategy, 
challenges and opportunities

• ensures that there is an effective 

communication with shareholders and that 
directors and executives understand and 
address the concerns of investors 

• offers support and advice to the 

Chief Executive

• promotes the highest standards of

corporate governance 

CEO

Willie Walsh
• is responsible and accountable to the Board for 
the management and profitable operation of 
the Company

• leads the Company’s management team

• oversees the preparation of operational

and commercial plans

• develops an effective management strategy

• puts in place effective controls

• co-ordinates the activities of the Group

Senior Independent Director

Patrick Cescau
• provides a sounding board for the Chairman

• serves as intermediary for the other directors 

when necessary

• is available to shareholders, should they

have any concerns they cannot resolve through 
the normal channels

Audit and Compliance Committee
• reviews the activity and performance of the external auditor,

preserving their independence

• supervises the effectiveness of the internal control of the Company,

the internal audit and the risk management systems

• supervises the process for the preparation of the Group’s financial results, 
reviewing the Company’s accounts and the correct application of the 
accounting principles

• assess and oversees the Company’s compliance system

• reviews the Company’s CSR and sustainability policy

Nominations Committee
• evaluates and makes recommendations regarding the 

Board and committee composition

• submits to the Board the proposed appointment of independent directors

• puts in place plans for the succession of directors, for the Chairman

and the Chief Executive

• oversees and establishes guidelines relating to the appointment, recruitment, 

career, promotion and dismissal of senior executives

• reports on the proposed appointment of senior executives

• monitors compliance with the company’s director selection and

diversity policy

Remuneration Committee
• reviews and recommends to the Board the directors and senior executive 

remuneration policy

• reports to the Board on incentive plans and pension arrangements

• monitors compliance with the Company’s remuneration policy

• ensures compliance with disclosure requirements regarding directors’

remuneration matters

Safety Committee
• receives material safety information about any subsidiary or franchise,

codeshare or wet lease provider

• exercises a high level overview of the safety activities and resources

• leads the evaluation of the Chairman’s 

• follows up on any safety related measures as determined by the Board

performance annually

* List of Board’s reserved matters can be found in article 3 of the Board Regulations, available in the Company’s website

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

59

The Group operating companies

Each operating company is responsible for the management of their 
respective businesses and accountable for the implementation of the 
joint business and synergy plan.

Each company has its own board of directors and its own executive 
committee, led by the top executive of each company.

Enrique Dupuy de Lôme
CFO

Aer 
Lingus

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
r
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
g
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

s
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

i

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

British 
Airways

Iberia

Vueling

Stephen Kavanagh
CEO

Avios

Robert Boyle
Director of Strategy

IAG Management 
Committee
Headed by the CEO:

• Day-to-day management of

the Group

• Capturing cost and 
revenue synergies 

• Development of Group long-

term strategy

Alex Cruz
Chairman and CEO

Luis Gallego
Chairman and CEO

Javier Sanchez Prieto
Chairman and CEO

Julia Simpson
Chief of Staff

Chris Haynes
General Counsel

GBS

Ignacio de Torres
Director of Global Services

Andrew Crawley
CEO

IAG 
Cargo

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
60

Corporate Governance continued 

Corporate governance code compliance 

As a company incorporated and listed in Spain, IAG is subject  
to applicable Spanish legislation and to the Spanish corporate 
governance framework. At the same time, as it has a listing on 
the London Stock Exchange, IAG is also subject to the UK Listing 
Rules, including the requirement to explain whether it complies 
with the UK Corporate Governance Code published by the UK 
Financial Reporting Council as amended from time to time  
(a copy of which is available from www.frc.org.uk). 

This Corporate Governance section (the UK Corporate 
Governance Report) includes an explanation regarding the 
Company’s application of the main principles of the UK 
Corporate Governance Code. In addition, the Company prepares 
an Annual Corporate Governance Report according to Spanish 
legal requirements which includes information regarding 
compliance with the Spanish Good Governance Code of Listed 
Companies. This report is included on pages 154 to 214. 

The Company considers that during the year it has complied with 
all the provisions of the UK 2014 Corporate Governance Code 
but for the following matter: The service contract for Antonio 
Vázquez does not comply with the recommendation that notice 
periods should be set at one year or less so as to limit any 
payment on exit. The terms of Antonio Vázquez’s service 

contract as Executive Chairman of Iberia were considered at the 
time of the merger between British Airways and Iberia, and it was 
determined that an entitlement to lump-sum retirement benefits 
in excess of one year’s salary should be carried over into his IAG 
service contract. It was thought necessary to continue the Iberia 
benefits in order to retain this key director and, as such, 
complying with the UK Corporate Governance Code’s 
principle of only offering a remuneration package sufficient 
to retain this director. Details can be found in the Directors’ 
Remuneration Report. 

The Company complies with the provisions of the Spanish Good 
Governance Code of Listed Companies, with the exceptions 
described in the Spanish Annual Corporate Governance Report.  

The Company believes that, notwithstanding the above 
exception, it has a robust governance structure.  

The Company’s Governance Reports are available on the 
Company’s website. 

Board composition and diversity 

As set out in the Company’s Bylaws the Board shall comprise a 
minimum of nine and a maximum of 14 members. As of 
December 31, 2016 the Board composition was: 

Name of Board Member 

Antonio Vázquez  
Willie Walsh 
Patrick Cescau 
Marc Bolland 
Enrique Dupuy de Lôme  
Baroness Kingsmill 
James Lawrence 
María Fernanda Mejía  
Kieran Poynter 
Emilio Saracho 
Dame Marjorie Scardino 
Alberto Terol  

Position/Category 

Chairman 
Chief Executive Officer 
Senior Independent Director 
Director (independent) 
Chief Financial Officer 
Director (independent) 
Director (independent) 
Director (independent) 
Director (independent) 
Director (independent) 
Director (independent) 
Director (independent) 

First appointed 

May 25, 2010 
May 25, 2010 
September 27, 2010 
June 16, 2016 
September 26, 2013 
September 27, 2010 
September 27, 2010 
February 27, 2014 
September 27, 2010 
June 16, 2016 
December 19, 2013 
June 20, 2013 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

61

The Board Secretary is Álvaro López-Jorrín, partner of the 
Spanish law firm J&A Garrigues, S.L.P and the Deputy Secretary  
is Lucila Rodríguez. 

The IAG Board currently comprises ten non-executive directors 
and two executive directors, IAG’s Chief Executive and Chief 
Financial Officer. The Board composition is regularly refreshed, 
with half of the non-executive directors appointed within the last 
three years and none of them having served more than seven 
years. The non-executive directors provide a strong, independent 
element on the Board, and contribute a broad range of expertise 

and experience, as well as a strong blend of skills. Non-executive 
directors are drawn from a wide range of industries and 
backgrounds, including the airline, retail, and travel and leisure 
sectors and have appropriate experience of complex 
organisations with global reach, with the majority of them  
having previous business management experience. 

In terms of gender diversity, the Company currently has  
a 25 per cent female representation on the Board, and in terms  
of nationality, the IAG Board includes directors from a variety  
of origins and cultures as set out in the chart below. 

Board diversity

Gender

Nationality

25%

Female

75%

Male

USA

Colombia

Ireland

UK

France

Netherlands

Spain

New Zealand

Tenure

50%

17%

33%

0-1 years: 2

2-3 years: 4

5-6 years: 6

Experience

33%

Airline sector

50%

Retail

92%

92%

Financial

58%

Corporate transactions

100%

Executive

International

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
62

Corporate Governance continued 

In accordance with the Spanish Corporate Governance code 
recommendation, the Board approved in January 2016 a 
Directors Selection and Diversity Policy which supersedes the 
former Board Diversity Policy. The objective of this policy is to 
ensure that the appointments of directors are based on  
a prior analysis of the Board’s needs and favours a diversity  
of knowledge, experience and gender. This policy incorporates 
the former diversity principles while regulating the process  
for appointing directors. Information on compliance with this 
policy is included as part of the Nominations Committee Report. 

The Directors Selection and Diversity Policy establishes  
a new female representation objective of 33 per cent by the end 
of 2020 following the recommendation included in the final 
Davies Report published in the UK. The Board, through its 
Nominations Committee, regularly reviews the percentage of 

women that sit on the Board and on the IAG Management 
Committee, as well as the number of women in the Group’s 
workforce worldwide. This information is included on page 49.  

Board and committee meetings  

The Board met eleven times during the reporting period.  
The Board also held its annual two-day strategy meeting in 
September 2016. During the reporting period, the Chairman  
and the non–executive directors met three times without the 
executives present.  The Senior Independent Director met with all 
directors without the Chairman in order to discuss the Chairman’s 
performance. 

Meetings attended by each director of the Board and the 
different committees during the reporting period are shown in 
the table below:

Director 

Total in the period 
Antonio Vázquez 
Sir Martin Broughton1 
Willie Walsh 
César Alierta1 
Marc Bolland2, 3 
Patrick Cescau4 
Enrique Dupuy de Lôme 
Baroness Kingsmill 
James Lawrence 
María Fernanda Mejía5 
Kieran Poynter 
Emilio Saracho, 2, 4 
Dame Marjorie Scardino4 
Alberto Terol  

Board  

Audit and Compliance 
Committee 

Nominations 
Committee 

Remuneration 

Committee  Safety Committee 

11 
11 
5 
11 
2 
6 
11 
11 
10 
11 
11 
9 
5 
8 
11 

8 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
8 
– 
– 
8 
4 
8 
– 
– 
8 

6 
6 
4 
– 
2 
– 
2 
– 
6 
– 
– 
– 
2 
1 
– 

3 
– 
– 
– 
– 
1 
– 
– 
3 
– 
3 
– 
– 
2 
3 

2 
2 
– 
2 
– 
2 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
2 
– 
– 
– 

1(cid:3) Sir Martin Broughton and César Alierta retired from the Board with effect from June 16, 2016. 
2(cid:3) Marc Bolland and Emilio Saracho were elected as non-executive directors on June 16, 2016. 
3(cid:3) Marc Bolland became a member of the Remuneration Committee and of the Safety Committee on June 16, 2016. 
4(cid:3) Patrick Cescau, Emilio Saracho and Dame Marjorie Scardino became members of the Nominations Committee on June 16, 2016. 
5(cid:3) María Fernanda Mejía became a member of the Audit and Compliance Committee on June 16, 2016. 

Board information and training 

All non-executive directors have access to the Board Secretary 
and the Group General Counsel for any further information they 
require. If any of the non–executive directors has any concerns 
about the running of the Group, they discuss these concerns with 
one of the executive directors, the Group General Counsel or the 
Chairman.  

In 2016 the Board received specific briefings on key 
developments, such as the new Market Abuse Regulation and 
Brexit. In its December meeting, the Board considered the Group 
risk map and reviewed the effectiveness of its risk management 
and internal control systems. The Board also included in its 
December agenda a meeting with the external auditor covering 
the work undertaken and the developments in the Company’s 
risk and accounting positions.  

In addition, a specific safety and security briefing session  
was held in July. As in previous years, an on-site session was 
organised at one of the operating companies, Aer Lingus  
offices in Dublin, designed to help non-executives deepen their 
knowledge of the Group’s operations, as well as providing  
them with an opportunity to meet with the Aer Lingus 
management team. 

Directors are offered the possibility to update and refresh their 
knowledge of the business and any technical related matter  
on an ongoing basis to enable them to continue fulfilling their 
responsibilities effectively. Directors are consulted about their 
training and development needs, and given the opportunity to 
discuss training and development matters as part of their annual 
individual performance evaluation. Training sessions have been 
included in the Board annual planner for 2017. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

63

Induction programme 

New directors receive a comprehensive induction programme 
that is tailored to individual requirements. The programme 
includes one-to-one meetings with management both at IAG 
level and throughout the Group offering directors a complete 
overview of the businesses, and also the opportunity to visit the 
Group’s key sites. 

The induction also covers governance and directors’ duties 
according to both the Spanish and the UK frameworks. As 
recommended in the 2015 annual evaluation, specific induction 
sessions were arranged for new committee members, as was the 
case for the Audit and Compliance Committee and for the Safety 
Committee.  

Induction programme prepared for Marc Bolland and Emilio Saracho

Phase 1

16 to 29 June 2016

Induction pack

Key corporate documents (e.g. strategic plan, financial plan), including:

• General corporate information

• Shareholders’ meeting material

• IAG Corporate Governance

• Business information

• Board of Directors 

historical information

• Administrative information

Phase 2

7 July to 13 October 2016

Introduction to IAG MC and other key executives

A series of meetings with key executives:

Director of Strategy

General Counsel

CEO of Avios

• Introduction to the sector

• Company’s history / IAG dual listing

• Presentation and business model

• Business basics and strategy

• Aviation regulation

• Strategy and current situation

Chief Financial Officer

• IAG finance particulars and

financial targets

• Fleet acquisition model

• Hedging policy and risk map

• Litigation

• Group corporate governance

Chief of Staff

Head of Investor Relations

• Capital structure

• Main shareholders

• Communication particulars

• Main analysts’ coverage

• Regulatory and Government Affairs

CEOs of Operating Companies

• Sustainability policy

• Presentation of each OpCo

• Business model

• Competitive landscape

• Strategy and current situation

Director of Global Services

• Evolution from cost synergies

to the new GBS platform

Phase 3

July 2016
to Q3 2017

Sites and 
OpCos visits

September 2016
Aer Lingus

February 2017
Cargo

May 2017
Vueling

July 2016
Safety session

January 2017
British Airways

March/April 2017
Iberia

Q3 2017
MRO

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
64

Corporate Governance continued 

Board and committee evaluation  

Following the internal evaluations carried out in 2014 and 2015,  
an external evaluation was conducted this year facilitated by Dr 
Tracy Long from Boardroom Review Limited, who has no other 
connection with the Company. Dr Long also facilitated the  
2013 evaluation and was re-appointed to provide a degree of 
continuity to this exercise, enabling the Board to better assess  
its development and progress since the incorporation of  
the Company. 

The overall conclusions of the review were positive. Over the last 
three years the Board was considered to have made meaningful 
progress and to have built on its strengths. The results of the 
evaluation show that the Board continues to adequately fulfil its 
responsibilities and that each of its committees continue to be 
effective and efficient. 

The key actions agreed by the Board following this year’s 
evaluation are set out in the table below. 

Strategy and 
business 
oversight 

Risk  
agenda 

Board 
performance 

Succession 
Planning 

Provide further context for Board strategy discussions, enhancing visibility of changing environment 
Enrich non-financial information reporting to the Board 
Implement suggestions to further improve the effectiveness of the annual strategy session 
Increase coverage and visibility of risk priorities across the Board forward agenda 

More dynamic management of the Board planning agenda, ensuring focus on agreed priorities,  
including training and development 
Continue to encourage site visits and other opportunities to engage with management, not only as an important 
source of information for non-executive directors but also as it provides context for succession planning and talent 
development discussions 
Succession planning at both Board and executive level should remain a priority 
Further formalise the process and reinforce the report to the whole Board 
Continue analysis of the Board skills matrix and discussions on future domain knowledge priorities 
At executive level, strengthen focus on talent development 

IAG has a comprehensive investor relations programme which 
aims to help existing and potential investors understand the 
Group and its business. Regular shareholder meetings were  
held with executive directors, and the investor relations team 
during 2016. During May 2016, the Chairman, the Chair of the 
Remuneration Committee, along with the Group Head of Investor 
Relations, met with many of our largest shareholders to discuss, 
among other matters, governance and remuneration. 

The Group's medium to long term plans and targets were 
discussed in detail in a full day of presentations by the senior  
management team at the annual Capital Markets day that took 
place in London on November 4, 2016. Non-executive directors 
are invited to this meeting, giving major shareholders and 
investors the opportunity to discuss corporate governance 
matters with members of the Board. The event was broadcast 
live via webcast. The presentations are available in full on the 
Company’s website, along with the accompanying transcript. 

Both institutional and private shareholders may contact the 
Company through a dedicated website, via email and directly  
by telephone. 

The Senior Independent Director met with the other directors  
to discuss the performance of the Chairman. Additionally,  
the Chairman met with each director individually to discuss  
their contribution to the Board, the functioning of the Board  
as a whole, as well as an assessment of performance against  
the objectives agreed for 2016. In general terms, good progress 
was made against these objectives, namely the improvements 
introduced regarding the Board agenda and time management, 
as well as the induction designed and completed this year for 
new members of the Audit and Compliance and Safety 
Committees. 

Relations with shareholders 

The Board is committed to maintaining an open dialogue with 
shareholders and recognises the importance of that relationship 
in the governance process. The Chairman is responsible for 
ensuring that an effective communication with shareholders 
takes place and that directors and executives understand and 
address investors’ concerns. The Board is briefed on a regular 
basis by the Group Head of Investor Relations and analysts’ 
reports are circulated to all directors. During 2016, the Board 
discussed shareholder matters on five different occasions,  
two of which included the Company’s corporate broker. 

The Board approved in January 2016 a Shareholder 
Communication Policy regarding communication and contacts 
with shareholders, institutional investors and proxy advisors, 
following the 2015 Spanish Good Governance Code 
recommendation. This policy is available on the  
Company’s website. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

65

(iii)  exclude pre-emptive rights in connection with the capital 

increases and the issuance of convertible or exchangeable 
securities that the Board may approve under the previous 
authorities for the purposes of allotting shares or convertible 
or exchangeable securities in connection with a rights issue 
or in any other circumstances subject to an aggregate 
maximum nominal amount of the shares so allotted or that 
may be allotted on conversion or exchange of such 
securities of five per cent of the aggregate nominal amount 
of the Company’s issued share capital as at June 16, 2016. 

(iv)  carry out the acquisition of its own shares directly by the 

Company or indirectly through its subsidiaries, subject to the 
following conditions:  

(a)   the maximum aggregate number of shares which is 
authorised to be purchased shall be the lower of the 
maximum amount permitted by the law and such 
number as represents 10 per cent of the aggregate 
nominal amount of the Company’s issued share capital 
on June 16, 2016, the date of passing the resolution;  

(b)  the minimum price which may be paid for an ordinary 

share is zero; 

(c)  the maximum price which may be paid for an ordinary 

share is the highest of:  

(i)   an amount equal to five per cent above the average 
of the middle market quotations for the shares as 
taken from the relevant stock exchange for the five 
business days immediately preceding the day on 
which that ordinary share is contracted to be 
purchased; and  

(ii)   the higher of the price of the last independent trade 
and the highest current independent bid on the 
trading venues where the purchase is carried out at 
the relevant time;  

 in each case, exclusive of expenses.  

The shares acquired pursuant to this authorisation may 
be delivered directly to the employees or directors of the 
Company or its subsidiaries or as a result of the exercise of 
option rights held thereby. For further details see note 29 to 
the financial statements.  

The IAG Securities Code of Conduct regulates the Company’s 
dealings in its treasury shares. This can be accessed on the 
Company’s website. 

No shares were purchased under the above mentioned authority 
during 2016. 

Other statutory information 
Directors’ conflicts of interests 

Directors must disclose to the Board any situation of direct or 
indirect conflict that they may have with the interests of the 
Company. In the event of conflict, the affected directors must 
abstain from participating in the transaction referred to by 
the conflict. The definition of conflict of interests is set out 
in the Board Regulations which are available on the 
Company’s website. 

Directors’ and Officers’ liability insurance 

The Company has purchased insurance against Directors’ and 
Officers’ liability for the benefit of the directors and officers of  
the Company and its subsidiaries. 

Share issues, buy-backs and treasury shares 

The Annual General Meeting held on June 16, 2016 authorised the 
Board, with the express power of substitution, for a term ending 
at the 2017 Annual General Meeting (or, if earlier, 15 months from 
June 16, 2016), to: 

(i) 

increase the share capital pursuant to the provisions of 
Article 297.1.b) of the Spanish Companies Law, by: 

(a)  up to one-third of the aggregate nominal amount of the 
Company’s issued share capital as at the date of passing 
such resolution (such amount to be reduced by the 
amount that the share capital has been increased by 
and the maximum amount that the share capital may 
need to be increased by on the conversion or exchange 
of any securities issued by the Board under the relevant 
authorisation); and 

(b)  up to a further one-sixth of the aggregate nominal 

amount of the Company’s issued share capital as at the 
date of passing such resolution in connection with an 
offer by way of rights issue (such amount to be reduced 
by the amount that the share capital has been increased 
by and the maximum amount that the share capital may 
need to be increased by on the conversion or exchange 
of any securities issued by the Board under the relevant 
authorisation). 

(ii)   issue securities (including warrants) convertible into and/or 
exchangeable for shares of the Company, up to a maximum 
limit of one billion euros or the equivalent thereof in another 
currency, provided that the aggregate share capital that may 
need to be increased on the conversion or exchange of all 
such securities may not be higher than: 

(a)  one-third of the aggregate nominal amount of the 

Company’s issued share capital as at the date of passing 
such resolution (such amount to be reduced by the 
amount that the share capital has been increased by the 
Board under the relevant authorisation); and  

(b)  a further one-sixth of the aggregate nominal amount of 
the Company’s issued share capital as at the date of 
passing such resolution in connection with an offer by 
way of rights issue (such amount to be reduced by the 
amount that the share capital has been increased by the 
Board under the relevant authorisation). 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
66

Corporate Governance continued 

Capital structure and shareholder rights 

As of December 31, 2016, the share capital of the Company 
amounted to 1,066,494,371.50 euros (2015: 1,020,039,261.50 
euros), divided into 2,132,988,743 shares (2015: 2,040,078,523 
shares) of the same class and series and with a nominal value of 
0.50 euros each, fully subscribed and paid. 

As of December 31, 2016 the Company owned 12,521,662 shares 
as treasury shares. 

Each share in the Company confers on its legitimate holder the 
status of shareholder and the rights recognised by applicable law 
and the Company’s Bylaws. 

The Company has a Sponsored Level 1 American Depositary 
Receipt (ADR) facility that trades on the over-the-counter 
market in the US. Each ADR is equivalent to two ordinary shares 

and each ADR holder is entitled to the financial rights attaching 
to such shares, although the ADR depositary, Deutsche Bank,  
is the registered holder. During the reporting period the ratio 
changed from one ADR being equivalent to five ordinary shares 
to two ordinary shares. As at December 31, 2016 the equivalent  
of 5.6 million shares was held in ADR form (2015: 18.4 million  
IAG shares). 

During 2016 the Company received three conversion requests in 
respect of the IAG €390,000,000 1.75 per cent. convertible 
bonds due 2018 (‘Bonds’). On May 6, 2016 the Company 
exercised its option to redeem the remaining outstanding Bonds 
giving bondholders the option to exercise their right to convert 
their Bonds into ordinary shares in IAG. As a result of this, a total 
of 91,981,118 shares were issued. 

Company’s Share Capital 
Date of change  

January 14, 2016 
March 1, 2016 
April 1, 2016 
June 20, 2016 

Share capital (euros) 

Number of shares/voting rights 

1,020,479,989.50 
1,020,491,901 
1,020,502,812.50 
1,066,494,371.50 

2,040,959,979 
2,040,983,802 
2,041,007,625 
2,132,988,743 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
67

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

The significant shareholders of the Company at December 31, 2016, calculated according to the Company’s share capital as at the 
date of this report and excluding positions in financial instruments, were: 

Qatar Airways (Q.C.S.C)
Capital Research and Management Company
Standard Life Investments (Holdings) Ltd
Europacific Growth Fund
BlackRock Inc
Lansdowne Partners International Limited

Invesco Limited
Other shareholders

Name of  
shareholder  

Number of 
direct shares 

Number of 
indirect shares 

Name of  
direct holder 

  Qatar Airways (Q.C.S.C) 
  Capital Research and Management 

–  426,811,047  Qatar Airways Luxembourg. S.à.r.l. 
–  212,588,702  Collective investment institutions 

Total shares 

426,911,047 
212,588,702 

Percentage 
of capital 

20.01% 
9.967% 

Company 

  Standard Life Investments  

(Holdings) Ltd 

  Europacific Growth Fund 
  BlackRock Inc 

managed by Capital Research and 
Management Company 

125,314,496  Standard Life Investments Limited and 

125,314,496 

5.875% 

Ignis Investment Services Limited 

107,329,400 

–  – 

–  66,227,368  Funds and accounts managed by 

investors controlled by BlackRock Inc. 

107,329,400 
66,227,368 

5.032% 
3.105% 

  Lansdowne Partners International 

–  58,627,247  Funds and accounts managed by 

58,627,247 

2.749% 

Limited 
Invesco Limited 

Lansdowne Partners (UK) LLP 

–  42,814,558  Mutual benefit societies and pension 
funds managed by Invesco Limited  
and its subsidiaries 

42,814,558 

2.007% 

On February 13, 2017 Deutsche Bank AG notified to the Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) the acquisition of a 
shareholding of 3.061 per cent. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
68

Corporate Governance continued 

Disclosure obligations 

The Company’s Bylaws establish a series of special obligations 
concerning disclosure of share ownership as well as certain limits 
on shareholdings, taking into account the ownership and control 
restrictions provided for in applicable legislation and bilateral air 
transport treaties signed by Spain and the UK. 

In accordance with article 7.2 b) of the Bylaws, shareholders must 
notify the Company of any acquisition or disposal of shares or of 
any interest in the shares of the Company that directly or 
indirectly entails the acquisition or disposal of a stake of over 0.25 
per cent of the Company’s share capital, or of the voting rights 
corresponding thereto, expressly indicating the nationality of the 
transferor and/or the transferee obliged to notify, as well as the 
creation of any charges on shares (or interests in shares) or other 
encumbrances whatsoever, for the purposes of the exercise of 
the rights conferred by them. 

In addition, pursuant to article 10 of the Bylaws, the Company 
may require any shareholder or any other person with a 
confirmed or apparent interest in shares of the Company to 
disclose to the Company in writing such information as the 
Company shall require relating to the beneficial ownership of or 
any interest in the shares in question, as lies within the knowledge 
of such shareholder or other person, including any information 
that the Company deems necessary or desirable in order to 
determine the nationality of the holders of said shares or other 
person with an interest in the Company’s shares or whether it is 
necessary to take steps in order to protect the operating rights of 
the Company or its subsidiaries. 

In the event of a breach of these obligations by a shareholder or 
any other person with a confirmed or apparent interest in the 
Company’s shares, the Board may suspend the voting or other 
political rights of the relevant person. If the shares with respect to 
which the aforementioned obligations have been breached 
represent at least 0.25 per cent of the Company’s share capital in 
nominal value, the Board may also direct that no transfer of any 
such shares shall be registered. 

Limitations on ownership of shares 

In the event that the Board deems it necessary or appropriate to 
adopt measures to protect an operating right of the Company or 
of its subsidiaries, in light of the nationality of its shareholders or 
any persons with an interest in the Company’s shares, it may 
adopt any of the measures provided for such purpose in article 11 
of the Bylaws, including the determination of a maximum number 
of shares that may be held by non-EU shareholders provided 
that such maximum may not be lower than 40 per cent of the 
Company’s share capital. 

The Board may also (i) agree on the suspension of voting and 
other political rights of the holder of the relevant shares, and (ii) 
request that the holders dispose of the corresponding shares so 
that no non-EU person may directly or indirectly own such shares 
or have an interest in the same. If such transfer is not performed 
on the terms provided for in the Bylaws, the Company may 
acquire the corresponding shares (for their subsequent 
redemption) pursuant to applicable legislation. This acquisition 
must be performed at the lower of the following prices: (a) the 
book value of the corresponding shares according to the latest 
published audited balance sheet of the Company; and (b) the 
middle market quotation for an ordinary share of the Company 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

as derived from the London Stock Exchange’s Daily Official List 
for the business day on which they were acquired by the relevant 
non-EU person. 

Impact of change of control 

The following significant agreements contain provisions entitling 
the counterparties to exercise termination in the event of a 
change of control of the Company: 

•(cid:3) the brand alliance agreement in respect of British Airways and 
Iberia’s membership of “oneworld”, the globally-branded airline 
alliance, could be terminated by a majority vote of the parties 
in the event of a change of control of the Company; 

•(cid:3) the joint business agreement between British Airways, Iberia, 

American Airlines and Finnair and the joint business agreement 
between British Airways, Japan Airlines and Finnair can be 
terminated by the other parties to those agreements in the 
event of a change of control of the Company by either a third 
party airline, or the parent of a third party airline; and 

•(cid:3) certain British Airways exchange and interest rate hedging 

contracts allow for early termination if after a change of control 
of the Company British Airways’ credit worthiness was 
materially weaker. 

In addition, the Company’s share plans contain provisions as  
a result of which options and awards may vest and become 
exercisable on a change of control of the Company in 
accordance with the rules of the plans. 

Post balance sheet events 

No material adjusting post balance sheet events occurred after 
December 31, 2016. 

Internal control  

The directors are responsible for maintaining, and for reviewing 
the effectiveness of the Company’s system of internal control 
including internal financial control. This is designed to provide 
reasonable, but not absolute, assurance regarding the 
safeguarding of assets against unauthorised use or disposition 
and the maintenance of proper accounting records and the 
reliability of financial information used within the business or for 
publication. This process is in accordance with the Financial 
Reporting Council’s Guidance to Directors and the CNMV’s 
Internal Control over Financial Reporting (ICFR). These controls 
are designed to manage rather than eliminate the risk of failure to 
achieve business objectives due to circumstances which may 
reasonably be foreseen and can only provide reasonable but not 
absolute assurance against material misstatement or loss. 

The Company has in place internal control and risk management 
systems in relation to the Company’s financial reporting process 
and the Group’s process for the preparation of consolidated 
financial statements. 

A risk-based audit plan for the Group was approved by the Audit 
and Compliance Committee. The Audit and Compliance 
Committee considered control matters raised by management 
and both the internal and external auditors and reported its 
findings to the Board. The CNMV standard requires the disclosure 
of material weaknesses in ICFR: no such weaknesses were 
identified during the year under review or up until the date  
of approval of this report.  

 
 
69

Attendance

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Report of the Audit and Compliance Committee

Committee members

Date of appointment

Kieran Poynter (Chair)
September 27, 2010

Patrick Cescau
September 27, 2010

James Lawrence
September 27, 2010

María Fernanda Mejía
June 16, 2016

Alberto Terol
August 2, 2013

Dear Shareholder  

The Audit and Compliance Committee recognises its role is more 
important than ever in reviewing the effectiveness of internal 
controls and promoting strong risk management and compliance 
practices. The Committee has continued to target known and 
emerging risk areas for deep dives in 2016 including the rollout of 
the new British Airways passenger check-in and aircraft boarding 
system. 

I would like to thank James Lawrence, who stood down as the 
Chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee in June 2016 
after twenty months in the role, and I am pleased to report that 
he has agreed to continue serving on the Committee. I would 
also like to welcome María Fernanda Mejía who joined the 
Committee in June 2016. 

Looking forward to 2017, I believe the Committee is well placed 
to ensure developments in internal control and compliance keep 
pace with changes in the business, as well as challenges 
posed by continuing economic and political uncertainty. 

Kieran Poynter 
Audit and Compliance Committee Chairman 

The Audit and Compliance Committee 

The composition, competencies and operating rules of the Audit 
and Compliance Committee are regulated by Article 29 of the 
Board Regulations. A copy of these Regulations can be found on 
IAG’s website. 

Meetings 

The Committee met eight times during 2016. The Committee also 
holds closed meetings and meets privately with both the external 
and internal auditors as appropriate. 

In addition to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary, regular 
attendees at Committee meetings included the Chairman, the 
Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Head of 
Group Audit and the Head of Group Reporting together with 
representatives from the external auditors. 

The Committee’s responsibilities  

The Committee’s principal responsibilities and activities 
during the year were: 

(cid:120)(cid:3) review of financial statements and announcements relating 
to the financial performance and governance of the Group; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) review of the effectiveness of the internal control system, 
provision of assurance on the risk management process 
and review of the principal risks facing the Group; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) review and agreement of the internal audit programme, 
resourcing, effectiveness and resolution of issues raised; 
and 

(cid:120)(cid:3) recommending the appointment of external auditors and 
reviewing their effectiveness, fees, terms of reference and 
independence. 

An evaluation of the Committee’s performance was 
completed as part of the external evaluation process carried 
out in 2016. The Committee was found to be operating 
effectively during the year and will be implementing 
recommendations to enhance how the Committee supports 
the Board in its assessment of the risks facing the Group. As 
suggested in the 2015 annual evaluation, a specific induction 
session was undertaken for the new Committee member, 
María Fernanda Mejía. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
70

Report of the Audit and Compliance Committee continued

Other items reviewed  

Viability statement 

The February 2017 Committee reviewed the detailed viability 
analysis over a five year time horizon, reflecting the Group’s 
Business Plan period and focusing on the risks that should be 
combined to generate severe but plausible downturn scenarios, 
how those risks might interact, how solvency is assessed and the 
period over which viability is considered. The Committee agreed 
with management’s assessment that the Company will be able to 
continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due over 
the period to 2021. 

Anti-bribery, sanctions and competition law compliance 

The Committee reviewed developments in the anti-bribery 
compliance programme including the continued refinement of 
the Group-wide Know Your Counterparty due diligence 
programme. Competition, Anti-Bribery and Sanctions compliance 
risk maps were reviewed together with the results of targeted 
compliance initiatives, training attendance and priorities for 2017.  

Litigation 

The Committee received regular litigation status reports from the 
General Counsel including the status of the remaining civil claims 
against British Airways following the 2010 European Commission 
decision on alleged cartel activity with respect to air cargo prices. 
The decision was partially annulled against British Airways 
following an appeal to the General Court of the European Union 
and the fine was refunded in full. The European Commission 
expects to adopt a new decision in 2017.  

With respect to the civil claims, the Committee agreed with 
management’s view that, given the status of proceedings and the 
recent General Court decision, it is not possible at this stage to 
predict the outcome of the proceedings and no financial 
provision should be made for the civil claims.  

Sustainability 

The Committee reviewed the progress made in the 
implementation of the sustainability strategy and the 
performance against targets in key areas such as carbon 
footprint and noise performance. 

Accounting matters 

Throughout the year, the Committee considers the implications 
of new accounting standards, reviews complex accounting 
transactions, and considers the key estimates and judgements 
used in the preparation of the Group financial statements. In 2016, 
these included the exceptional item for restructuring costs and 
the finalisation of the Aer Lingus purchase price allocation. 

The exceptional item for restructuring costs is a result of British 
Airways announcing restructuring plans during 2016. British 
Airways has embarked on a series of structural transformation 
proposals to develop a more efficient and cost effective 
structure. Certain announcements have been made, and the 
related restructuring costs have been recognised in the financial 
statements. The Committee has reviewed and agreed with 
management’s rationale for recognising these costs and 
disclosing them as exceptional items by virtue of their size or 
incidence. 

The Aer Lingus purchase price allocation was finalised in August 
2016. The Committee reviewed the valuation methodologies 
employed by management together with EY’s interim report on 
their audit. The Committee is satisfied with the adjustment made 
to the preliminary allocation increasing fleet value and that the 
final purchase price allocation fairly reflects the assets and 
liabilities acquired. 

The Committee also reviewed and agreed with management’s 
decision to remove foreign exchange exposure as a key 
accounting estimate and judgement. The judgement surrounding 
the exchange rate applied to the Group’s current significant 
foreign exchange exposures has become less complex and 
comparable to market observed rates. 

British Airways Travel Programme 

The roll-out of the Travel Programme was finalised in 2016 
completing the implementation of a new passenger check-in and 
aircraft boarding system together with new IT integration 
technology. The Committee received regular updates during the 
year from the accountable IT and operations directors focusing 
on the status of the implementation and the management 
and resolution of key implementation risks and issues arising. 

UK Referendum vote to leave the European Union 

The Committee received regular updates from management on 
the risks to the Group leading up to and following the UK 
Referendum vote to leave the European Union. The Committee 
continues to monitor the impact of the increasing volatility of the 
fuel price and foreign exchange as well as management’s 
evaluation and risk assessment of the potential changes 
following the UK referendum vote. 

The Committee agrees with management’s initial assessment 
that the Group can operate effectively during the transition. 

Cyber Security 

The Group Head of IT and the Group IT Security Manager 
updated the Committee on the fast-developing cyber risk 
landscape and the implementation and testing of the Group’s 
Cyber Security Strategy. The Committee also focused on the 
implementation of actions arising from an Internal Audit review 
and a Management Committee led initiative to ensure consistent 
cyber security responses across the Group. 

Treasury risk management 

The Committee continued to review the Group’s fuel and foreign 
exchange hedging positions on a quarterly basis, ensuring that 
the approved hedging profile was being adhered to and 
continued to be appropriate. 

Internal Control over Financial Reporting (ICFR) 

In 2016, an Internal Control team was established to support 
process owners across the Group in reviewing and updating their 
financial process design and control documentation. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

71

ICFR, which is a Spanish Corporate Governance requirement, is a 
thorough analysis of risks in financial reporting, the 
documentation of accounting processes, and audit of internal 
controls. In 2016 no material weaknesses were identified. 
A full description of ICFR is set out in Section F of the Spanish 
Corporate Governance Report.  

The Committee considers whether the Annual Report and 
Accounts are fair, balanced and understandable. This review is 
supported by a process whereby all sections of the Annual 
Report and Accounts are allocated to senior managers and 
members of the Management Committee who attest that the 
sections are fair, balanced and understandable. The Committee 
also reviews disclosure throughout the year through receiving a 
quarterly report from the IAG Disclosure Committee outlining all 
the matters they discuss. The Committee is satisfied that the 
Annual Report and Accounts are fair, balanced and 
understandable and has recommended their adoption by the 
Board. 

Enterprise risk management 

The Enterprise Risk Management resources were centralised at 
the Group level during 2016. The Head of Enterprise Risk 
Management reported to the Committee on the key risks of the 
Group and the priorities for 2017. 

The Committee reviewed the process by which risk strategy and 
appetite had been determined as well as the performance of the 
Group against each of its risk appetite statements.  The 
Committee agreed with management’s assessment that the 
Group has operated within all 19 of the risk appetite statements. 

External audit 

The Group’s external auditors, EY, audited Aer Lingus in 2016 for 
the first time. The Committee continues to work closely with EY, 
with their partners attending seven meetings during the year. The 
Committee reviewed the engagement letter, fees and the audit 
plan which included EY’s assessment of risk areas within the 
financial statements. Audit results were reviewed during three 
meetings; for the half year, for the findings from interim audits 
and early warning report for year end matters, and for the final 
report for year end matters. In assessing the effectiveness and 
independence of the external auditors, the Committee 
considered relevant professional and regulatory requirements 
and the relationship with the auditors as a whole.  

The Committee monitored the auditors’ compliance with relevant 
regulatory, ethical and professional guidance on the rotation of 
partners, and assessed their qualifications, expertise, resources 
and the effectiveness of the audit process, including a report 
from the external auditor on its own internal quality procedures. 
The assessment included a detailed questionnaire completed by 
key directors, managers and a sample of accounting staff 
throughout the Group. The questionnaire results demonstrated 
that EY’s overall performance was good and that they are 
providing an effective external audit across the Group. Having 
reviewed EY’s performance during 2016, the Committee 
concluded that EY were independent and that it was in the 
Group’s and shareholders’ interests not to tender the audit in 
2017 and recommends their re-appointment.  

The Group audit was last tendered on the incorporation of IAG in 
2010. The Company intends to comply with the Spanish Act 
22/2015, of July 20, on the Auditing requirement to tender the 
external audit at least every ten years and the transition 
arrangements that would require the audit to be tendered for the 
year 2021 at the latest.  

Non-audit services provided by the external auditors are subject 
to a Board approved policy that prohibits certain categories of 
work and controls the overall level of expenditure. The 
Committee reviews the nature and volume of projects 
undertaken by the external auditors on a quarterly basis and the 
Committee Chairman pre-approves projects over €100,000 or of 
an unusual nature. The overall volume of work is addressed by a 
target maximum of €1.4 million with an additional allowance of up 
to €1.1 million for large projects where EY are uniquely placed to 
carry out the work. Spend in 2016 was below the target 
maximum at €838,000 with no additional spend on large 
projects. 68 per cent of the €838,000 spend related to recurring 
work on the audit of accounts required by our Joint Business 
arrangements. Details of the fees paid to the external auditors 
during the year can be found in note 7 to the Financial 
statements. 

Whistleblowing

The Committee reviewed procedures whereby staff across the 
Group can raise confidential concerns regarding accounting, 
internal control, auditing and other matters. Third-party providers 
are used to provide whistleblowing channels so that all staff 
across the Group can report concerns to senior management in 
their company. The Committee also reviewed the volume and 
nature of cases reported and noted that there were no significant 
financial or compliance issues raised. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
72

Report of the Nominations Committee

Attendance

Committee members

Date of appointment

Antonio Vázquez (Chair)
December 19, 2013 

Patrick Cescau
June 16, 2016 

Baroness Kingsmill
September 27, 2010 

Emilio Saracho
June 16, 2016 

Dame Marjorie Scardino
June 16, 2016 

Absent

Dear Shareholder  

In my role as Committee Chairman, I am pleased to present the 
Nominations Committee’s Report for 2016. 

This has been a period of significant activity and the Committee 
had six meetings during the year. 

At the 2016 Shareholders’ Meeting, our Deputy Chairman,  
Sir Martin Broughton, stepped down after serving for more  
than 16 years at IAG and British Airways, In addition to this,  
César Alierta also decided to retire. The Board and I expressed 
our gratitude to both directors for their contribution to the 
development of the Company since it was formed. 

In 2016, we also welcomed the appointment of Marc Bolland and 
Emilio Saracho. Each of them brings valued skills and experience 
which contribute to the effectiveness of the Board as a whole.  
As previously reported, Marc Bolland reinforces the expertise of 
the Board in consumer product manufacturing and distribution 
companies. Emilio Saracho brings valuable expertise in 
international corporate transactions and financial markets. 

Following Sir Martin’s retirement, the Committee considered it 
appropriate to redefine this role and to appoint solely a Senior 
Independent Director. Consistent with the succession planning 
process, Patrick Cescau was selected for this role.  

Following these changes, the Committee focused on the review 
of the Board committee’s composition, and several modifications 
were introduced, as detailed later in this report. 

Although a lot has been done with regard to succession planning 
we maintained our focus on this matter during the year and will 
continue to do so in 2017, We will also continue to support the 
Group Chief Executive in relation to executive succession 
planning, and particularly in relation to talent development. 

In this regard, the Group is already benefitting from its structure 
and is fostering the development of talent from within. As 
evidence of this, we saw this year the appointment of Javier 
Sánchez-Prieto as CEO of Vueling, as well as that of Andrew 
Crawley as CEO of our Cargo business. 

As the external 2016 Board performance evaluation was 
completed in September, we had the opportunity to consider  
its results as far as the work of our Committee is concerned. The 
outcome of this exercise determines our main priorities for 2017, 
principally maintaining the focus on succession plans for both 
directors and management. 

Antonio Vázquez 
Nominations Committee Chairman 

The Nominations Committee 

The composition, competencies and operating rules of the 
Nominations Committee are regulated by article 30 of the Board 
Regulations. A copy of these Regulations can be found on the 
Company’s website.  

These Regulations state that the Nominations Committee shall 
be made up of no less than three and no more than five non-
executive directors appointed by the Board, with the dedication, 
capacity and experience necessary to carry out its function. A 
majority of the members of the Nominations Committee must be 
independent directors. Currently, all members excluding the 
Chairman of the Board, are considered independent. 

Meetings  

During 2016 the Nominations Committee met six times. Directors’ 
attendance at these meetings is shown above and further 
detailed on page 62. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

73

The Committee’s responsibilities 

The Nominations Committee’s responsibilities are contained 
in the Board Regulations. These can be summarised as: 

(cid:120)(cid:3) evaluating the competencies, knowledge and experience 
necessary on the Board and reviewing the criteria for the  
Board composition and the selection of candidates; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) submitting the appointment of directors to the Board for 
approval, and reporting on the proposed designations of 
the members of the Board committees and their chairmen; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) succession planning for Board members making proposals 
to the Board so that such succession occurs in a planned 
and orderly manner;  

(cid:120)(cid:3) establishing guidelines for the appointment, recruitment, 
career, promotion and dismissal of senior executives; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) reporting to the Board on the appointment and removal of 

senior executives;  

(cid:120)(cid:3) ensuring that non-executive directors receive appropriate 

induction programmes; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) establishing a target for female representation on the 

Board which should adhere to the Company’s Directors 
Selection and Diversity Policy; and 

(cid:120)(cid:3) submitting to the Board a report on the annual evaluation 

of the Board’s performance. 

The Committee’s activities during the year  

The Committee dealt with the following significant issues  
during 2016: 

(cid:120)(cid:3) approval of the Directors Selection and Diversity Policy; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) performance evaluation of the Chairman and of the Chief 

Executive; 

Board appointments 

Two new non-executive directors, Marc Bolland and Emilio 
Saracho, were appointed in 2016 to fill the vacancies left by  
Sir Martin Broughton and César Alierta who stood down as 
directors at the Shareholders’ Meeting in June 2016. 

The flow chart on the next page describes the process followed 
for the appointment of these two new non-executive directors. 
Spencer Stuart, which has no other connections with IAG,  
was engaged to carry out the search. 

As recommended by the Spanish Good Governance Code, the 
Nominations Committee ran an annual check on compliance with 
its policy on directors’ selection. 

After this review, the Committee concluded that: 

(cid:120)(cid:3) the procedure followed was formal, rigorous and transparent; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) the proposals were based on a prior analysis of the needs of 
the Board. This evaluation was made alongside succession 
plans for directors and taking into consideration the 
conclusions from the annual review of Board performance; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) the Company engaged a professional and well-known search 
firm, Spencer Stuart, which is a signatory to the UK Voluntary 
Code of Conduct for Executive Search Firms; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) both proposals referred to candidates who satisfy the legal and 
statutory conditions required to hold office as a director, are of 
suitable repute and have the appropriate knowledge, 
experience, skills and availability for the exercise of the 
functions and duties of such office; and 

(cid:120)(cid:3) gender diversity principles were followed throughout the 

process, while preserving the general diversity and merit based 
appointment principles established in the policy. 

Following Sir Martin Broughton’s retirement, the Board 
announced the appointment of Patrick Cescau as Senior 
Independent Director on June 16, 2016, following the 
recommendation of the Nominations Committee. 

(cid:120)(cid:3) annual review of the category of each director; 

Board Committee changes 

(cid:120)(cid:3) assessment of directors re-election;  

(cid:120)(cid:3) appointment of non-executive directors; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) changes to the composition of the Board Committees; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) review of investor feedback from the 2016 Shareholders’ 

Meeting; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) Board succession planning; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) succession planning for the Group Chief Executive , the IAG 
Management Committee and leadership teams of the Group 
operating companies; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) update on diversity trends and Group diversity reporting; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) review of appointments to the Group subsidiary boards; 

(cid:120)(cid:3)

induction programme for new non-executive directors;  and 

(cid:120)(cid:3) annual check of compliance with the Directors Selection and 

Diversity Policy. 

The Committees’ configuration was reviewed in accordance with 
the new Board composition, and the following changes were 
recommended to the Board and approved:  

(cid:120)(cid:3) the appointment of Kieran Poynter as Chairman of the Audit 
and Compliance Committee, replacing James Lawrence, who 
remained as a Committee member, and the appointment of 
María Fernanda Mejía as a member of that Committee; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) the appointment of Patrick Cescau, Emilio Saracho and Dame 
Marjorie Scardino as members of the Nominations Committee, 
with Antonio Vázquez becoming the Committee Chairman; 
and 

(cid:120)(cid:3) the appointment of Marc Bolland as a member of the 

Remuneration Committee and of the Safety Committee. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
74

Report of the Nominations Committee continued

The appointment of Marc Bolland and Emilio Saracho

Search initiated in 
accordance with 
Board succession 
plans

1

6

Skills and business 
experience 
priorities and 
required attributes 
discussed and 
agreed

2

7

Short-list agreed 
Interviews 
completed

Second vacancy 
identified and 
process broaden 
to cover both 
positions

4

9

3

8

Executive Search 
Firm engaged to 
assist with the 
search

(refinement
of search 
specifications)

Nominations 
Committee 
considered 
final candidates 
and made 
recommendation 
to the Board

First long-list 
of potential 
candidates 
considered

5

Second long-list 
of candidates 
reviewed and 
shared with 
the Board

10

Appointments 
approved by the 
Shareholders’ 
Meeting

Appointment 
announced by the 
Board, and 
published report 
on the proposed 
appointments for 
submission to the 
Shareholders’ 
Meeting

Induction of directors 

The induction programme for new directors was reviewed in line 
with the feedback received from directors and specifically 
arranged according to the needs of the two non-executive 
directors appointed this year. This is described in more detailed 
on page 63. 

Succession planning 

As already stated, the Nominations Committee continued to 
review and refresh non-executive director succession planning. 
This year the Committee postponed its full review of succession 
plans in order to benefit from the conclusions of the external 
Board performance evaluation that was completed in 
September.  In accordance with this, the Committee reviewed the 
skills matrix, as well as the likely pattern of Board retirements over 
the coming years, and agreed on future priorities.  

The Committee also continued to review and assess the 
succession arrangements for executive directors, and for key 
executive positions at IAG and at the operating companies. 
Building on the work completed in 2015 in identifying potential 
candidates for each role, during 2016, much of the work focused 
on the assessment of the potential candidates identified and the 
discussion of individual development.  During 2017, management 
will continue with this exercise and will also pay special attention 
to diversity mix considerations. 

Annual evaluation of performance 

The Committee reviews directors’ performance and 
independence as part of the Committee’s assessment of their 
eligibility for re-election. The performance, commitment, ability 
and availability of each of the non-executive directors were 
reviewed and discussed with them privately by the Chairman. 
The results were shared with the Nominations Committee and 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

the Committee recommended each director standing for re-
election at the 2016 Shareholders’ Meeting to be re-elected.  

An evaluation of the Committee’s performance was completed 
as part of the external evaluation process carried out in 2016. The 
Committee was found to be operating effectively. The 
Committee’s objectives for 2017 are described within the Board 
performance evaluation information on page 64. 

Board diversity 

The Nominations Committee reviewed the new Directors 
Selection and Diversity Policy which was submitted for Board 
approval on January 28, 2016. This policy is available on the 
Company’s website. 

There are currently three female directors on the Board, 
representing 25 per cent of the Board positions, and one of them 
chairs one of the Board committees. Under the new Directors 
Selection and Diversity Policy, the female representation target 
has been increased this year to 33 per cent by the end of 2020 in 
line with the recommendations of the final report of the Women 
on Boards Davies review published in the United Kingdom. 

It is the Nominations Committee’s intention to reconcile the 
achievement of this objective with preserving the general 
diversity and merit based appointment principles established in 
IAG’s policy. 

Further details on diversity, can be found on page 61 of this 
Corporate Governance section and on page 49 of the 
Sustainability section.  

Report of the Safety Committee 

Committee members

Date of appointment

Willie Walsh (Chair)
October 19, 2010

Antonio Vázquez
October, 19 2010

Marc Bolland
June 16, 2016

Kieran Poynter
October 19, 2010

75

Attendance

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Dear Shareholder  

I am pleased to present the Safety Committee’s Report for 2016. 

As a Committee, we have continued with our regular activities, 
monitoring all matters relating to the operational safety of IAG’s 
airline companies, as well as to the systems and resources 
dedicated to safety activities across the Group.  

As I have mentioned in previous reports, from my perspective, 
and beyond the oversight of safety matters, the work of this 
Committee is particularly relevant as a tool for the exchange of 
best practices, knowledge and experience between the airline 
companies within the Group. This necessarily implies a need to 
develop common reporting metrics and methodologies, where I 
have seen important progress made this year. 

During 2016, we said goodbye to an important member of this 
Committee, Sir Martin Broughton, as he retired from the Board.  
Following this departure, we were pleased to welcome Marc 
Bolland to the Committee in June. We used this opportunity to 
arrange a specific induction session on safety and security 
matters, which was extended to other non-executive directors.  
This was completed in July with the valued support of the British 
Airways safety and security team. 

Willie Walsh 
Safety Committee Chairman 

The Safety Committee 

The Committee composition, competencies and operating rules 
are regulated by article 32 of the Board Regulations. The 
Committee is made up of no fewer than three and no more than 
five directors appointed by the Board, with the dedication, 
capacity and experience necessary to carry out their function.  

In addition to Committee members, senior managers with 
responsibility for safety matters are invited to attend and report 
at Committee meetings as and when required. During 2016, the 
British Airways Director of Safety and Security, representatives of 
the Iberia and Vueling safety teams and the Aer Lingus 
Corporate Safety & Risk Manager attended meetings. 

The Committee’s responsibilities 

Responsibility for safety matters belongs to the Group’s airlines. 
IAG, through its Safety Committee, has an overall view of each 
airline’s safety performance and of any important issues that 
may affect the industry. The Committee also has visibility on 
the Group’s airlines resources and procedures. Responsibility 
for performing detailed and technical assessments remains 
with each airline, overseen by their respective safety 
committees. 

The Committee’s duties include:  

(cid:120)(cid:3) to receive significant safety information about IAG’s 

subsidiaries, franchise, codeshare or wet-lease providers 
used by any member of the Group;  

(cid:120)(cid:3) to exercise a high-level overview of safety activities  

and resources; 

(cid:120)(cid:3) to inform the Board as appropriate;  

(cid:120)(cid:3) to follow up on any safety-related matters as determined by 

the Board; and 

(cid:120)(cid:3) to carry out any other safety-related functions assigned  

by the Board. 

The Committee’s activities during the year 

During 2016, the Committee held two meetings. These were 
attended by all Committee members that were eligible to attend. 
Key topics discussed included the relevant safety events that 
occurred during the relevant period, regulatory developments 
and initiatives from industry associations, along with the  
regular safety review reports of Aer Lingus, British Airways,  
Iberia and Vueling. 

During the year the Committee received specific and separate 
presentations on aircraft cyber security, with support from 
Boeing, and on remote piloted air systems. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
76

Report of the Remuneration Committee 

Committee members

Date of appointment

Dame Marjorie Scardino (Chair)
December 19, 2013

Attendance

Marc Bolland
June 16, 2016

Baroness Kingsmill
September 27, 2010

María Fernanda Mejía
October 30, 2014

Alberto Terol
December 19, 2013

Absent

Dear Shareholder, 

As Chairman of the Remuneration Committee, and on behalf of 
the Board, I am pleased to present the Remuneration Report for 
2016. 

Overall strategy and link to remuneration 

IAG’s aim is to become the leading international airline group.  
Its strategy in an increasingly consolidated industry is to create 
value and deliver higher returns for our shareholders through 
leadership in core markets and the realisation of cost and 
revenue synergy opportunities across our airlines and aviation 
related businesses. 

That strategy is executed and sustained by consistent 
improvement in financial performance and in return on 
investment in each part of the Group. This requires overseeing 
transformation programmes through use of the IAG “platform”  
at each of our airlines, while leveraging cost and revenue 
opportunities across the Group. 

IAG’s executive remuneration framework aims to underpin and 
support those business objectives and the financial targets 
attached to them through the following two schemes: 

The Company’s long-term incentive plan, known as the 
performance share plan (PSP), measures our performance by:  

•(cid:3) earnings per share (EPS), adjusted for exceptional items, as its
main financial measure, in order to provide a direct link to our
strategy;

•(cid:3) total shareholder return (TSR) to ensure alignment with our 

shareholders; and

•(cid:3) return on invested capital (RoIC) to emphasise the increased 

focus on how we use our capital.

The annual incentive plan focuses on improvement in financial 
performance, and therefore the primary measure in the plan is 
operating profit before exceptional items at the Group level.  

The policy in general is designed to deliver total remuneration 
that is competitive and with a strong emphasis on “pay for 
performance”. The Committee will continue to ensure that 
executive remuneration is aligned with our business strategy  
and that the overall reward framework for 2017 and beyond  
is in the best interests of shareholders. 

Summary of 2016 (and the performance 
period 2014 to 2016) 

The PSP that vests during 2017 had a three-year performance 
period (2014 to 2016). Performance targets for the two measures 
(adjusted EPS and TSR) were set at the beginning of 2014. 

At that time, the Company reported an adjusted EPS of 20.8 
euro cents for 2013, and the stretch target (i.e. the level at which 
maximum pay-out would be achieved) for 2016 adjusted EPS 
was set at 56 euro cents. For the other measure – TSR – the 
stretch target was set at outperforming an industry index by 
8 per cent per annum. 

The Company has produced strong financial performance over 
the last three years, leading to 2016 adjusted EPS reaching 90.2 
euro cents. As a result, the performance share plan awarded to 
executives in 2014 will pay out in 2016 at its maximum level for 
the EPS element. The share price showed strong growth during 
the first two and a half years of the three-year performance 
period, but suffered a significant fall following the outcome of the 
UK referendum on EU membership. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

77

Despite a growth in share price of around 10 per cent over the 
three years, plus our first dividend payments, the Company has 
not outperformed the industry index and therefore there will be 
no pay-out for the TSR element of the performance share plan. 

The financial targets for the 2016 annual incentive plan set at  
the beginning of the year were very demanding: on-target level 
increased by 52 per cent over 2015. The Company’s performance 
during 2016, whilst strong, was affected by a tough operating 
environment with a significant negative currency impact. 
Operating profit failed to reach the threshold level at which 
incentive payments begin for the two-thirds portion of the 
scheme linked to financial performance (the final third portion 
being focused on individual objectives). The fact that operating 
profit for 2016 is at a record level for the Company but has still 
not triggered any payment for that element in the annual 
incentive plan is a further example of how demanding the 
Company is when setting targets. 

Decisions during 2016 

The Committee has closely monitored the many developments 
that have taken place in the external marketplace in the past 
year, including the reports from the Executive Remuneration 
Working Group and the Investment Association Principles of 
Remuneration, the 2016 AGM season, and the Green Paper on 
corporate governance reform. 

Major matters that were considered by the Committee during 
2016 include: 

•(cid:3) agreeing to incorporate a customer metric (Net Promoter 

Score) as part of the one-third based on role specific 
objectives for the annual incentive plan from 2017; 

•(cid:3) considering reward strategy in the round to inform us well in 

advance of our future policy review; and 

•(cid:3) reviewing the remuneration for the new Senior Independent 

Director following the retirement of Sir Martin Broughton from 
the Board, as well as reviewing the Chairman’s fees. 

Working with shareholders 

The Group Head of Investor Relations, and I, along with the IAG 
Chairman, met many of our largest shareholders over the last 
year. As this was my first full year in this chair I very much valued 
your constructive comments and was very pleased with your 
strong support for our 2015 Remuneration Report. But more  
than that I valued your suggestions and ideas about the moving 
thinking in remuneration. We have noted your views on longer-
term and annual pay strategy and will be talking to you more as 
we consider incorporating these into our new policy thinking  
for 2018.  

In line with legal requirements, our remuneration policy will be  
put forward to a binding shareholder vote at the 2018 annual 
Shareholders’ Meeting. As a Committee, we plan to review our 
remuneration policy and consider any possible changes that  
may help us ensure a complete alignment to our strategy and  
the creation of long term sustainable shareholder value. We will 
engage constructively with our major shareholders and other 
representative bodies during 2017 to present our thoughts and 
seek their views. 

Approved by the Board and signed on its behalf by 

Dame Marjorie Scardino 
Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

AT A GLANCE 

Implementation of remuneration policy in 2016 
Adjusted Earnings per Share

Share Price

Target Range for 
the 2014 PSP 
Award

0

Actual 2016
Performance

0
Euro Cents

20

Vesting (%)

THRESHOLD

MAXIMUM

34

56

90.2

January 2014

40

60

80

100

PSP Award 
Date
(March 2014)

100%

December 2016

401

435

441

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

100

200

300

400

500

Pence

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Total Shareholder Return

Target Range for 
the 2014 PSP 
Award

Actual 2014-2016
Performance

-3%

THRESHOLD

MAXIMUM

0

8

-10

0
Outperformance of the Index (% p.a.)

-5

5

10

Vesting (%)

0%

IAG Operating Profit (before exceptional items)
THRESHOLD

TARGET

MAXIMUM

Target Range for 
the 2016 Annual
Incentive Plan

0

Actual 2016
Performance

2.535

2.40

€bn

Vesting (%)

0%

15

20

2.8

3.2

3.6

2.66

2.92

3.18

3.44

3.70

0

20

40

60

80

100

0

20

40

60

80

100

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
78

Report of the Remuneration Committee continued 

Introduction 
As a Spanish incorporated company, IAG is subject to Spanish 
corporate law. The Spanish legal regime regarding directors’ 
remuneration is substantially parallel to that of the UK as far as 
directors´ remuneration disclosure and approval requirements 
are concerned. 

It is the Company’s intention once again to comply voluntarily 
with all reporting aspects of the UK legislation of 2013 and to 
follow best practice UK standards, for the benefit of our UK 
shareholder base. Therefore, the Company has prepared a 
Directors’ Remuneration Report in accordance with UK 
legislation (the UK DRR). Additionally, the Company has 
prepared a Spanish Directors’ Remuneration Report (the 
Spanish DRR) bearing in mind that our annual Shareholders’ 
Meeting is subject to Spanish corporate law. We have ensured 
that the UK DRR and the Spanish DRR are totally consistent. 
The Spanish DRR, prepared in accordance with Spanish 
legislation, is available on the Company’s website. 

In addition to the Remuneration Committee Chairman’s 
statement, this Directors’ Remuneration Report contains two 
different sections:  

•(cid:3) The first section, the Directors’ Remuneration Policy, contains 
details of the components of the remuneration packages of 
the Company’s directors and how they are linked to the 
business strategy (this section has no changes from last 
year). No changes to the policy will be proposed this year. 

•(cid:3) The second section, the Annual Remuneration Report, 

covers the information on Directors’ remuneration paid in the 
reported year. 

The Remuneration Committee takes responsibility for the 
preparation of the report, which is approved by the Board. 

The Company’s policy on directors’ remuneration was 
approved by shareholders at the annual Shareholders’ Meeting 
on June 18, 2015. No changes to the policy will be proposed 
this year. However, certain aspects of how the policy operates 
in practice were approved by the Board with effect from 
January 1, 2016. These adjustments to the application of policy 
were listed in last year’s Report at the beginning of the 
Remuneration Policy section, and are listed again (unchanged) 
in this Report. 

Directors’ Remuneration Policy 
Key elements of pay 

Executive Directors 

The Company’s remuneration policy is to provide total 
remuneration packages which are linked to the business strategy, 
competitive, and take into account each individual’s performance 
of their role in the Company’s work.  

The Company’s primary comparator group is the FTSE 26 to 100 
(excluding financial services), with a secondary reference to Ibex-
35 and global airline companies where appropriate.  

The Committee is updated on pay and conditions of the 
employees within the Group, and takes this into account 
when considering executive directors’ remuneration.  

The policy as shown on the following pages was approved by 
shareholders at the 2015 Shareholders’ Meeting. The policy 
remains unchanged from that disclosed in the last two financial 
years. However, as was explained last year, listed below is how 
the policy is applied in practice in respect of certain remuneration 
elements. Also, notes to clarify adjustments to the practical 
application of the policy have been added to the Policy  
section, in italics. 

Face value awards for PSP awards will not exceed 200 per cent 
of salary for the CEO of IAG, and not exceed 150 per cent of 
salary for other executive directors. 

Executive directors below the CEO of IAG (currently, this is just 
the CFO of IAG) had their shareholding requirement increased to 
200 per cent of basic salary, with effect from January 1, 2016. 

The maximum value of variable remuneration offered at 
recruitment will be no more than that awarded to current 
directors. Therefore, for a new CEO of IAG there will be a 200 per 
cent maximum opportunity in the annual incentive plan and a 
200 per cent maximum face value award for the PSP. For any 
new executive director other than a new CEO of IAG, the figures 
will be maxima of 150 per cent and 150 per cent respectively. 
These figures exclude any buy-out amounts. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

79

The table below summarises the main elements of remuneration packages for the executive directors: 

Maximum opportunity 

Performance metrics 

Although there is no formal 
maximum, basic salaries are reviewed 
annually by the Remuneration 
Committee by taking into account 
the following factors: company 
affordability, the value and worth of 
the executive, retention risks, and the 
size of pay increases generally across 
the whole group of companies. 
The maximum opportunity in the 
incentive plan is 200 per cent of  
salary. 50 per cent of this will be 
awarded for on-target performance, 
and there will be no payment at all 
until financial and personal 
performance have reached the 
threshold level of the target range. 

Individual and business 
performance are 
considered in reviewing and 
setting base salary. 

Two-thirds of the annual 
incentive is subject to a 
financial measure  
(e.g. IAG operating profit), 
and one-third is based on 
role specific objectives. 

Half of any annual incentive plan  
pay-out is deferred into shares. 

No other performance 
conditions apply because  
it is based on performance 
already delivered. 

Purpose and  
link to strategy   Operation of element of policy 

Base salary  
To attract  
and retain 
talent to help 
achieve our 
strategic 
objectives 

Takes account of role, skills and contribution. 
The positioning of base salaries is set with 
reference to market positioning (primarily the 
FTSE 26 to 100 excluding financial services), as 
well as the individual’s skills and contribution. 
Basic salaries are reviewed annually, to take  
effect on January 1 each year. 

Annual 
incentive 
award  
Incentivises 
annual 
corporate 
financial 
performance 
and the 
delivery of 
role specific 
objectives 

Incentive 
Award 
Deferral Plan 
(IADP) 
Aligns the 
interest of 
executives and 
shareholders 
and provides a 
retention tool 

The Board, on a recommendation from the 
Committee, sets the financial targets that  
apply to the annual incentive award (two- 
thirds of the annual incentive) at the beginning  
of each year. These are set by reference to a 
number of factors including the Business Plan  
(as approved by the Board). For the one-third 
portion based on personal objectives, the 
Remuneration Committee, on the proposal of  
the Chairman, will consider the Chief Executive 
Officer performance against his role-specific 
objectives; and the Remuneration Committee,  
on the proposal of the Chief Executive Officer,  
will consider the Chief Financial Officer 
performance against his role-specific objectives. 
Both performance evaluations will be submitted 
to the Board for final approval. 
The Board, on a recommendation from the 
Committee, retains the discretion to prevent any 
incentive award payments if, in its opinion, the 
underlying financial performance of the Company 
had not been satisfactory in the circumstances. 
Malus and clawback provisions apply –  
see below. 
The IADP operates over 50 per cent of the 
annual incentive award. It is designed to align 
the interests of executives with shareholders by 
providing a proportion of the annual incentive 
in deferred shares.  
The shares will be subject to forfeiture if the 
executive leaves during the three year deferral 
period, except if the executive is granted Good 
Leaver status. This is covered in the section  
below on exit payment policy. 
On vesting, executives will receive the benefit  
of any dividends paid over the deferred period.  
In line with the rules of the IADP and IAG’s 
philosophy to encourage and facilitate  
employee shareholding, participants may  
elect to self-fund any tax due rather than sell a 
portion of their share award to meet tax liabilities. 
Malus provision applies – see below. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
80

Report of the Remuneration Committee continued 

Purpose and  
link to strategy  

Performance 
Share Plan 
(PSP) 
Incentivises  
long-term 
shareholder  
value creation. 
Drives and 
rewards  
delivery of 
sustained  
TSR and  
financial 
performance 

Operation of element of policy 

Maximum opportunity, 

Performance metrics 

The face value of awards  
will not normally exceed  
200 per cent of salary in  
respect of any financial  
year of the Company  
(with the Board having the 
discretion to award up to  
300 per cent of salary in 
exceptional circumstances). 
Note: this discretion will not 
be used. 
At the threshold level of the 
performance target range,  
either 10 per cent or 25 per  
cent will vest depending  
on which performance  
measure is being tested. 

The PSP is a discretionary plan targeted at key senior 
executives and managers of the Group who directly 
influence shareholder value. The PSP consists of an 
award of the Company’s shares which vests subject 
to the achievement of pre-defined performance 
conditions which are designed to reflect the creation 
of long term value within the business. 
These performance conditions are measured over a 
performance period of at least three financial years. 
No payment is required from individuals when the 
shares are awarded or when they vest. 
The Board, after considering the recommendation of 
the Remuneration Committee, retains the discretion 
to prevent any PSP award payments if, in its opinion, 
the underlying financial performance of the Company 
had not been satisfactory in the circumstances. 
On vesting, in line with the rules of the PSP and IAG’s 
philosophy to encourage and facilitate employee 
shareholding, participants may elect to self-fund any 
tax due rather than sell a portion of their share award 
to meet tax liabilities. 
Following the performance period, there is an 
additional holding period of two years. 
Malus and clawback provisions apply – see below. 

Any PSP award made will  
be measured over at least 
three years. 
Each year, the Board, 
following the advice of the 
Committee, will determine 
appropriate performance 
conditions, with appropriate 
and stretching target 
ranges. These will take into 
account market conditions 
and also ensure alignment 
with shareholder interests.  
At least one condition is 
likely to be a measure of 
Group share performance 
compared with an index of 
other companies who are 
subject to external 
influences impacting share 
price similar to those of  
the Group.  
One or more measures  
will provide a strong 
measure of the underlying 
financial performance  
of the business. 

Taxable 
Benefits 
Ensures total 
package is 
competitive  

Life insurance, personal travel and where  
applicable, a company car, fuel, occasional  
chauffeur services, and private health insurance.  
Where appropriate, benefits may include  
relocation and international assignment costs. 

Pension 
Provides  
post-retirement 
remuneration  
and ensures  
total package  
is competitive  

The Company operates a defined contribution 
scheme as a percentage of salary. 
Executives can opt instead to receive a salary 
supplement in lieu of a pension. 
The Chief Executive Officer of IAG and the Chief 
Financial Officer of IAG are eligible for membership  
of the pension scheme. 

Although there is no formal 
maximum, the Company 
determines benefits policy by 
taking into account company 
affordability, and with reference 
to the external market. 
The level of employer 
contribution is 25 per cent 
of basic salary. 

Shareholding Requirements 

In order to increase alignment with shareholders, executives are 
required to build up a minimum personal shareholding equal to a 
set percentage of base salary. The CEO of IAG is required to build 
up and maintain a shareholding of 250 per cent of basic salary, 
and other executive directors are required to build up and 
maintain a shareholding of 150 per cent of basic salary (note: with 
effect from January 1, 2016, executive directors other than the 
CEO of IAG are required to build up and maintain a shareholding 
of 200 per cent of basic salary). 

Executives will be required to retain the entire 100 per cent of 
shares (net of tax) which vest from share plans until their 
respective shareholding requirement is attained.  

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

81

Malus and Clawback Provisions  

The Board, following the advice of the Committee, has authority under the malus provisions of the PSP and the Incentive Award 
Deferral Plan to reduce or cancel awards before they vest, and authority under the clawback provisions of the PSP to recover 
payments during the additional holding period, if special circumstances exist. These special circumstances include fraud; material 
breach of any law, regulation or code of practice; misstatement of results; misconduct; failure of risk management; or any other 
circumstances in which the Board considers it to be in the interests of shareholders for the award to lapse or be adjusted.  

For the PSP, clawback provisions apply during the two years’ additional holding period. For the IADP, there will be three years  
from the date of award in which shares can be withheld, i.e. the entire period from the date of the award until vesting. For the cash 
element of the annual incentive plan, clawback provisions apply for three years from the date of payment. The proportion of an award 
to be withheld or recovered will be at the discretion of the Board, upon consideration of the Committee, taking into account all 
relevant matters.  

Non-Executive Directors 

The table below summarises the main elements of remuneration for non-executive directors: 

Purpose and link 
to strategy  

Basic Fees 
Fees are set  
to take into 
account the 
level of 
responsibility, 
experience, 
abilities and 
dedication 
required.  

Taxable 
Benefits 

Operation of element of policy 

Maximum opportunity, 

Fees are set with reference to market positioning (primarily the  
IBEX 35 and the FTSE 26 to 100, excluding financial services).  
To acknowledge certain key roles at Board level, fees are set  
separately for the Non-Executive Chairman, and the Non-Executive 
Deputy Chairman. There is also an additional fee paid to any  
non-executive director for holding a Committee Chairmanship.  
There is no additional fee for Committee membership. 
Non-executive director fees will take into account external market 
conditions to ensure it is possible to attract and retain the necessary  
talent. There is no specific review date set, but it is the Company’s  
intention to review fees from time to time. There has been no  
change to fee levels since IAG came into existence in 2011. 
Non-executive directors (including the Chairman and Deputy Chairman) 
are entitled to use air tickets of the airlines of the Company or related to 
the Company in accordance with the applicable travel scheme. 
As foreseen under article 37.8 of the Company’s Bylaws this benefit  
may also be provided to non-executive directors after they have  
vacated office in accordance with the applicable travel scheme. 

The maximum annual aggregate gross 
remuneration (including annual basic fees 
and benefits, including travel benefits) 
payable to directors shall not exceed 
€3,500,000 as approved by the 
Shareholders’ Meeting on October 19,  
2010, in accordance with article 37.3  
of the Company’s Bylaws. 

The maximum total annual gross amount 
of the personal travel benefit is €500,000 
for all non-executive directors taken 
together (including any former non-
executive director who may enjoy this 
benefit at any given time). 

Remuneration Policy below Director Level  

IAG employees at all levels participate in the discretionary  
Annual Incentive Plan. Both the size of award and weighting of 
performance conditions vary by level, with some business unit 
specific measures incorporated where relevant. The financial 
targets are the aggregate of the financial targets of the Group’s 
companies, ensuring alignment between the Group’s head office 
and the Group’s companies.  

All senior managers across the Group participate in the IADP 
(currently 50 per cent of any annual incentive payment deferred 
in IAG shares for three years) and certain selected senior 
managers in the PSP in line with the executive directors. 
Employees below senior manager level do not participate  
in either. 

The same performance conditions and weightings apply to all 
participants of the PSP. The size of award varies by performance 
and level in the business. 

Managers at the airlines in the Group participate in their own 
airline short-term incentive plans. These all have performance 
measures specific to their airline, and are typically financial, 
operational, and customer service measures. Most companies 
within the Group have profit share schemes, designed to give 
employees below manager level an opportunity to share in the 
success of their company within the Group. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
82

Report of the Remuneration Committee continued 

Notes on the above forward-looking policy tables 

Notwithstanding the forward-looking policy detailed herein, and always in compliance with applicable law, the Company will make any 
remuneration payments and payments for loss of office (including exercising any discretions available to it in connection with such 
payments) where the terms of the payment were agreed (i) before the policy came into effect or (ii) at a time when the relevant 
individual was not a director of the Company and, in the opinion of the Board, the payment was not in consideration for the individual 
becoming a director of the Company. For these purposes “payments” includes the Committee satisfying awards of variable 
remuneration and, in relation to an award over shares, the terms of the payment are “agreed” at the time the award is granted which 
may include different performance measures to those outlined in the forward-looking policy table above.  

Remuneration scenarios 

A significant portion of the Company’s total remuneration package is variable, with emphasis placed on longer-term reward to align 
closely executive directors’ and senior managers’ interests with shareholder interests. The charts below show, for 2017 and for each 
executive director, the minimum remuneration receivable, the remuneration receivable if the director performs in line with the 
Company’s expectations, and the maximum remuneration receivable. Share price variation during the performance period is not taken 
into consideration in these scenarios. 

Chief Executive Officer of IAG 

Chief Financial Officer of IAG 

Fixed remuneration is basic salary (2017 level of €1,049,000), plus 
taxable benefits (2016 actual of €30,000) plus pension related 
benefits (2016 actual of €263,000). 

Fixed remuneration is basic salary (2017 level of €675,000), plus 
taxable benefits (2016 actual of €23,000) plus pension related 
benefits (2016 actual of €165,000). 

The annual incentive amount is zero at the minimum 
remuneration level, €1,049,000 at the on-target level (100 per 
cent of salary), and €2,098,000 at maximum (200 per cent of 
salary).  

The long-term incentive amount is zero at the minimum 
remuneration level, €1,049,000 at the on-target level (half of the 
face value award of 200 per cent of salary) and €2,098,000 at 
maximum (200 per cent of salary). 

All amounts are actually paid in sterling, and are shown here in 
euro at the €:£ exchange rate of 1.2347 

The annual incentive amount is zero at the minimum 
remuneration level, €506,000 at the on-target level (75 per cent 
of salary), and €1,012,000 at maximum (150 per cent of salary). 

The long-term incentive amount is zero at the minimum 
remuneration level, €506,000 at the on-target level (half of the 
face value award of 150 per cent of salary) and €1,012,000 at 
maximum (150 per cent of salary). 

All amounts are actually paid in sterling, and are shown here in 
euro at the €:£ exchange rate of 1.2347 

€000

€000

Maximum

1,342
(24%)

2,098
(38%)

2,098
(38%)

5,538

Maximum

863
(30%)

1,012
(35%)

1,012
(35%)

2,887

On-target

1,342
(40%)

1,049
(30%)

1,049 3,440
(30%)

On-target

863 506 506
(46%) (27%) (27%)

1,875

Minimum

1,342

1,342

Minimum

863 863

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

Fixed remuneration

Annual Incentive

Long Term Incentive

Fixed remuneration

Annual Incentive

Long Term Incentive

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

83

Service contracts and exit payments policy 

Executive Directors 

The following is a description of the key terms of the service 
contracts of executive directors. 

The contracts of executive directors are for an indefinite period. 

There are no express provisions in executives' service contracts 
with the Company for compensation payable upon termination 
of those contracts, other than for payments in lieu of notice. 

Executive Director  Date of contract 
January 21, 2011 
Willie Walsh 
Enrique Dupuy  
de Lôme 

January 21, 2011 

Notice period 
12 months 

12 months 

The period of notice required from the executive is six months; 
the period of notice required from the Company is 12 months. 
Where the Company makes a payment in lieu of notice, a lump 
sum in lieu of the first six months base salary is payable within 
28 days of the date of termination of employment. A payment 
in respect of base salary for the second six month period only 
becomes payable if, in the Company’s opinion, the executive has 
taken reasonable steps to find alternative paid work and then 
only in six monthly instalments. The Company may reduce the 
sum payable in respect of any month by any amount earned by 
the executive (including salary and benefits) referable to work 
done in that month. 

In the event of an executive's redundancy, compensation, 
whether in respect of a statutory redundancy payment or a 
payment in lieu of notice or damages for loss of office is capped 
at an amount equal to 12 months base salary. The Company will 
honour the contractual entitlements of a terminated director; 
however, the Company may terminate an executive's service 
contract with immediate effect and without compensation on a 
number of grounds including where the executive is 
incapacitated for 130 days in any 12 month period, becomes  

bankrupt, fails to perform his duties to a reasonable standard, 
acts dishonestly, is guilty of misconduct or persistent breach of 
his duties, brings the Company into disrepute, is convicted of a 
criminal offence, is disqualified as a director, refuses to agree to 
the transfer of his service contract where there is a transfer of the 
business in which he is working or ceases to be eligible to work in 
Spain or the UK (as applicable). 

Under the PSP and IADP, if a director leaves, the Board, 
after considering the recommendation of the Remuneration 
Committee, may exercise their discretion (within the rules of the 
two schemes) to grant Good Leaver status. This can be granted 
in certain circumstances including for example (list not 
exhaustive) the director leaving for reasons of ill-health, 
redundancy, retirement, or death. Executive directors leaving 
with Good Leaver status will receive shares awarded to them 
under the IADP scheme, and a pro-rata amount of their PSP 
shares subject to the company performance conditions being 
met. The pro-ration is calculated according to what proportion of 
the performance period the executive director spent in company 
service. If Good Leaver status is not granted to an executive 
director, all outstanding awards made to them under the PSP 
and IADP will lapse. 

In the event of an executive director’s termination from the 
Company, they must not be employed by, or provide services to, 
a Restricted Business (i.e. an airline or travel business that 
competes with the Company) for a period of six months. 

Non-Executive Directors 

Non-executive directors (including the Chairman) do not have 
service contracts. Their appointment is subject to the Board 
regulations and the Company’s Bylaws. They do not have the 
right to any compensation in the event of termination as 
directors. Board members shall hold office for a period of one (1) 
year. The dates of the Chairman’s and current non-executive 
directors’ appointments are as follows: 

Non-Executive Director 

Antonio Vázquez 
Patrick Cescau  
Baroness Kingsmill  
James Lawrence  
Kieran Poynter 
Alberto Terol  
Dame Marjorie Scardino 
María Fernanda Mejía  
Marc Bolland 
Emilio Saracho 

Date of the first appointment 

Date of last re-election 

May 25, 2010 
September 27, 2010 
September 27, 2010 
September 27, 2010 
September 27, 2010 
June 20, 2013 
December 19, 2013 
February 27, 2014 
June 16, 2016 
June 16, 2016 

June 16, 2016 
June 16, 2016 
June 16, 2016 
June 16, 2016 
June 16, 2016 
June 16, 2016 
June 16, 2016 
June 16, 2016 
June 16, 2016 
June 16, 2016 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
84

Report of the Remuneration Committee continued 

Consideration of employment conditions  
elsewhere in the Group 

The pay of employees across all companies in IAG is taken into 
account when determining the level of any increase in the annual 
salary review of directors. This takes place each year at the 
January Committee meeting. 

When determining the PSP awards for executive directors, the 
Committee takes note of the eligibility criteria and the potential 
size of awards for executives below director level in all companies 
within IAG. 

At the operating company level, the company consults with 
employee representative bodies, including trade unions and 
works councils. This will include consultation on company 
strategy, the competitive environment, and employee terms and 
conditions. In addition, some of the operating companies run 
employee opinion surveys in order to take into consideration 
employee views on a variety of subjects, including leadership, 
management, and pay and benefits.  

Consideration of shareholder views 

The Committee discusses at its October meeting each year  
the issues and outcomes from the annual Shareholders’ Meeting 
held in June, and determines any appropriate action required  
as a result. 

The Company consults regularly with its major investors on all 
matters relating to executive remuneration. The Company will 
engage in an extensive investor consultation exercise whenever 
there are any significant changes to remuneration policy. 

External Non-Executive Directorship 

The Company’s consent is required before an executive can 
accept an external non-executive appointment and permission 
is only given in appropriate circumstances. 

Approach to recruitment remuneration 

The remuneration for new executive directors will be in line with 
the policy for current executive directors as far as possible, as 
expressed in the policy table earlier in this report.  

On appointment, new executive directors will have their basic 
salary set by taking into account the external market, their peers, 
and their level of experience. New executive directors will 
participate in the annual and long-term incentives on the same 
basis as existing directors.  

The Board, after considering the recommendation of the 
Remuneration Committee, retains the discretion to deviate from 
the stated remuneration policy as necessary to ensure the hiring 
of candidates of the appropriate calibre with due regard to the 
best interests of shareholders. For example, to facilitate 
recruitment, the Board, after considering the recommendation 
of the Committee, may make one-off awards to “buy out” 
variable pay or contractual rights forfeited on leaving a previous 
employer. Generally, such buy-out awards will be made on a 
comparable basis to those forfeited giving due regard to all 
relevant factors (including value, performance targets, the 
likelihood of those targets being met and vesting periods). In 
such circumstances, shareholders will be provided with full 
details and rationale in the next published remuneration report.  

Excluding the value of any potential buy-out, the maximum 
value of variable remuneration offered at recruitment to any 
new executive director will be 500 per cent of base salary, 
in line with the stated policy. Note: the maximum value of 
variable remuneration will be no more than that awarded to 
current directors.  

In the case of an internal promotion to executive director, the 
Company will continue to honour any commitments made 
before promotion. Other than that, the remuneration 
arrangements on recruitment will be as above.  

Non-executive directors will be recruited in line with the 
Company’s remuneration policy principles outlined before. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

85

Annual Remuneration Report  
Committee terms of reference 

The Committee’s composition, competencies and operating rules are regulated by article 31 of the IAG Board Regulations. A copy of 
these Regulations is available on the Company’s website. 

Beyond executive directors, the Committee oversees the general application of the remuneration policy to the IAG Management 
Committee (and also remuneration matters of senior managers generally across the Group). 

Remuneration Committee membership and activity 

According to article 31 of the Board Regulations the Remuneration Committee shall be made up of no less than three and no more 
than five non-executive directors appointed by the Board, with the dedication, capacity and experience necessary to carry out their 
function. A majority of the members of the Remuneration Committee shall be Independent directors. Dame Marjorie Scardino is 
Chairman of the Committee. For the reporting period all members were considered Independent non-executive directors of the 
Company and none of the members has any personal financial interest, other than as a shareholder, in the matters to be decided. 

Key topics covered at Remuneration Committee meetings 

In 2016, the Committee met three times and discussed, amongst others, the following matters: 

Meeting 

January 

February 

October 

Agenda items discussed 

Review of IAG Management Committee members’ basic salaries 
Approval of the 2016 annual incentive plan 
Approval of the 2016 Performance Share Plan 
2015 annual incentive plan payments to IAG Management Committee members 
Vesting outcome of the Performance Share Plan 2013 award 
Final review of 2015 Directors’ Remuneration Report 
Executive remuneration market update 
Remuneration strategy for 2017 
Review of non-executive directors’ remuneration 

Advisers to the Committee 

The Committee appointed Towers Watson (now known as Willis 
Towers Watson) as its external advisers in 2014. This 
appointment ceased on September 19, 2016. Willis Towers 
Watson reported directly to the Committee. The fees paid to 
Willis Towers Watson for advice provided to the Remuneration 
Committee during 2016 until their appointment ceased were 
€29,633. Willis Towers Watson is a signatory to the voluntary UK 
Code of Conduct for executive remuneration consultants. Willis 
Towers Watson also provides other services to the Company  
in terms of the valuation of awards under the PSP for  
accounting purposes. 

The Committee appointed Deloitte as its external advisers 
following a tender process, effective from September 20, 2016. 
Deloitte report directly to the Committee. The fees paid to 
Deloitte for advice provided to the Remuneration Committee 
from their appointment date until the end of 2016 were €37,616, 
charged on a time and materials basis. Deloitte is a member of 
the Remuneration Consultants Group and a signatory to the 
voluntary UK Code of Conduct. As well as advising the 
Remuneration Committee, Deloitte provided remuneration 
advice, pension advice, internal audit advisory and tax consulting 
services to the Group in 2016. The Committee has reviewed the 
remuneration advice provided by Deloitte during the year and is 
comfortable that it has been objective and independent. 

The Company obtained high level headline remuneration survey 
data from a variety of sources. During the year, the CEO of IAG 
provided regular briefings to the Committee apart from when his 
own remuneration was being discussed.  

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
86

Report of the Remuneration Committee continued 

Single total figure of remuneration for each director 

Subject to full audit 

Non-Executive Directors 

Director  
(€’000) 

Antonio Vázquez1 
Sir Martin Broughton2 
Patrick Cescau3 
César Alierta4 
Marc Bolland5 
Baroness Kingsmill 
James Lawrence6 
María Fernanda Mejía  
José Pedro Pérez-Llorca7 
Kieran Poynter  
Emilio Saracho8 
Dame Marjorie Scardino 
Alberto Terol  
Total (€’000) 

Fees 

511 
162 
136 
55 
65 
120 
129 
120 
– 
131 
65 
140 
120 
1,754 

Taxable 
benefits 

Total for year to 
December 31, 
2016 

35 
33 
22 
– 
– 
27 
9 
3 
– 
35 
4 
55 
33 
256 

546 
195 
158 
55 
65 
147 
138 
123 
– 
166 
69 
195 
153 
2,010 

Fees 

484 
350 
120 
120 
– 
135 
140 
120 
60 
120 
– 
125 
120 
1,894 

Taxable 
benefits 

Total for year to 
December 31, 
2015 

19 
56 
34 
– 
– 
25 
37 
8 
6 
29 
– 
72 
26 
312 

503 
406 
154 
120 
– 
160 
177 
128 
66 
149 
– 
197 
146 
2,206 

1(cid:3) Antonio Vázquez took a voluntary 25 per cent reduction in his fee from December 1, 2012 until October 31, 2016 

2(cid:3) Sir Martin Broughton retired from the Board on June 16, 2016 

3(cid:3) Patrick Cescau was appointed as Senior Independent Director on June 16, 2016 

4(cid:3) César Alierta retired from the Board on June 16, 2016 

5(cid:3) Mark Bolland joined the Board on June 16, 2016 

6(cid:3) James Lawrence chaired the Audit and Compliance Committee until June 16, 2016 when he was replaced in this position by Kieran Poynter 

7(cid:3) José Pedro Pérez-Llorca was no longer a director from June 18, 2015 

8(cid:3) Emilio Saracho joined the Board on June 16, 2016 

Additional explanations in respect of the single total figure table  

Each director has confirmed in writing that they have not received any other items in the nature of remuneration other than those already disclosed in the table above. 

Fees 

Fees paid in the year for non-executive directors. 

Taxable benefits 

Taxable benefits including personal travel. 

For the year to December 31, 2016, €:£ exchange rate applied is 1.2347 

For the year to December 31, 2015, €:£ exchange rate applied is 1.3742 

Executive Directors 

The table below sets out the single total figure and breakdown for each executive director. An explanation of how the figures are 
calculated follows the table. The remuneration for each executive director reflects the performance of the Company and the 
contribution each individual has made to the ongoing success of the Company. 

2016 

Director (’000) 

Executive Directors 
Willie Walsh (GBP)1 
Willie Walsh (euro) 
Enrique Dupuy de Lôme (GBP)1 
Enrique Dupuy de Lôme (euro) 
Total (€’000) 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Base 
salary 

850 
1,049 
536 
662 
1,711 

Taxable 
benefits 

Pension 
related 
benefits 

Annual  
incentive  
award  

Long-term 
incentive 
vesting 

Total for year to 
December 31 
2016 

24 
30 
19 
23 
53 

213 
263 
134 
165 
428 

567 
700 
241 
298 
998 

808 
998 
294 
363 
1,361 

2,462 
3,040 
1,224 
1,511 
4,551 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

87

Additional explanations in respect of the single total figure table for 2016 

Each director has confirmed in writing that they have not received any other items in the nature of remuneration other than those already disclosed in the table above. 

Base salary 

Salary paid in year for executive directors.  

Taxable benefits 

Taxable benefits including personal travel and, where applicable, a company car, fuel, occasional chauffeur services and private health insurance.  

Pension related benefits 

Employer contribution to pension scheme, and/or cash in lieu of pension contribution.  

Annual incentive plan 

Annual incentive award for the period ended December 31, 2016 (accrued at December 31, 2016, but cash payments (50 per cent of the award) not paid until March 2017). The outcomes of 
the performance conditions which determined the award are described in the next section. Half of the annual incentive award is deferred into shares for three years (Incentive Award Deferral 
Plan (IADP)). For the 2016 annual incentive plan, these will vest in March 2020. 

Long-term incentive vesting 

This relates to the IAG PSP 2014 award based on performance measured to December 31, 2016, although the shares vested will not be delivered until March 2017. For the purposes of this 
table, the award has been valued using the average share price in the three months to December 31, 2016 of 425.9 pence. The outcomes of the performance conditions which determined 
vesting are described below.  

For the year to December 31, 2016, €:£ exchange rate applied is 1.2347 

For the year to December 31, 2015, €:£ exchange rate applied is 1.3742 

2015 

Director (’000) 

Executive Directors 
Willie Walsh (GBP)1 
Willie Walsh (euro) 
Enrique Dupuy de Lôme (GBP)1 
Enrique Dupuy de Lôme (euro) 
Total (€’000) 

Base 
salary 

850 

1,168 
525 

721 
1,889 

Taxable 
benefits 

Pension 
related 
benefits 

Annual  
incentive  
award 

Long-term 
incentive 
vesting 

Total for year to 
December 31, 
2015 

27 

37 
19 

26 
63 

213 

293 
131 

180 
473 

1,360 

1,869 
483 

664 
2,533 

4,005 

5,504 
1,456 

2,001 
7,505 

6,455 

8,871 
2,614 

3,592 
12,463 

1(cid:3) Willie Walsh and Enrique Dupuy de Lôme remuneration is paid in sterling and expressed in euro for information purposes only. 

Life Insurance 

The Company provides life insurance for all executive directors. 
For the year to December 31, 2016 the Company paid 
contributions of €18,555 (2015: €28,230).  

Variable pay outcomes  

Subject to audit 

2016 Annual Incentive Plan 

At the beginning of 2016, the Board, upon a recommendation by 
the Committee, set IAG operating profit as the financial target to 
be applied to the two-thirds of the Annual Incentive Plan for that 
year. Operating profit was considered to be the most appropriate 
financial measure in aligning shareholder interests with the 
Company and individual performance. For the one-third portion 

based on role-specific objectives, the Remuneration  
Committee, on the proposal of the Chairman, considered the 
Chief Executive Officer’s performance against his objectives;  
and the Remuneration Committee, on the proposal of the  
Chief Executive Officer, considered the Chief Financial Officer’s 
performance against his objectives. Both performance 
evaluations were submitted to the Board for final approval  
on February 23, 2017. 

The maximum award for the Chief Executive Officer of IAG was 
200 per cent of salary (100 per cent of salary for on-target 
performance), and for the Chief Financial Officer of IAG 150 per 
cent of salary (75 per cent of salary for on-target performance). 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
88

Report of the Remuneration Committee continued 

The outcomes of the performance conditions were as follows: 

Measure 

IAG Operating Profit (before 
exceptional items) 
(67 per cent) 

Payout 

per cent of  
maximum awarded 

Role-specific objectives 
(33 per cent) 

Outcomes versus targets 

per cent of  
maximum awarded 

Details of any discretion 
exercised 
Overall outcome 

Chief Executive Officer of IAG 

Chief Financial Officer of IAG 

€0 
£0 

€0 
£0 

0 per cent 
Please see below for details of 
the performance target ranges 

0 per cent 
Please see below for details of 
the performance target ranges 

€699,663 
£566,667 
Please see below for details of 
the extent of the achievement 
of objectives. 

€297,699 
£241,110 
Please see below for details of 
the extent of the achievement 
of objectives. 

100 per cent 

90 per cent 

€699,663 
£566,667 

€297,699 
£241,110 

Half of the overall outcome of the annual incentive detailed 
above is payable in deferred shares in the Company vesting after 
three years (under the Incentive Award Deferral Plan). IAG 
operating profit (before exceptional items) for 2016 (two-thirds of 
the annual incentive) did not reach the threshold level at which 
payments begin, and therefore this has resulted in zero per cent 
of the maximum paying out for this element of the incentive 
(2015: 70 per cent). The target range for 2016 was as follows: the 
threshold level at which payments would begin was €2,800 
million, the on-target level at which 50 per cent of the maximum 
would pay out was €3,200 million, and the stretch target level at 
which the maximum would pay out was €3,600 million. There 
was a straight line sliding scale between the threshold level and 
the on-target level, and between the on-target level and the 
stretch target level. 

Performance against role-specific objectives: Chief 
Executive Officer of IAG 

Willie Walsh provided strong and effective leadership of IAG 
throughout 2016 in a tough external environment. He continued 
to drive strategic transformational change across the Group and 
maintained the focus on cost control and capacity management. 
He is widely recognised as an industry leader and in 2016 he was 
appointed chairman of the IATA Board of Governors and was 
also one of the founding CEOs of Airlines for Europe (A4E). 

Achievements in 2016 included an improvement in financial 
performance leading to an increase of 10% in the interim dividend 
and continued growth across the Group which flew a record of 
over 100 million passengers in 2016. However, various external 
headwinds meant the Group did not reach all its targets, notably 
operating profit was below the threshold level, despite achieving 
a year on year improvement. Succession planning was a 
significant area of focus for the CEO in 2016 with several key 
internal appointments being made to leadership positions. 

Performance against role-specific objectives: Chief Financial 
Officer of IAG 

Enrique Dupuy delivered strong personal performance 
throughout 2016 and provided effective financial leadership of 
the Group throughout the year. Initiatives led by him during 2016 
led to a 10 per cent (€2 billion) structural saving in long-term 
invested capital. 

Despite missing the Group’s operating profit targets for the year, 
achievements included the delivery of cost savings and 
maintaining a strong balance sheet and equity free cash flow to 
strengthen the sustainability of the dividend. Succession planning 
was also an important area of focus for the CFO, with 
appointments made in key finance positions. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

89

IAG PSP Award 2014 

The IAG PSP award granted on March 6, 2014 was tested at the end of the performance period which began on January 1, 2014 and 
ended on December 31, 2016. The awards were equivalent to 200 per cent of salary for the Chief Executive Officer of IAG and 120 per 
cent of salary for the Chief Financial Officer of IAG. 

50 per cent of the award was subject to achievement of the Company’s adjusted EPS targets and 50 per cent subject to a TSR 
performance condition measured against an index. The vesting of any award was subject to the Board being satisfied that the Group’s 
underlying financial performance was satisfactory in the circumstances prevailing over the three year period. 

The outcome of the performance condition was as follows: 

Measure 

Threshold 

Maximum 

Outcome 

TSR performance compared to the TSR 
performance of the MSCI European 
Transportation (large and mid-cap)  
index (50 per cent) 

IAG’s TSR 
performance equal to 
the index (25 per 
cent of award vests) 

Adjusted Earnings per Share (EPS) 
(50 per cent) 

Details of any discretion exercised 
Overall outcome 

IAG PSP Award 2013 

2016 EPS of 34 
€cents (10 per cent 
of award vests) 

IAG’s TSR 
performance 
exceeds index by 8 
per cent p.a. (100 per 
cent of award vests) 
2016 EPS of 56 
€cents (100 per cent 
of award vests) 

Vesting (as per cent 
award granted in 2014) 

0 per cent 

IAG underperformed 
the index by 3 per 
cent p.a. 

90.2 €cents 

100 per cent 

50 per cent 

The IAG PSP award granted on March 6, 2013 was tested at the end of the performance period which began on January 1, 2013 and 
ended on December 31, 2015. The awards were equivalent to 200 per cent of salary for the Chief Executive Officer of IAG and 120 per 
cent of salary for the Chief Financial Officer of IAG. 

50 per cent of the award was subject to achievement of the Company’s adjusted EPS targets and 50 per cent subject to a TSR 
performance condition measured against an index. The vesting of any award was subject to the Board being satisfied that the Group’s 
underlying financial performance was satisfactory in the circumstances prevailing over the three year period. 

The outcome of the performance condition was as follows: 

Measure 

Threshold 

Maximum 

Outcome 

TSR performance compared to the TSR 
performance of the MSCI European 
Transportation (large and mid-cap) index 
(50 per cent) 

IAG’s TSR 
performance equal to 
the index (25 per 
cent of award vests) 

Adjusted Earnings per Share (EPS) 
(50 per cent) 

Details of any discretion exercised 
Overall outcome 

2015 EPS of 30 
€cents (10 per cent 
of award vests) 

IAG’s TSR 
performance 
exceeds index by 8 
per cent p.a. (100 per 
cent of award vests) 
2015 EPS of 52 
€cents (100 per cent 
of award vests) 

Vesting (as per cent 
award granted in 2013) 

100 per cent 

Performance 
exceeded index by 
35 per cent p.a. 

71.4 €cents 

100 per cent 

100 per cent 

Scheme interests awarded during the financial year 

Subject to Audit 

The IAG PSP is a discretionary plan targeted at key senior  
Group executives and managers who directly influence 
shareholder value. The Company granted an award under the 
PSP on March 7, 2016. The table in this section sets out the key 
details of the award. 

.

The Committee believes that comparing the Company’s TSR to 
that of European transportation companies, including airlines, is 
appropriate, given that these companies are subject to external 
influences impacting share price performance similar to those of 
the Group. This comparison therefore provides a good reference 
point for management outperformance and value creation.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
90

Report of the Remuneration Committee continued 

The Committee believes that EPS performance provides a strong measure of the underlying financial performance of the business. 

Return on Invested Capital (RoIC) is a financial measure that quantifies how well a company generates cash flow relative to the capital 
it has invested in its business. The Committee believes that it also provides a strong measure of the underlying financial performance 
of the business. It is one of the main areas that the Company wishes to focus on improving for the long-term. 

PSP 2016 – eligibility, metrics, and targets 

Type of award  
Basis of determination of the 
size of award 
Face value awarded (per cent of 
salary) 
Grant price  
Performance period 
Performance conditions 

Weighting 
Threshold 

Target 

Maximum 

Shares 
Awards only made to those executives who are consistently high-performing, and/or are in key 
roles, and/or whom the Company wishes to retain in the long term. 
CEO of IAG – 200 per cent 

Other executive directors – 150 per cent 

£5.41 
January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018 
EPS performance targets 

RoIC performance targets 

One-third 
2018 EPS of 105 €cents  
10 per cent vests 

One-third 
2018 RoIC of 12 per cent 
10 per cent vests 

2018 EPS between 105 €cents 
and 145 €cents 
(straight line vesting between 
threshold and maximum) 

2018 RoIC between 12 per  
cent and 15 per cent  
(straight line vesting between 
threshold and maximum) 

2018 EPS of 145 €cents 
100 per cent vests 

2018 RoIC of 15 per cent 
100 per cent vests 

TSR performance compared to 
the TSR performance of the 
MSCI European Transportation 
(large and mid-cap) index 
One-third 
IAG’s TSR performance equal to 
the index 
25 per cent vests 
IAG’s TSR performance between 
index return and 8 per cent p.a. 
outperformance 
(straight line vesting between 
threshold and maximum) 
IAG’s TSR performance exceeds 
index by 8 per cent p.a. 
100 per cent vests 

Holding period 

Additional period of two years after the performance period 

EPS is based on diluted EPS adjusted for exceptional items. The Board, after considering the recommendation of the Remuneration 
Committee, retains the discretion to review and, if appropriate, revise the EPS targets and/or definition in the context of any corporate 
transactions, provided that, in its view, any revised targets are no more or less challenging than the original targets. To the extent that 
any such adjustments are made, the Committee will disclose the basis for any adjustments and the rationale in subsequent reports. 

Total pension entitlements 

Subject to Audit 

The Company operates a defined contribution scheme in which the executive directors are entitled to receive a contribution of 25 per 
cent of base salary. Executives may opt to receive a salary supplement in lieu of such contributions. 

Willie Walsh was a member of the Company’s pension scheme until March 31, 2016 and the Company paid contributions during the 
reporting period of £9,987 (2015: £39,950), plus cash in lieu of contributions of £202,513 (2015: £172,550). 

Enrique Dupuy de Lôme is not a member of the Company’s pension scheme, and the Company therefore did not pay any 
contributions during the reporting period (2015: zero). He received cash in lieu of contributions of £133,950 (2015: £131,325). 

Payments for loss of office 

No executive directors have left office during 2016. There were no payments made to non-executive directors after they left office 
during 2016.  

Payments to past directors 

José Pedro Pérez-Llorca received travel benefits worth €4,380 during 2016 after he had left the Company. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

91

Statement of Voting 

The table below shows the consultative vote on the 2015 annual Directors’ Remuneration Report at the 2016 annual Shareholders’ 
Meeting, and the binding vote on the Directors’ Remuneration Policy at the 2015 annual Shareholders’ Meeting: 

2015 Annual Directors’ 
Remuneration Report 
Directors’ Remuneration 
Policy  

Number of votes cast 

1,400,009,837 

1,313,200,803 

For 

Against 

Abstentions/Blank 

1,328,811,284 
(94.914 per cent) 
973,503,807
(74.132 per cent) 

18,478,393  
(1.320 per cent) 
49,560,764 
(3.774 per cent) 

52,720,160 
(3.766 per cent) 
290,136,232
(22.094 per cent) 

Statement of Directors’ Shareholding and Share Interests 

Subject to Audit 

In order that their interests are aligned with those of shareholders, each executive director is required to build up and maintain a 
minimum personal shareholding in the Company. 

Under the Group’s shareholding guidelines, the CEO of IAG is required to build up and maintain a shareholding of 250 per cent of 
salary. Other executive directors are required to build up and maintain shareholdings of 200 per cent of salary. In addition, they are 
required to retain the entire 100 per cent of shares (net of tax) which vest from share plans until their respective shareholding 
requirement is attained. The Committee has reviewed executive directors’ progress against the requirements and notes that both 
executive directors are well above the shareholding requirement. There has been a significant improvement in shareholding for the 
executive directors over the past three years, as a result of PSP awards vesting, and deferred shares awards from annual 
incentive plans. 

Shares which count towards the guideline include shares already held by the executive, vested and exercised shares, vested and 
unexercised shares, and unvested deferred annual incentive shares. The table below summarises current executive directors’ interests 
as of December 31, 2016: 

Executive Director 

Willie Walsh 

Enrique Dupuy de Lôme 

Shareholding 
requirement 

Shares 
owned 

Shares already 
vested from 
performance 
share plans 

Shares already 
vested from 
deferred annual 
incentive plans 

Unvested shares 
from deferred 
annual  
incentive plans 

250 per cent 
of salary 
200 per cent 
of salary 

72,000 

1,457,328 

126,754 

225,375 

100 

413,967 

52,740 

77,263 

Total qualifying 
shareholding 

1,881,457 
(1017 per cent of salary) 
544,070 
(523 per cent of salary) 

External Non-Executive Directorship 

The Company’s consent is required before an executive director can accept an external non-executive appointment and permission is 
only given in appropriate circumstances. During the reporting period in question no executive director held a directorship from which 
they retained a fee. 

Willie Walsh is a non-executive director of the Irish National Treasury Management Agency, for which he has declined a fee. 

Non-Executive Directors 

Non-executive directors are paid a flat fee each year. The Non-Executive Chairman’s fee is €645,000, and this was voluntarily reduced 
by 25 per cent to €483,750 from December 1, 2012 until October 31, 2016 (when the Chairman accepted the proposal of the Board of 
Directors to reverse the voluntary 25 per cent reduction of his remuneration). Other non-executive directors have a fee of €120,000. 
The additional fee for holding a Committee chairmanship is €20,000. As regards the position of Senior Independent Director, the 
functions of this role were previously performed by the Deputy Chairman and embedded in his remuneration (an annual fee of 
€350,000). Given that the newly appointed Senior Independent Director does not hold the position of Deputy Chairman, the 
additional fee for discharging the functions of Senior Independent Director has been reduced to €30,000. 

In relation to the Chairman, as set out in the British Airways/Iberia merger documentation, the conditions of the service contract with 
Iberia were taken into account at the time of the merger. This means that he will therefore continue to be entitled to a lump-sum 
retirement benefit in an amount of €2,800,000. The fund balance under the policy (including accrued interest) will be paid upon exit 
from the Company for any reason. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
92

Report of the Remuneration Committee continued 

Directors’ interests in shares 

Subject to audit 

Antonio Vázquez  
Willie Walsh 
Marc Bolland 
Patrick Cescau 
Enrique Dupuy de Lôme  
Baroness Kingsmill 
James Lawrence1 
María Fernanda Mejía  
Kieran Poynter 
Emilio Saracho 
Dame Marjorie Scardino 
Alberto Terol  
Total 

Total shares and 
voting rights 

Percentage
of capital 

512,291 
1,656,082 
0 
0 
466,807 
2,000 
326,500 
100 
15,000 
0 
100 
16,900 
2,995,780

0.024 
0.078 
0.000 
0.000 
0.022 
0.000 
0.016 
0.000 
0.001 
0.000 
0.000 
0.001 
0.140

1(cid:3) Held as IAG ADSs (one IAG ADS equals two IAG shares). 

There have been no changes to the shareholdings set out above between December 31, 2016 and the date of this report. 

Share scheme dilution limits 

The Investment Association sets guidelines that restrict the issue of new shares under all the Company’s share schemes in any ten 
year period to 10 per cent of the issued ordinary share capital and restrict the issues under the Company’s discretionary schemes to 5 
per cent in any ten year period. At the annual Shareholders’ Meeting on June 18, 2015 the Company was given authority to allocate up 
to 67,500,000 shares (3.31 per cent of the share capital) in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. Of this a maximum of 7,650,000 shares could be 
allocated to executive directors under all IAG share plans for awards made during 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. At December 31, 2016, 
2.33 per cent of the share capital had been allocated under the IAG share plans. 

The highest and lowest closing prices of the Company’s shares during the period and the share price at December 31, 2016 were: 

At December 31 2016 
Highest in the period 
Lowest in the period 

441p 
611p 
344p 

Company performance graph and Chief Executive Officer of IAG ‘single figure’ table  

The chart shows the value by December 31, 2016 of a hypothetical £100 invested on listing compared with the value of £100 invested 
in the FTSE 100 index over the same period. A spot share price has been taken on the date of listing, and a three month average has 
been taken prior to the year ends.  

The FTSE 100 was selected because it is a broad equity index of which the Company is a constituent, and the index is widely 
recognised. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
IAG’s total shareholder return (TSR) performance compared to the FTSE 100 

250

200

150

100

50

93

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Jan 2011

Dec 2011

Dec 2012

Dec 2013

Dec 2014

Dec 2015

Dec 2016

IAG

FTSE 100

The table below shows the CEO ‘single total figure’ of remuneration for each year since the creation of IAG in January 2011: 

CEO of IAG – ‘total single figure’ 
of remuneration 

Annual  
incentive 

Long-term incentive 

2011 

£1,550,000 

2012  
2013 

£1,083,000 
£4,971,000 

2014 

£6,390,000 

2015 

£6,455,000 

2016 

£2,462,000 

Includes annual incentive payment of 
£302,000 (18 per cent of maximum). 
No annual incentive payment. 
Includes annual incentive payment of 
£1,299,375 (78.75 per cent of maximum). 
Includes annual incentive payment of 
£1,662,222 (97.78 per cent of maximum). 
Includes annual incentive payment of 
£1,360,000 (80 per cent of maximum). 
Includes annual incentive payment of  
£566,667 (33.33 per cent of maximum). 

Includes £251,594 value of long-term incentives 
vesting (35 per cent of maximum). 
Zero vesting of long-term incentives. 
Includes £2,593,569 value of long-term incentives 
vesting (100 per cent of maximum). 
Includes £3,640,135 value of long-term incentives 
vesting (85 per cent of maximum). 
Includes £4,405,185 value of long-term incentives 
vesting (100 per cent of maximum). 
Includes £807,741 value of long-term incentives 
vesting (50 per cent of maximum). 

Single total figure of remuneration includes basic salary, taxable benefits, pension related benefits, annual incentive award, and long-
term incentive vesting. 

2011 figure includes 20 days of remuneration in January 2011 paid by British Airways. 

Percentage change in remuneration of the Chief Executive Officer of IAG compared to employees  

The table below shows how the remuneration of the Chief Executive Officer of IAG has changed for 2016 compared to 2015.  

This is then compared to a group of appropriate employees. It has been determined that the most appropriate group of employees 
are all UK employees in the Group, comprising around 40,000 employees in total. To make the comparison between the CEO of IAG 
and employees as meaningful as possible, it was determined that as large a group as possible of employees should be chosen.  

The selection of all UK employees in the Group (roughly two-thirds of the entire Group’s employees) meets these criteria. The majority 
of the 40,000 UK employees in the Group are employed by BA, but there are also a number of employees from all other companies 
in the Group based in the UK. It was determined that employees outside the UK would not be considered for the comparison, as very 
different employment market conditions exist in other countries. 

Chief Executive Officer of IAG 

UK employees 

Basic salary 

No basic salary increase for 2016. 

Annual incentive 

Taxable benefits 

Decrease from £1,360,000 in March 2016  
(covering the 2015 performance period) to  
£566,667 in March 2017 (covering the 2016  
performance period). This represents a  
58 per cent decrease. 
No change in benefits policy. 
Actual payments decreased to £24,000 in  
2016 from £27,000 in 2015. 

Basic salary awards in 2016 at UK companies in the 
Group averaged around 2 per cent. 
Changes in overall annual incentive payments for 
2016 vs. 2015 varied considerably around the Group, 
depending on the incentive design, financial 
performance, and non-financial performance at each 
individual company. 
No change in benefits policy. 
Overall costs 2016 vs. 2015 increased very slightly in 
line with inflation. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
94

Report of the Remuneration Committee continued 

Relative importance of spend on pay 

The table below shows, for 2016 and 2015, total remuneration costs, operating profit, and dividends for the Company. 

2016 

2015 

Total employee costs, IAG 
Total remuneration, directors (including non-executive directors) 
IAG Operating Profit (before exceptional items) 
Dividend declared 
Dividend proposed 

Total employee costs are before exceptional items.  

€6,561,000 

€4,731,000,000  €4,905,000,000 
€14,669,000 
€2,535,000,000  €2,300,000,000 
€407,000,000 
– 

€233,000,000 
€265,000,000 

The figure used for IAG operating profit for 2015 excludes Aer Lingus’ contribution to the Company. 

Implementation of remuneration policy for 2017 

Basic Salary 

Basic salaries for executive directors are reviewed from January 1 each year. After careful consideration of Company affordability, the 
worth of each executive, retention risks, and the size of pay increases generally across the Group for 2017 (which varied across the 
Group from 2 per cent to 2.5 per cent), the Board, following the recommendation of the Remuneration Committee, approved the 
following: 

Executive Director 

Basic salary review 

Chief Executive Officer of IAG 
Chief Financial Officer of IAG 

£850,000 (€1,049,000) (no increase from 2016). 
£547,000 (€675,000) (in UK sterling terms, an increase of 2.1% from 2016). 

The Remuneration Committee agreed to offer the Chief Executive Officer a salary increase in line with that applied to other 
executives, however it was respectfully declined by him. 

2017 annual incentive plan 

For 2017, the maximum award for the Chief Executive Officer of IAG will be 200 per cent of salary and for the Chief Financial Officer of 
IAG 150 per cent of salary. The weighting for the IAG operating profit measure will remain at two-thirds. The role-specific objectives 
measure (weighting: one-third) will include 25 per cent on personal performance and 8.33 per cent based on a customer measure, Net 
Promoter Score (NPS). NPS is used to gauge the loyalty of the Group’s customer relationships. NPS is calculated based on survey 
responses, by subtracting the percentage of customers who are ‘Detractors’ from the percentage of customers who are ‘Promoters’. 
The Board, after considering the recommendation of the Committee, has approved a stretching target range for IAG operating profit 
and NPS for 2017 at the threshold, on-target and maximum levels. At threshold, there will be a zero pay-out, 50 per cent of the 
maximum will pay out at the on-target level, and 100 per cent of the maximum will pay out at the stretch target level. There will be a 
straight line sliding scale between threshold and on-target, and on-target and the stretch target. For commercial reasons, the target 
range for IAG operating profit will not be disclosed until after the end of the performance year. It will be disclosed in next year’s 
Remuneration Report. 

2017 Performance Share Plan award 

The Board, on the Committee’s recommendation, has approved a PSP award for 2017, with a performance period of January 1, 2017 to 
December 31, 2019. 

For 2017, the face value of awards for the Chief Executive Officer will be 200 per cent of salary and for the Chief Financial Officer 150 
per cent of salary. 

The Board has approved the use of three performance conditions, each with a one-third weighting. These are the same three 
performance conditions and weightings that were used in 2015 and 2016. 

The first is based on IAG TSR performance relative to the MSCI European Transportation Index. This condition is considered 
appropriate because the companies in the index are subject to external influences impacting share price similar to those of the Group. 
The target range is identical to 2016, and is outlined earlier in this report. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

95

The second performance condition is based on adjusted EPS. This condition is considered appropriate because it provides a strong 
measure of the underlying financial performance of the business. The Board and the Committee have agreed that the earnings per 
share (EPS) target range for the 2017 PSP award should be slightly decreased compared to the 2016 PSP award, reflecting the 
challenging long-term market conditions. However, the target range remains appropriately stretching. The adjusted EPS measure  
will be as follows: 

Weighting 

Threshold 

Target (straight line vesting between threshold and maximum) 
Maximum 

One-third 

2019 adjusted EPS of 100 €cents
10 per cent vests 
2019 adjusted EPS between 100 €cents and 130 €cents 
2019 adjusted EPS of 130 €cents
100 per cent vests 

The third performance condition is Return on Invested Capital (RoIC). This is a financial measure that quantifies how well a company 
generates cash flow relative to the capital it has invested in its business, and is considered an appropriate measure because it also 
provides a strong measure of the underlying financial performance of the business. The RoIC measure will be as follows: 

Weighting 

Threshold 

Target (straight line vesting between threshold and maximum) 
Maximum 

One-third 

2019 RoIC of 12 per cent
10 per cent vests 
2019 RoIC between 12 per cent and 15 per cent 
2019 RoIC of 15 per cent
100 per cent vests 

There will be an additional holding period of two years. This means that executives will be required to retain the shares for a minimum 
of two years following the end of the performance period. This is to strengthen the alignment between executives and shareholders.  

Taxable benefits and pension related benefits 

Taxable benefits and pension related benefits (as a percentage of basic salary) remain unchanged for 2017. 

Non-Executive Director Fees 

Non-executive director fees were reviewed in 2016 but remain unchanged for 2017. The fees have remained unchanged since 2011. 

Supplementary Information 

Directors’ conditional awards 

The following directors held conditional awards over ordinary shares of the Company granted under the IAG PSP. 

Director 

Plan 

Date of
award 

Number 
of awards at 
January 1, 2016 

Awards 
vested during 
the year 

Awards  
lapsed during  
the year 

Awards 
made during 
the year 

Number of
 awards at 
December 31, 2016 

Executive Directors 
Willie Walsh 

Total 

IAG PSP  March 6, 2013 
IAG PSP  March 6, 2014 

Enrique Dupuy de Lôme 

IAG PSP  March 6, 2013 
IAG PSP  March 6, 2014 

Total 

684,647 
379,310 
1,063,957

248,963 
137,931 
386,894

684,647 
– 
684,647

248,963 
– 
248,963

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
–

– 
– 
–

– 
379,310 
379,310

– 
137,931 
137,931

The performance conditions for the 2014 PSP award above were tested by the Remuneration Committee, and reported to the Board, 
in their meetings held in February 2017. 

The award granted on March 6, 2013 was tested at the end of the performance period, and as a result 100 per cent of the award 
vested, as detailed earlier in this report in the section on Variable Pay Outcomes.  

The values attributed to the Company’s ordinary shares in accordance with the plan rules on the dates of the PSP awards were as 
follows: 2014: 435 pence; and 2013: 241 pence. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
96

Report of the Remuneration Committee continued 

Directors’ share options 

The following directors held nil-cost options over ordinary shares of the Company granted under the IAG PSP. 

Director 

Date of grant 

Executive Directors 

Number of 
options at 
January 1, 
2016 

Options 
exercised 
during 
the year 

Options 
lapsed 
during the 
year 

Options 
granted 
during the 
year 

Exercise 
price 

Willie Walsh 

Total 

Enrique Dupuy de Lôme 

Total 

May 28,  
2015 
March 7, 
2016 

309,091 

– 

  309,091 

May 28,  
2015 
March 7, 
2016 

112,364 

– 

112,364 

– 

– 

–

– 

– 

–

– 

– 

–

– 

– 

–

– 

– 

–

– 

– 

–

– 

314,233 

314,233

– 

145,647 

145,647

Exercisable  
from 

Expiry date 

January 1, 
2020 
January 1, 
2021 

December 31, 
2024 
December 31, 
2025 

January 1, 
2020 
January 1, 
2021 

December 31, 
2024 
December 31, 
2025 

Number of 
options at 
December 31, 
2016 

309,091 

314,233 

623,324

112,364 

145,647 

258,011

The performance conditions for both the 2015 and 2016 PSP awards above will be tested to determine the level of vesting. For both 
these awards, one-third of the award is subject to TSR performance measured against an index, one-third is subject to adjusted 
Earnings per Share (EPS) performance, and one-third is subject to Return on Invested Capital (RoIC) performance. The performance 
conditions will be measured over a single three year performance period. For both these awards, following the performance period 
there is an additional holding period of two years. 

The value attributed to the Company’s ordinary shares in accordance with the plan rules on the dates of the PSP awards were as 
follows: 2016: 541 pence; and 2015: 550 pence. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

97

Incentive Award Deferral Plan  

The following directors held conditional awards over ordinary shares of the Company granted under the IAG IADP (awarded as a 
result of IAG performance for the periods that ended December 31, 2013; December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2015). 

Director 

Executive 
Directors 
Willie Walsh 

Total 

Enrique Dupuy  
de Lôme  

Total 

Relates to 
incentive award 
earned in respect 
of performance 

Number of 
awards at 
January 1, 
2016 

Awards 
released 
during the 
year 

Date of
award 

Awards 
lapsing 
during the 
year 

Date of
vesting 

Awards made
during the 
year 

Number of awards 
at December 31, 
2016 

2013  March 6, 2014 
2014  May 28, 2015 
2015  March 7, 2016 

149,353 
151,111 
– 
300,464

–  March 6, 2017 
–  March 8, 2018 
–  March 7, 2019 
–

2012  March 6, 2013 
2013  March 6, 2014 
2014  May 28, 2015 
2015  March 7, 2016 

62,241 
50,862 
50,252 
– 
163,355

62,241  March 6, 2016 
–  March 6, 2017 
–  March 8, 2018 
–  March 7, 2019 

62,241

– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 
– 

– 
– 
125,693 
125,693

– 
– 
– 
44,665 
44,665

149,353 
151,111 
125,693 
426,157

– 
50,862 
50,252 
44,665 
145,779

There are no performance conditions to be tested before vesting for the IADP, except that the director must still be employed by the 
Company at the time of vesting. 

The value attributed to the Company’s ordinary shares in accordance with the plan rules on the date of the 2016 IADP award was  
541 pence (2015: 550 pence; 2014: 435 pence; and 2013: 241 pence). 

The value attributed to the Company’s ordinary shares in accordance with the plan rules on the date of the 2013 IADP award was  
241 pence. The share price on the date of the vesting of this award (March 7, 2016) was 540 pence. The money value of the shares 
received was the share price on the date of the vesting multiplied by the number of shares in respect of the award vested, as shown  
in the table above. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In this section

Financial statements

100 Consolidated income statement

101 

 Consolidated statement of other comprehensive income

102 Consolidated balance sheet

103 Consolidated cash flow statement

104 

 Consolidated statement of changes in equity

106 

 Notes to the consolidated financial statements

154 

 Spanish Corporate governance report

216 

 Group investments

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Financial Statements
Strategic Report

“Creating value for our 
shareholders into the future 
is about leadership, cost 
efficiency and the ability to 
adjust and reinvent ourselves.”

Enrique Dupuy de Lôme
Chief Financial Officer

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

The Group’s consolidated statements 
which follow have been prepared in 
accordance with the International 
Financial Reporting Standards as 
endorsed by the European Union.
This section also includes the Report
of Spanish Corporate Governance filed 
with the Comisión Nacional del Mercado 
de Valores to comply with the statutory 
requirements for companies listed on 
the Spanish market.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
100

Consolidated income statement

€ million

Passenger revenue
Cargo revenue
Other revenue
Total revenue
Employee costs
Fuel, oil costs and emissions charges
Handling, catering and other operating costs
Landing fees and en-route charges
Engineering and other aircraft costs
Property, IT and other costs
Selling costs
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment
Aircraft operating lease costs
Currency differences
Total expenditure on operations
Operating profit

Finance costs
Finance income
Net currency retranslation charges
Gains/(losses) on derivatives not qualifying for 
hedge accounting
Net gain related to available-for-sale 
financial assets
Share of profits in investments accounted for 
using the equity method
Profit/(loss) on sale of property, plant and 
equipment and investments
Net financing credit/(charge) relating 
to pensions
Profit before tax
Tax
Profit after tax for the year

Attributable to:
Equity holders of the parent
Non-controlling interest

Basic earnings per share (€ cents)
Diluted earnings per share (€ cents)

Year to December 31

Before
exceptional
items
2016

Note

Exceptional
items

93
(42)

51
(51)

(51)
13
(38)

19,924
1,022
1,621
22,567
4,731
4,873
2,664
2,151
1,701
870
896
1,287
759
100
20,032
2,535

(279)
33
(25)

60

4

6

67

12
2,413
(423)
1,990

1,969
21
1,990

94.9
90.2

4
5, 8
5

6
6

4

9
9

18

17

9

10

11
11

Before
exceptional
items
2015

Exceptional
items

Total
20151

20,330
1,094
1,434
22,858
4,905
6,082
2,571
1,882
1,395
765
912
1,307
659
45
20,523
2,335

(294)
42
(56)

(170)

5

6

(38)

(12)
1,818
(279)
1,539

1,518
21
1,539

74.6
71.4

(51)

68

17
(17)

(17)
(6)
(23)

20,330
1,094
1,434
22,858
4,905
6,031
2,571
1,882
1,395
833
912
1,307
659
45
20,540
2,318

(294)
42
(56)

(170)

5

6

(38)

(12)
1,801
(285)
1,516

1,495
21
1,516

73.5
70.4

Total
2016

19,924
1,022
1,621
22,567
4,824
4,831
2,664
2,151
1,701
870
896
1,287
759
100
20,083
2,484

(279)
33
(25)

60

4

6

67

12
2,362
(410)
1,952

1,931
21
1,952

93.0
88.5

1 The prior year consolidated Income statement includes reclassifications to conform to the current year presentation. Refer to note 2 for further details.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Consolidated statement of other comprehensive income

€ million

Items that may be reclassified subsequently to net profit
Cash flow hedges:

Fair value movements in equity
Reclassified and reported in net profit

Available-for-sale financial assets:
Fair value movements in equity
Reclassified and reported in net profit

Currency translation differences

Items that will not be reclassified to net profit
Remeasurements of post-employment benefit obligations
Total other comprehensive income for the year, net of tax
Profit after tax for the year
Total comprehensive income for the year

Total comprehensive income is attributable to:

Equity holders of the parent
Non-controlling interest

Items in the consolidated Statement of other comprehensive income above are disclosed net of tax.

101

Year to December 31

Note

2016

2015

31
31

31
31
31

31

31

(182)
793

4
–
(506)

(1,807)
(1,698)
1,952
254

233
21
254

(1,104)
1,290

(9)
(5)
181

156
509
1,516
2,025

2,004
21
2,025

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
102

Consolidated balance sheet

€ million
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment
Intangible assets
Investments accounted for using the equity method
Available-for-sale financial assets
Employee benefit assets
Derivative financial instruments
Deferred tax assets
Other non-current assets

Current assets
Non-current assets held for sale
Inventories
Trade receivables
Other current assets
Current tax receivable
Derivative financial instruments
Other current interest-bearing deposits
Cash and cash equivalents

Total assets

Shareholders’ equity
Issued share capital
Share premium
Treasury shares
Other reserves
Total shareholders’ equity
Non-controlling interest
Total equity
Non-current liabilities
Interest-bearing long-term borrowings
Employee benefit obligations
Deferred tax liability
Provisions for liabilities and charges
Derivative financial instruments
Other long-term liabilities

Current liabilities
Current portion of long-term borrowings
Trade and other payables
Deferred revenue on ticket sales
Derivative financial instruments
Current tax payable
Provisions for liabilities and charges

Total liabilities
Total equity and liabilities

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

December 31
2016

December 31
2015

Note

13
16
17
18
32
27
10
19

15

19
19
10
27
20
20

28
28
29
31

31

23
32
10
25
27
22

23
21

27
10
25

12,227
3,037
29
73
1,028
169
526
499
17,588

38
458
1,405
899
228
329
3,091
3,337
9,785
27,373

1,066
6,105
(96)
(1,719)
5,356
308
5,664

7,589
2,363
176
1,987
20
238
12,373

926
3,305
4,145
88
101
771
9,336
21,709
27,373

13,730
3,195
41
74
957
62
723
365
19,147

5
520
1,196
1,235
79
198
2,947
2,909
9,089
28,236

1,020
5,867
(113)
(1,548)
5,226
308
5,534

7,498
858
426
2,049
282
223
11,336

1,132
3,803
4,374
1,328
124
605
11,366
22,702
28,236

Consolidated cash flow statement

€ million
Cash flows from operating activities
Operating profit
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment
Movement in working capital

Increase in trade and other receivables, prepayments, inventories and current assets
Increase/(decrease) in trade and other payables, deferred revenue on ticket sales and 
current liabilities

Payments related to restructuring
Employer contributions to pension schemes
Pension scheme service costs
Provisions and other non-cash movements
Interest paid
Interest received
Taxation
Net cash flows from operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisition of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets
Sale of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets
Net proceeds from sale of investments
Acquisition of subsidiary (net of cash acquired)
(Increase)/decrease in other current interest-bearing deposits
Dividends received
Other investing movements
Net cash flows from investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities
Net proceeds from long-term borrowings
Net proceeds from equity portion of convertible bond issued
Repayment of borrowings
Repayment of finance leases
Acquisition of treasury shares
Distributions made to holders of perpetual securities and other
Dividend paid
Net cash flows from financing activities

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents
Net foreign exchange differences
Cash and cash equivalents at 1 January
Cash and cash equivalents at year end

Interest-bearing deposits maturing after more than three months

Cash, cash equivalents and other interest-bearing deposits

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

103

Year to December 31

Note

2016

2015

2,484
1,287
83
(592)

675
(206)
(936)
196
203
(185)
37
(318)
2,645

(3,038)
1,737
–
–
(450)
2
–
(1,749)

1,317
–
(515)
(615)
(25)
(20)
(442)
(300)

596
(168)
2,909
3,337

2,318
1,307
(757)
(556)

(201)
(237)
(699)
265
213
(197)
48
(245)
2,016

(2,040)
273
6
(1,146)
1,436
9
30
(1,432)

2,757
101
(954)
(837)
(163)
(21)
(163)
720

1,304
77
1,528
2,909

3,091

2,947

6,428

5,856

6

25
32
32

29

20

20

20

At December 31, 2016 Aer Lingus held €47 million of restricted cash (2015: €49 million) within interest-bearing deposits maturing 
after more than three months to be used for employee related obligations.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
104

Consolidated statement of changes in equity
For the year to December 31, 2016

Issued share 
capital 
(note 28)

Share 
premium 
(note 28)

Treasury 
shares
(note 29)

Other 
reserves 
(note 31)

Retained 
earnings

Total 
shareholders’ 
equity

Non-
controlling 
interest
(note 31)

1,020

5,867

(113)

(2,708)

1,160

5,226

308

Total 
equity

5,534

–

1,931

1,931

21

1,952

–

–
–
–

–

–
–

–

–

–
–
–

46
–

–

–
–
–

–

–
–

–

–

–

–
–
–

–

–
–

–

–

–
–
(106)

344
–

42
(25)
–

–
–

–
1,066

–
6,105

–
(96)

–
(2,671)

(57)
918
(68)

(182)

4
(506)

–

–

–
–
–

(72)
–

–
–
–

–

–
–

(57)
918
(68)

(182)

4
(506)

(1,807)

(1,807)

35

35

(73)
–
(339)

45
–

–
952

(31)
(25)
(445)

363
–

–
5,356

–
–
–

–

–
–

–

–

–
–
–

–
(1)

(57)
918
(68)

(182)

4
(506)

(1,807)

35

(31)
(25)
(445)

363
(1)

(20)
308

(20)
5,664

€ million

January 1, 2016

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive income for 
the year
Cash flow hedges reclassified and 
reported in net profit:
Passenger revenue
Fuel and oil costs
Currency differences

Net change in fair value of cash 
flow hedges
Net change in fair value of available-
for-sale financial assets
Currency translation differences
Remeasurements of post-
employment benefit obligations

Cost of share-based payments
Vesting of share-based 
payment schemes
Acquisition of treasury shares
Dividend
Issue of ordinary shares related to 
conversion of convertible bond
Dividend of a subsidiary
Distributions made to holders of 
perpetual securities
December 31, 2016

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Issued share
capital
(note 28)

Share
premium
(note 28)

Treasury
shares
(note 29)

Other
reserves
(note 31)

Retained
earnings

Total
shareholders’ 
equity

Non-
controlling 
interest
(note 31)

1,020

5,867

(6)

(3,162)

(234)

3,485

308

–

1,495

1,495

21

1,516

Consolidated statement of changes in equity
For the year to December 31, 2015

€ million

January 1, 2015

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive income for 
the year
Cash flow hedges reclassified and 
reported in net profit:
Passenger revenue
Fuel and oil costs
Currency differences

Investments
Net change in fair value of cash 
flow hedges
Available-for-sale assets reclassified 
and reported in net profit
Net change in fair value of available-
for-sale financial assets
Currency translation differences
Remeasurements of post-
employment benefit obligations

Cost of share-based payments
Vesting of share-based 
payment schemes
Equity portion of convertible 
bond issued
Acquisition of treasury shares
Dividend
Dividend of a subsidiary
Distributions made to holders of 
perpetual securities
December 31, 2015

–

–
–
–
–

–

–

–
–

–

–

–

–
–
–
–

–

–
–
–
–

–

–

–
–

–

–

–

–
–
–
–

–

–
–
–
–

–

–

–
–

–

–

56

–
(163)
–
–

14
1,474
(202)
4

(1,104)

(5)

(9)
181

–

–

–

101
–
–
–

–
1,020

–
5,867

–
(113)

–
(2,708)

105

Total
equity

3,793

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

–
–
–
–

–

–

–
–

156

45

14
1,474
(202)
4

(1,104)

(5)

(9)
181

156

45

(99)

(43)

–
–
(203)
–

–
1,160

101
(163)
(203)
–

–
5,226

–
–
–
–

–

–

–
–

–

–

–

–
–
–
(1)

(20)
308

14
1,474
(202)
4

(1,104)

(5)

(9)
181

156

45

(43)

101
(163)
(203)
(1)

(20)
5,534

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
106

Notes to the consolidated financial statements

1

Background and general information

International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A. (hereinafter ‘International Airlines Group’, ‘IAG’ or the ‘Group’) is a leading European 
airline group, formed to hold the interests of airline and ancillary operations. IAG is a Spanish company registered in Madrid and 
was incorporated on April 8, 2010. On January 21, 2011 British Airways Plc and Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España S.A. Operadora 
(hereinafter ‘British Airways’ and ‘Iberia’ respectively) completed a merger transaction becoming the first two airlines of the Group. 
Vueling Airlines S.A. (‘Vueling’) was acquired on April 26, 2013, and Aer Lingus Group Plc (‘Aer Lingus’) on August 18, 2015.

IAG shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange’s main market for listed securities and also on the stock exchanges of 
Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia (the ‘Spanish Stock Exchanges’), through the Spanish Stock Exchanges Interconnection 
System (Mercado Continuo Español).

2

 Significant accounting policies

Basis of preparation

The consolidated financial statements of the Group have been prepared in accordance with the International Financial Reporting 
Standards as endorsed by the European Union (IFRSs as endorsed by the EU). The consolidated financial statements are rounded 
to the nearest million unless otherwise stated. These financial statements have been prepared on a historical cost convention 
except for certain financial assets and liabilities, including derivative financial instruments and available-for-sale financial assets that 
are measured at fair value. The carrying value of recognised assets and liabilities that are subject to fair value hedges are adjusted 
to record changes in the fair values attributable to the risks that are being hedged. The financial statements for the prior year 
include reclassifications that were made to conform to the current year presentation. The amendments have no material impact on 
the financial statements.

The Group’s financial statements for the year to December 31, 2016 were authorised for issue, and approved by the Board of 
Directors on February 23, 2017.

The Directors have considered the business activities, the Group’s principal risks and uncertainties, and the Group’s financial 
position, including cash flows, liquidity position and available committed facilities. The Directors consider that the Group has 
adequate resources to remain in operation for the foreseeable future and have therefore continued to adopt the going concern 
basis in preparing the financial statements.

Consolidation

The Group financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, each made up to December 
31, together with the attributable share of results and reserves of associates and joint ventures, adjusted where appropriate to 
conform to the Group’s accounting policies.

Subsidiaries are consolidated from the date of their acquisition, which is the date on which the Group obtains control and continue 
to be consolidated until the date that such control ceases. Control exists when the Group is exposed to, or has rights to, variable 
returns from its involvement with the entity and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over the entity.

The Group applies the acquisition method to account for business combinations. The consideration paid is the fair value of the 
assets transferred, the liabilities incurred and the equity interests issued by the Group. Identifiable assets acquired and liabilities 
assumed in a business combination are measured initially at their fair values at the acquisition date. Non-controlling interests 
represent the portion of profit or loss and net assets in subsidiaries that are not held by the Group and are presented separately 
within equity in the consolidated Balance sheet. Acquisition-related costs are expensed as incurred.

If the business combination is achieved in stages, the acquisition date fair value of the acquirer’s previously held equity interest in 
the acquiree is remeasured to fair value at the acquisition date through the Income statement.

Goodwill is initially measured as the excess of the aggregate of the consideration transferred and the fair value of non-controlling 
interest over the net identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed.

All intra-group account balances, including intra-group profits, are eliminated in preparing the consolidated financial statements.

Segmental reporting

Operating segments are reported in a manner consistent with how resource allocation decisions are made by the chief operating 
decision-maker. The chief operating decision-maker, who is responsible for resource allocation and assessing performance of the 
operating segments, has been identified as the IAG Management Committee.

Foreign currency translation

a  Functional and presentation currency

Items included in the financial statements of each of the Group’s entities are measured using the functional currency, being 
the currency of the primary economic environment in which the entity operates. In particular, British Airways and Avios have a 
functional currency of pound sterling. The Group’s consolidated financial statements are presented in euros, which is the Group’s 
presentation currency.

b  Transactions and balances

Transactions in foreign currencies are initially recorded in the functional currency using the rate of exchange prevailing on the 
date of the transaction. Monetary foreign currency balances are translated into the functional currency at the rates ruling at the 
balance sheet date. Foreign exchange gains and losses resulting from the settlement of such transactions and from the translation 
at balance sheet exchange rates of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are recognised in the Income 
statement, except where hedge accounting is applied. Foreign exchange gains and losses arising on the retranslation of monetary 
assets and liabilities classified as non-current on the Balance sheet are recognised within ‘Net currency retranslation charges’ in 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

107

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

the Income statement. All other gains and losses arising on the retranslation of monetary assets and liabilities are recognised in 
operating profit.

c Group companies

The net assets of foreign operations are translated into euros at the rate of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date. Profits 
and losses of such operations are translated into euros at average rates of exchange during the year. The resulting exchange 
differences are taken directly to a separate component of equity until all or part of the interest is sold, when the relevant portion of 
the cumulative exchange difference is recognised in the Income statement.

Property, plant and equipment

Property, plant and equipment is held at cost. The Group has a policy of not revaluing property, plant and equipment. Depreciation 
is calculated to write off the cost less the estimated residual value on a straight-line basis, over the economic life of the asset. 
Residual values, where applicable, are reviewed annually against prevailing market values for equivalently aged assets and 
depreciation rates adjusted accordingly on a prospective basis.

a Capitalisation of interest on progress payments

Interest attributed to progress payments, and related exchange movements on foreign currency amounts, made on account of 
aircraft and other qualifying assets under construction are capitalised and added to the cost of the asset concerned.

All other borrowing costs are recognised in the Income statement in the year in which they are incurred.

b Fleet

All aircraft are stated at the fair value of the consideration given after taking account of manufacturers’ credits. Fleet assets owned 
or held on finance leases are depreciated at rates calculated to write down the cost to the estimated residual value at the end of 
their planned operational lives on a straight-line basis. Depreciation rates are specific to aircraft type, based on the Group’s fleet 
plans, within overall parameters of 23 years and 5 per cent residual value for shorthaul aircraft and 25 years and 5 per cent residual 
value for longhaul aircraft.

Cabin interior modifications, including those required for brand changes and relaunches, are depreciated over the lower of five 
years and the remaining life of the aircraft.

Aircraft and engine spares acquired on the introduction or expansion of a fleet, as well as rotable spares purchased separately, are 
carried as property, plant and equipment and generally depreciated in line with the fleet to which they relate.

Major overhaul expenditure, including replacement spares and labour costs, is capitalised and amortised over the average 
expected life between major overhauls. All other replacement spares and other costs relating to maintenance of fleet assets 
(including maintenance provided under ‘pay-as-you-go’ contracts) are charged to the Income statement on consumption or as 
incurred respectively.

c  Other property, plant and equipment

Provision is made for the depreciation of all property, plant and equipment. Property, with the exception of freehold land, is 
depreciated over its expected useful life over periods not exceeding 50 years, or in the case of leasehold properties, over the 
duration of the lease if shorter, on a straight-line basis. Equipment is depreciated over periods ranging from 4 to 20 years.

d Leased assets

Where assets are financed through finance leases, under which substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership are transferred 
to the Group, the assets are treated as if they had been purchased outright. The amount included in the cost of property, plant and 
equipment represents the aggregate of the capital elements payable during the lease term. The corresponding obligation, reduced 
by the appropriate proportion of lease payments made, is included in borrowings.

The amount included in the cost of property, plant and equipment is depreciated on the basis described in the preceding 
paragraphs on fleet and the interest element of lease payments made is included as an interest expense in the Income statement.

Total minimum payments, measured at inception, under all other lease arrangements, known as operating leases, are charged 
to the Income statement in equal annual amounts over the period of the lease. In respect of aircraft, certain operating lease 
arrangements allow the Group to terminate the leases after a limited initial period, without further material financial obligations. 
In certain cases the Group is entitled to extend the initial lease period on predetermined terms; such leases are described as 
extendable operating leases.

Intangible assets

a  Goodwill

Goodwill arises on the acquisition of subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures and represents the excess of the consideration 
paid over the net fair value of the identifiable assets and liabilities of the acquiree. Where the net fair value of the identifiable assets 
and liabilities of the acquiree is in excess of the consideration paid, a gain on bargain purchase is recognised immediately in the 
Income statement.

For the purposes of assessing impairment, goodwill is grouped at the lowest levels for which there are separately identifiable cash 
flows (cash generating units). Goodwill is tested for impairment annually and whenever indicators exist that the carrying value may 
not be recoverable.

b  Brands

Brands arising on the acquisition of subsidiaries are initially recognised at fair value at the acquisition date. Long established brands 
that are expected to be used indefinitely are not amortised but assessed annually for impairment.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
108

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

2

 Significant accounting policies continued

c  Customer loyalty programmes

Customer loyalty programmes arising on the acquisition of subsidiaries are initially recognised at fair value at the acquisition date. 
A customer loyalty programme with an expected useful life is amortised over the expected remaining useful life. Established 
customer loyalty programmes that are expected to be used indefinitely are not amortised but assessed annually for impairment.

d Landing rights

Landing rights acquired in a business combination are recognised at fair value at the acquisition date. Landing rights acquired from 
other airlines are capitalised at cost.

Capitalised landing rights based outside the EU are amortised on a straight-line basis over a period not exceeding 20 years. 
Capitalised landing rights based within the EU are not amortised, as regulations provide that these landing rights are perpetual.

e  Contract based intangibles

Contract based intangibles acquired in a business combination are recognised initially at fair value at the acquisition date and 
amortised over the remaining life of the contract.

f

Software

The cost to purchase or develop computer software that is separable from an item of related hardware is capitalised separately 
and amortised on a straight-line basis generally over a period not exceeding five years, with certain specific software developments 
amortised over a period of up to 10 years.

g  Emissions allowances

Purchased emissions allowances are recognised at cost. Emissions allowances are not revalued or amortised but are tested for 
impairment whenever indicators exist that the carrying value may not be recoverable.

Impairment of non-financial assets

Assets that have an indefinite useful life are not subject to amortisation and are tested annually for impairment. Assets that are 
subject to amortisation are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying 
amount may not be recoverable. An impairment loss is recognised for the value by which the asset’s carrying value exceeds its 
recoverable amount. The recoverable amount is the higher of an asset’s fair value less cost to sell and value-in-use. Non-financial 
assets other than goodwill that were subject to an impairment are reviewed for possible reversal of the impairment at each 
reporting date.

a

Property, plant and equipment

The carrying value is reviewed for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be 
recoverable and the cumulative impairment losses are shown as a reduction in the carrying value of property, plant and equipment.

b 

Intangible assets

Intangible assets are held at cost and are either amortised on a straight-line basis over their economic life, or they are deemed to 
have an indefinite economic life and are not amortised. Indefinite life intangible assets are tested annually for impairment or more 
frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable.

Investments in associates and joint ventures

An associate is an undertaking in which the Group has a long-term equity interest and over which it has the power to exercise 
significant influence. Where the Group cannot exercise control over an entity in which it has a shareholding greater than 51 per 
cent, the equity interest is treated as an associated undertaking.

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 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 
has assessed the nature of its joint arrangement and determined it to be a joint venture.

Investments in associates and joint ventures are accounted for using the equity method, and initially recognised at cost. The 
Group’s interest in the net assets of associates and joint ventures is included in Investments accounted for using the equity 
method in the Balance sheet and its interest in their results is included in the Income statement, below operating result. The 
attributable results of those companies acquired or disposed of during the year are included for the periods of ownership.

Financial instruments

a  Available-for-sale financial assets

Available-for-sale financial assets are non-derivative financial assets including listed and unlisted investments, excluding interests 
in associates. After initial recognition, available-for-sale financial assets are measured at fair value, with changes in fair value 
recognised in Other comprehensive income until the investment is sold or becomes impaired, at which time the cumulative gain or 
loss previously reported in equity is recognised in the Income statement.

The fair value of quoted investments is determined by reference to bid prices at the close of business on the balance sheet date. 
Where there is no active market, fair value is determined using valuation techniques. Where fair value cannot be reliably estimated, 
assets are carried at cost.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

109

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

b  Other interest-bearing deposits

Other interest-bearing deposits, principally comprising funds held with banks and other financial institutions, are carried at 
amortised cost using the effective interest method.

c Derivative financial instruments and hedging activities

Derivative financial instruments, comprising interest rate swap agreements, foreign exchange derivatives and fuel hedging 
derivatives (including options, swaps and futures) are initially recognised at fair value on the date a derivative contract is entered 
into and are subsequently remeasured at their fair value. The method of recognising the resulting gain or loss arising from 
remeasurement depends on whether the derivative is designated as a hedging instrument, and if so, the nature of the item being 
hedged (as detailed below under cash flow hedges). The gains or losses related to derivatives not used as effective hedging 
instruments are recognised in the Income statement.

Exchange gains and losses on monetary investments are taken to the Income statement unless the item has been designated and 
is assessed as an effective hedging instrument. Exchange gains and losses on non-monetary investments are reflected in equity 
until the investment is sold when the cumulative amount recognised in equity is recognised in the Income statement.

Long-term borrowings are recorded at amortised cost, including leases which contain interest rate swaps that are closely related to 
the underlying financing and as such are not accounted for as an embedded derivative.

d Cash flow hedges

Changes in the fair value of derivative financial instruments are reported in the Income statement, unless the derivative financial 
instrument has been designated as a hedge of a highly probable expected future cash flow. Gains and losses on derivative 
financial instruments designated as cash flow hedges and assessed as effective, are recorded in equity. Gains and losses recorded 
in equity are reflected in the Income statement when either the hedged cash flow impacts the Income statement or the hedged 
item is no longer expected to occur.

Certain loan repayment instalments denominated in US dollars, euro and Japanese yen are designated as cash flow hedges of 
highly probable future foreign currency revenues. Exchange differences arising from the translation of these loan repayment 
instalments are recorded in equity and subsequently reflected in the Income statement when either the future revenue impacts 
income or its occurrence is no longer expected to occur.

e  Convertible debt

Convertible bonds are classified as compound instruments, consisting of a liability and an equity component. At the date of issue, 
the fair value of the liability component is estimated using the prevailing market interest rate for similar non-convertible debt, 
and is subsequently recorded at an amortised cost basis using the effective interest method until extinguished on conversion or 
maturity of the bonds, and is recognised within Interest-bearing borrowings. The difference between the proceeds of issue of the 
convertible bond and the fair value assigned to the liability component, representing the embedded option to convert the liability 
into equity of the Group, is included in Equity portion of convertible bond in Other reserves and is not subsequently remeasured.

Issue costs are apportioned between the liability and equity components of the convertible bonds where appropriate based on 
their relative carrying values at the date of issue. The portion relating to the equity component is charged directly against equity.

The interest expense on the liability component is calculated by applying the effective interest rate for similar non-convertible 
debt to the liability component of the instrument. The difference between this value and the interest paid is added to the carrying 
amount of the liability.

f

Impairment of financial assets

The Group assesses at each balance sheet date whether a financial asset or group of financial assets is impaired. A financial asset 
is considered impaired if objective evidence indicates that one or more events that have occurred since the initial recognition of 
the asset have had a negative impact on the estimated future cash flows of that asset. In the case of equity securities classified as 
available-for-sale, a significant or prolonged decline in the fair value of the security below its cost is considered an indicator that 
the security is impaired. If any such evidence exists for available-for-sale financial assets, the cumulative gain or loss previously 
reported in Other comprehensive income is included in the Income statement.

An impairment loss in respect of a financial asset carried at amortised cost is calculated as the difference between its carrying 
value and the present value of the estimated future cash flows discounted at the asset’s original effective interest rate.

Employee benefit plans

a  Pension obligations

The Group has both defined benefit and defined contribution plans. A defined contribution plan is a pension plan under which 
the Group pays fixed contributions into a separate entity. The Group has no legal or constructive obligations to pay further 
contributions if the fund does not hold sufficient assets to pay all employees the benefits relating to employee service in the 
current and prior years.

Typically defined benefit plans define an amount of pension benefit that an employee will receive on retirement, usually dependent 
on one or more factors such as age, years of service and compensation.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
110

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

2

 Significant accounting policies continued

The Group’s net obligation in respect of defined benefit pension plans is calculated separately for each plan by estimating the 
amount of future benefit that employees have earned in return for their service in the current and prior years. The benefit is 
discounted to determine its present value, and the fair value of any plan assets are deducted. The discount rate is the yield at the 
balance sheet date on AA-rated corporate bonds of the appropriate currency that have durations approximating those of the 
Group’s obligations. The calculation is performed by a qualified actuary using the projected unit credit method. When the net 
obligation calculation results in an asset for the Group, the recognition of an asset is limited to the present value of any future 
refunds from the plan or reductions in future contributions to the plan (‘the asset ceiling’). The fair value of the plan assets is based 
on market price information and, in the case of quoted securities, is the published bid price.

Current service costs are recognised within employee costs in the year in which they arise. Past service costs are recognised in 
the event of a plan amendment or curtailment, or when the Group recognises related restructuring costs or termination benefits. 
The net interest is calculated by applying the discount rate used to measure the defined benefit obligation at the beginning of 
the period to the net defined benefit liability or asset, taking into account any changes in the net defined benefit liability or asset 
during the period as a result of contributions and benefit payments. Net interest and other expenses related to the defined benefit 
plans are recognised in the Income statement. Remeasurements, comprising actuarial gains and losses, the effect of the asset 
ceiling (excluding interest) and the return on plan assets (excluding interest), are recognised immediately in Other comprehensive 
income. Remeasurements are not reclassified to the Income statement in subsequent periods.

b  Termination benefits

Termination benefits are payable when employment is terminated by the Group before the normal retirement date, or whenever 
an employee accepts voluntary redundancy in exchange for these benefits. The Group recognises termination benefits when it is 
demonstrably committed to either terminating the employment of current employees according to a detailed formal plan without 
realistic possibility of withdrawal, or providing termination benefits as a result of an offer made to encourage voluntary redundancy.

Other employee benefits are recognised when there is deemed to be a present obligation.

Taxation

Current income tax assets and liabilities are measured at the amount expected to be recovered from or paid to the taxation 
authorities, based on tax rates and laws that are enacted or substantively enacted at the balance sheet date.

Deferred income tax is recognised on all temporary differences arising between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their 
carrying amounts in the financial statements, with the following exceptions:

• Where the temporary difference arises from the initial recognition of goodwill or of an asset or liability in a transaction that is 

•

•

not a business combination that at the time of the transaction affects neither accounting nor taxable profit or loss;
In respect of taxable temporary differences associated with investments in subsidiaries or associates, where the timing of the 
reversal of the temporary differences can be controlled and it is probable that the temporary differences will not reverse in the 
foreseeable future; and
Deferred income tax assets are recognised only to the extent that it is probable that taxable profit will be available against 
which the deductible temporary differences, carried forward tax credits or tax losses can be utilised.

Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are measured on an undiscounted basis at the tax rates that are expected to apply when 
the related asset is realised or liability is settled, based on tax rates and laws enacted or substantively enacted at the balance 
sheet date.

Income tax is charged or credited directly to equity if it relates to items that are credited or charged to equity. Otherwise income 
tax is recognised in the Income statement.

Inventories

Inventories, including aircraft expendables, are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value. Such cost is determined by the 
weighted average cost method. Inventories include mainly aircraft spare parts, repairable aircraft engine parts and fuel.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand and deposits with any qualifying financial institution repayable on demand or 
maturing within three months of the date of acquisition and which are subject to an insignificant risk of change in value.

Share-based payments

The Group operates a number of equity-settled, share-based payment plans, under which the Group awards equity instruments of 
the Group for services rendered by employees. The fair value of the share-based payment plans is measured at the date of grant 
using a valuation model provided by external specialists. The resulting cost, as adjusted for the expected and actual level of vesting 
of the plan, is charged to the Income statement over the period in which the options vest. At each balance sheet date before 
vesting, the cumulative expense is calculated, representing the extent to which the vesting period has expired and management’s 
best estimate of the achievement or otherwise of non-market conditions, and accordingly the number of equity instruments that 
will ultimately vest. The movement in the cumulative expense since the previous balance sheet date is recognised in the Income 
statement with a corresponding entry in equity.

Provisions

Provisions are made when an obligation exists for a present liability in respect of a past event and where the amount of the 
obligation can be reliably estimated.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

111

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Employee leaving indemnities and other employee provisions are recorded for flight crew who, meeting certain conditions, have 
the option of being placed on reserve or of taking early retirement. The Group is obligated to remunerate these employees 
until they reach the statutory retirement age. The calculation is performed by independent actuaries using the projected unit 
credit method.

Other employee related provisions are recognised for direct expenditures of business reorganisation (restructuring provisions) 
where plans are sufficiently detailed and well advanced, and where appropriate communication to those affected has been 
undertaken at the balance sheet date.

If the effect is material, expected future cash flows are discounted using a rate that reflects, where appropriate, the risks specific 
to the provision. Where discounting is used, the increase in the provision due to unwinding the discount is recognised as a 
finance cost.

Revenue recognition

Passenger and cargo revenue is recognised when the transportation service has been provided. Passenger tickets net of discounts 
are recorded as deferred revenue on ticket sales in current liabilities until the customer has flown. Unused tickets are recognised as 
revenue using estimates regarding the timing of recognition based on the terms and conditions of the ticket and statistical analysis 
of historical trends.

Other revenue including maintenance; handling; hotel and holiday and commissions is recognised at the time the service is 
provided in accordance with the invoice or contract.

Customer loyalty programmes

The Group operates five loyalty programmes: Executive Club, Iberia Plus, Avios, Punto and Aer Club. The customer loyalty 
programmes award travellers Avios points to redeem for various rewards, primarily redemption travel, including flights, hotels 
and car hire. In accordance with IFRIC 13 ‘Customer loyalty programmes’, the fair value attributed to the awarded Avios points is 
deferred as a liability and recognised as revenue on redemption of the points and provision of service to the participants to whom 
the Avios points are issued.

In addition, Avios points are sold to commercial partners to use in loyalty activity. The fair value of the Avios points sold is deferred 
and recognised as revenue on redemption of the Avios points by the participants to whom the Avios points are issued. The cost of 
the redemption of the Avios points is recognised when the Avios points are redeemed.

The Group estimates the fair value of Avios points by reference to the fair value of the awards for which they could be redeemed 
and is reduced to take into account the proportion of award credits that are not expected to be redeemed based on the results of 
statistical modelling. The fair value of the Avios point reflects the fair value of the awards for which points can be redeemed.

Exceptional items

Exceptional items are those that in management’s view need to be separately disclosed by virtue of their size or incidence. 
The exceptional items recorded in the Income statement include items such as significant restructuring; the impact of business 
combination transactions that do not contribute to the ongoing results of the Group; and the impact of the sale, disposal or 
impairment of an investment in a business.

Business combination transactions include cash items such as the costs incurred to effect the transaction and non-cash 
items such as accounting gains or losses recognised through the Income statement, such as bargain purchase gains and step 
acquisition losses.

Critical accounting estimates and assumptions

The preparation of financial statements requires management to make judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect the 
application of policies and reported amounts of assets and liabilities, income and expenses. These estimates and associated 
assumptions are based on historical experience and various other factors believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. 
Actual results in the future may differ from estimates upon which financial information has been prepared. These 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 these are also 
affected. The estimates and assumptions that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of 
assets and liabilities within the next financial year are discussed as follows.

a  Employee benefit obligations, employee leaving indemnities, other employee related provisions and restructuring

The cost of employee benefit obligations, employee leaving indemnities and other employee related provisions is determined using 
actuarial valuations. Actuarial valuations involve making assumptions about discount rates, expected rates of return on assets, 
future salary increases, mortality rates and future pension increases. Due to the long-term nature of these schemes, such estimates 
are subject to significant uncertainty. The assumptions relating to these schemes are disclosed in notes 25 and 32. The Group 
exercises its judgement in determining the assumptions to be adopted, in discussion with qualified actuaries.

Restructuring provisions are estimates of future obligations. The Group exercises judgement in determining the expected direct 
expenditures of reorganisation based on plans which are sufficiently detailed and advanced.

b  Revenue recognition

Passenger revenue is recognised when the transportation is provided. Ticket sales that are not expected to be used (‘unused 
tickets’) are recognised as revenue using estimates regarding the timing of recognition based on the terms and conditions of the 
ticket and historical trends.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
112

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

2

 Significant accounting policies continued

In respect of customer loyalty programmes the fair value attributed to awarded points is deferred as a liability and is recognised as 
revenue on redemption of the points and provision of service to the participants to whom the points are issued. The fair value of 
the award credits is estimated by reference to the fair value of the awards for which the points could be redeemed and is reduced 
to take into account the proportion of award credits that are not expected to be redeemed by customers. The Group exercises 
its judgement in determining the assumptions to be adopted in respect of the number of points not expected to be redeemed 
through the use of statistical modelling and historical trends and in determining the mix and fair value of the award credits.

At December 31, 2016 the Group recognised €4,145 million in respect of deferred revenue on ticket sales (2015: €4,374 million) of 
which €1,287 million (2015: €1,545 million) related to customer loyalty programmes.

c

Income taxes

The Group is subject to income taxes in numerous jurisdictions. Significant judgement is required in determining the worldwide 
provision for income taxes. There are many transactions and calculations for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. 
The Group recognises liabilities for anticipated tax audit issues based on estimates of whether additional taxes will be due. Where 
the final tax outcome of these matters is different from the amounts that were initially recorded, such differences will impact the 
current and deferred income tax assets and liabilities in the period in which such determination is made.

The Group recognises deferred income tax assets only to the extent that it is probable that the taxable profit will be available 
against which the deductible temporary differences, carried forward tax credits or tax losses can be utilised. Management consider 
the operating performance in the current year and the future projections of performance laid out in the approved business plan in 
order to assess the probability of recoverability. The Business plan relies on the use of assumptions, estimates and judgements in 
respect of future performance and economics.

d Impairment of non-financial assets

The Group assesses whether there are any indicators of impairment for all non-financial assets at each reporting date. Goodwill and 
intangible assets with indefinite economic lives are tested for impairment annually and at other times when such indicators exist. 
The recoverable amounts of cash-generating units have been determined based on value-in-use calculations. These calculations 
require the use of estimates and assumptions as disclosed in note 16.

Other non-financial assets are tested for impairment when there are indicators that the carrying amounts may not be recoverable.

e Residual values and useful lives of assets

The Group exercises judgement to determine useful lives and residual values of property, plant and equipment, including fleet 
assets. Useful lives and residual values are reassessed annually, taking into consideration the latest fleet plans and other business 
plan information. The assets are depreciated to their residual values over their estimated useful lives.

f

Lease classification

A lease is classified as a finance lease when substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership are transferred to the Group. In 
determining the appropriate classification, the substance of the transaction rather than the form is considered. Factors considered 
include but are not limited to the following: whether the lease transfers ownership of the asset to the lessee by the end of the lease 
term; the lessee has the option to purchase the asset at the price that is sufficiently lower than the fair value on exercise date; the 
lease term is for the major part of the economic life of the asset; and the present value of the minimum lease payments amounts 
to at least substantially all of the fair value of the leased asset. Details of the Group’s operating lease commitments are disclosed in 
note 24.

g Maintenance provision

The Group has a number of contracts with service providers to replace or repair engine parts and other maintenance checks. These 
agreements are complex and the Group exercises judgement in determining the assumptions used to match the consumption of 
replacement spares and other costs associated with fleet maintenance with the appropriate income statement charge.

Changes in accounting policy and disclosures

a New and amended standards adopted by the Group

The Group has adopted a number of amendments to accounting standards for the first time in the year to December 31, 2016. 
None of these amendments has resulted in a significant change to the financial position or performance of the Group, or 
presentation and disclosures in the Group’s financial statements.

b New standards, amendments and interpretations not yet effective

The IASB and IFRIC issued the following standards, amendments and interpretations with an effective date after the year end 
of these financial statements which management believe could impact the Group in future periods. Unless otherwise stated, the 
Group plans to adopt the following standards, interpretations and amendments:

IFRS 15 ‘Revenue from contracts with customers’; effective for periods beginning on or after January 1, 2018. The standard 
establishes a five-step model that will apply to revenue arising from contracts with customers. Revenue is recognised at an amount 
that reflects the consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled in exchange for goods and services and at a point when 
the performance obligations associated with these goods and services have been satisfied.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

113

IAG has initiated a project to identify the revenue streams throughout the Group, and to analyse them using the five-step model. In 
addition, the Group has worked with other airlines through the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Industry Accounting 
Working Group to ensure that the proposed approach is consistent with other industry participants. At this stage, the Group 
expects the following main changes to revenue accounting on adoption of IFRS 15:

•

•

A change in timing of the recognition of certain ancillary revenue, to align with the principal performance obligations 
associated with the services provided;
Changes to the gross or net presentation of revenue arising from the review of terms and conditions of certain transactions 
undertaken by the operating companies where they may be identified as principal or agent.

The Group expects to adopt the standard from January 1, 2018 and is currently considering whether to use the full retrospective 
application or the cumulative catch-up transition method. The Group does not expect a significant change to its performance or 
financial position on adoption of this standard.

IFRS 9 ‘Financial instruments’; effective for periods beginning on or after January 1, 2018. The standard removes the multiple 
classification and measurement models for financial assets required by IAS 39 and introduces a model that has only two 
classification categories: amortised cost and fair value. Classification is driven by the business model for managing the financial 
assets and the contractual cash flow characteristics of the financial assets. The accounting and presentation for financial liabilities 
and for derecognising financial instruments is relocated from IAS 39 without any significant changes. IFRS 9 (2010) introduces 
additional changes relating to financial liabilities. IFRS 9 adds new requirements to address the impairment of financial assets and 
hedge accounting. The Group does not expect that there will be a significant change in the classification and measurement of its 
financial instruments or in its hedging activities on adoption of this standard.

IFRS 16 ‘Leases’ (not yet endorsed by the EU); effective for periods beginning on or after January 1, 2019. Under IFRS 16, a contract 
is, or contains, a lease if the contract conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange 
for consideration. The new standard eliminates the classification of leases as either operating leases or finance leases and instead 
introduces a single lessee accounting model. Applying this model, lessees are required to recognise a lease liability reflecting the 
obligation to make future lease payments and a ‘right-of-use’ asset for virtually all lease contracts. IFRS 16 includes an optional 
exemption for certain short-term leases and leases of low-value assets. The Group is currently assessing the impact of the new 
standard. It is expected that both net debt and non-current assets will increase on implementation of this standard as obligations 
to make future payments under leases currently classified as operating leases are recognised on the balance sheet, along with the 
related ‘right-of-use’ asset. Details of the Group’s operating lease commitments are disclosed in note 24.

IAS 7 (Amendment) ‘Statement of cash flows’ (not yet endorsed by the EU); effective for periods beginning on or after January 1, 
2017. The amendment requires disclosures that enable users of financial statements to evaluate changes in liabilities arising from 
financing activities, including changes arising from cash flows and non-cash changes. The amendment suggests that one way to 
fulfil the disclosure requirement is by providing a reconciliation between the opening and closing balances in the statement of 
financial position for liabilities arising from financing activities. The adoption of the amendment will result in additional disclosure 
requirements for the Group.

IFRS 2 (Amendment) ‘Classification and measurement of share-based payment transactions’ (not yet endorsed by the EU); 
effective for periods beginning on or after January 1, 2018. The amendments address three main areas: the effects of vesting 
conditions on the measurement of a cash-settled share-based payment transaction; the classification of a share-based payment 
transaction with net settlement features for withholding tax obligations; and accounting where a modification to the terms and 
conditions of a share-based payment transaction changes its classification from cash settled to equity settled. The adoption of the 
amendments will not result in a change to the financial position or performance of the Group.

There are no other standards, amendments or interpretations in issue but not yet adopted that the Directors anticipate will have a 
material effect on the reported income or net assets of the Group.

The Group has not early adopted any standard, amendment or interpretation that has been issued but is not yet effective.

c  Prior period reclassification

The financial statements for the prior year include reclassifications that were made to conform to the current year presentation.

In 2016 the Group reviewed and amended the reporting of individual line items in the consolidated Income statement to better 
reflect the nature of underlying transactions and improve comparability between reporting periods. As a result, for the year to 
December 31, 2015, revenue previously reported as Other revenue has been reclassified to Passenger revenue and Cargo revenue. 
Expenditure in respect of certain subcontracted services, previously allocated to Property, IT and other costs, has been reclassified 
to Handling, catering and other operating costs. These reclassifications have not affected reported total revenue, expenditure or 
operating profit for 2015. Details of these adjustments are provided in the table below.

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
114

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

2

 Significant accounting policies continued

Consolidated Income statement for the year to December 31, 2015

€ million

Passenger revenue
Cargo revenue
Other revenue
Total revenue

Handling, catering and other operating costs
Property, IT and other costs
Other expenditure on operations
Total expenditure on operations

Operating profit

3 Business combination

Previously 
reported

Reclassification

After
reclassification

20,350
1,024
1,484
22,858

2,371
1,033
17,136
20,540

(20)
70
(50)
–

200
(200)
–
–

20,330
1,094
1,434
22,858

2,571
833
17,136
20,540

2,318

–

2,318

On August 18, 2015, the Group acquired 100 per cent of the issued ordinary share capital of Aer Lingus Group for €2.55 per share.

The fair values of the assets and liabilities arising from the acquisition were presented in the financial statements for the year to 
December 31, 2015 on a provisional basis. During the twelve months to December 31, 2016 the valuation exercise was finalised, 
resulting in an increase of €58 million to the fair value of property, plant and equipment arising from the acquisition, a related 
€7 million deferred tax liability, and a corresponding decrease to goodwill. The comparative information is restated to reflect 
this adjustment.

The goodwill is recognised as follows:

€ million

Cash consideration
Fair value of identifiable net assets
Goodwill

4 Segment information

a Business segments

1,351
1,079
272

British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus are managed as individual operating companies. Each airline operates its network 
operations as a single business unit. The chief operating decision maker is responsible for allocating resources and assessing 
performance of the operating segments, and has been identified as the IAG Management Committee. The IAG Management 
Committee makes resource allocation decisions based on network profitability, primarily by reference to the passenger markets in 
which the companies operate. The objective in making resource allocation decisions is to optimise consolidated financial results. 
Therefore, based on the way the Group treats its businesses, and the manner in which resource allocation decisions are made, the 
Group has four reportable operating segments for financial reporting purposes, reported as British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Aer 
Lingus. Other Group companies include the head office companies.

In 2016, the Avios business has been treated as a separate operating unit and is included in Other Group companies in the 
Business segment information. In 2015, Avios was allocated to the British Airways and Iberia operating segments according to the 
ownership percentage. The 2015 comparatives have been restated and Avios has been included in Other Group companies.

For the year to December 31, 2016

€ million
Revenue
External revenue
Inter-segment revenue
Segment revenue

British 
Airways

13,889
469
14,358

2016

Iberia

Vueling

Aer Lingus

Other Group 
companies

4,233
353
4,586

2,065
 –
2,065

1,766
 –
1,766

614
452
1,066

Total

22,567
1,274
23,841

Depreciation, amortisation and impairment

(950)

(215)

(19)

(75)

(28)

(1,287)

Operating profit before exceptional items
Exceptional items (note 5)
Operating profit after exceptional items
Net non-operating costs
Profit before tax

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

1,786
(93)
1,693

271
 –
271

60
 –
60

233
 –
233

185
42
227

2,535
(51)
2,484
(122)
2,362

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

115

For the year to December 31, 2015

€ million

Revenue
External revenue
Inter-segment revenue
Segment revenue

British 
Airways

15,413
420
15,833

2015

Iberia

Vueling

Aer Lingus

Other Group 
companies

4,339
359
4,698

1,962
–
1,962

622
 –
622

522
469
991

Total

22,858
1,248
24,106

Depreciation, amortisation and impairment

(1,045)

(205)

(13)

(27)

(17)

(1,307)

Operating profit before exceptional items
Exceptional items (note 5)
Operating profit after exceptional items
Net non-operating costs
Profit before tax

b Geographical analysis

Revenue by area of original sale
€ million

UK
Spain
USA
Rest of world

Assets by area

December 31, 2016

€ million

UK
Spain
USA
Rest of world

December 31, 2015

€ million

UK
Spain
USA
Rest of world

1,759
(35)
1,724

222
 –
222

160
 –
160

35
(3)
32

159
21
180

2016

7,877
3,632
3,534
7,524
22,567

2,335
(17)
2,318
(517)
1,801

2015

8,256
3,462
3,447
7,693
22,858

Property, 
plant and 
equipment

Intangible 
assets

9,608
1,877
20
722
12,227

1,196
1,236
18
587
3,037

Property, 
plant and 
equipment

Intangible 
assets

11,1 1 2
1,798
26
794
13,730

1,346
1,221
14
614
3,195

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
116

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

Exceptional items

5
€ million

Employee costs1
Pre-acquisition cash flow hedge impact2
Business combination costs3
Litigation provision4
Recognised in expenditure on operations
Total exceptional charge before tax
Tax on exceptional items
Total exceptional charge after tax

2016

2015

93
(42)
–
–
51
51
(13)
38

–
(51)
33
35
17
17
6
23

1 Employee costs
British Airways has embarked on a series of transformation proposals to develop a more efficient and cost effective structure. The 
overall costs of the programme principally comprise employee severance costs. The costs incurred in the year to December 31, 
2016 in respect of these projects amount to €144 million, with a related tax credit of €27 million.
During the year the Group made changes to the US PRMB (Post-Retirement Medical Benefits) to further bring the level of benefits 
in line with national trends seen in the US. This scheme is accounted for in a similar way to a defined benefit plan, so any reduction 
in benefit results in the recognition of a past service gain when the plan amendment occurs. This change has resulted in a one-off 
gain in employee costs of €51 million in the year to December 31, 2016, and a related tax charge of €9 million.

2 Pre-acquisition cash flow hedge impact
Under IFRS 3 Business combinations, gains or losses on cash flow hedges acquired should not be recycled to the income 
statement but recognised in equity. Following the acquisition of Aer Lingus, IAG continued to unwind the cash flow fuel hedges 
acquired in reported fuel expense. For the year to December 31, 2016, a credit of €42 million (2015: €51 million) was recognised as 
an exceptional item, reversing the impact of unwinding the cash flow hedges to arrive at the total Fuel, oil costs and emissions 
charges. A related tax charge of €5 million (2015: €6 million) was also recognised.

In the year to December 31, 2015:
3 Business combination costs
Transaction expenses of €33 million were recognised in relation to the Aer Lingus Business combination in the year to December 
31, 2015.

4 Litigation provision
The litigation provision represents the continuation of the civil claims brought against British Airways in 2006. This provision 
represents a settled case against British Airways in the cargo claim for a total of €35 million. The final amount required to pay the 
remaining claims detailed in note 33 is subject to significant uncertainty.

6 Expenses by nature

Operating profit is arrived at after charging

Depreciation, amortisation and impairment of non-current assets:

€ million

Owned assets
Finance leased aircraft
Other leasehold interests
Impairment charge on property, plant and equipment
Amortisation of intangible assets
Impairment on intangible assets

Operating leases costs:

€ million

Minimum lease rentals 

Sub-lease rentals received

Cost of inventories:

€ million

– aircraft
– property and equipment

Cost of inventories recognised as an expense, mainly fuel

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

2016

739
391
39
–
104
14
1,287

2016

759
226
(2)
983

2015

834
346
47
5
75
–
1,307

2015

659
195
(46)
808

2016

3,966

2015

4,899

117

7 Auditors’ remuneration

The fees for audit and non-audit services provided by the auditor of the Group’s consolidated financial statements and of certain 
individual financial statements of the consolidated companies, Ernst & Young S.L., and by companies belonging to Ernst & Young’s 
network, were as follows:

€’000

Fees payable for the audit of the Group and individual accounts
Fees payable for other services:

Audit of the Group’s subsidiaries pursuant to legislation
Other services pursuant to legislation
Other services relating to taxation
Other assurance services
Services relating to information technology
Services relating to corporate finance transactions2
All other services

2016

Ernst & 
Young

3,313

541
440
1
604
5
90
22
5,016

2015

Ernst & 
Young

3,552

Other
auditor1

40

571
389
57
552
34
610
85
5,850

388
4
–
–
–
–
–
432

1 Fees for services billed to Aer Lingus by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (‘PwC’) and by companies belonging to PwC’s network, being the auditors of Aer Lingus in 2015.
2 In 2015 this mainly included services in relation to the Aer Lingus acquisition.

The audit fees payable are approved by the Audit and Compliance Committee and have been reviewed in the context of other 
companies for cost effectiveness. A description of the work of the Audit and Compliance Committee is set out in the Report of the 
Audit and Compliance Committee and includes an explanation of how objectivity and independence is safeguarded when non-
audit services are provided.

Employee costs and numbers

8
€ million

Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Costs related to pension scheme benefits
Cost of share-based payments
Other employee costs1
Total employee costs

1 Other employee costs include allowances and accommodation for crew

The average number of employees during the year was as follows:

Senior executives
Ground employees:

Managerial
Non-managerial

Technical crew:
Managerial
Non-managerial

2016

3,136
491
276
36
885
4,824

2015

3,277
485
372
35
736
4,905

2016

2015

Average 
number of 
employees

Percentage 
of women

Average 
number of 
employees

Percentage 
of women

215

27%

214

2,532
33,313

6,257
21,070
63,387

40%
35%

11%
68%

2,385
32,835

5,906
19,522
60,862

24%

41%
36%

10%
67%

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
2016

2015

(29)
(141)
(21)
(90)
3
(1)
(279)

2016

33

2016

12

(23)
(138)
(21)
(115)
2
1
(294)

2015

42

2015

(12)

Total

13
(172)
(159)

(10)
21
3
14

(145)

118

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

9

Finance costs and income

Finance costs

a
€ million

Interest expense on:
Bank borrowings
Finance leases
Provisions unwinding of discount
Other borrowings

Capitalised interest on progress payments
Change in fair value of cross currency swaps

b Finance income
€ million

Interest on other interest-bearing deposits

c Net financing credit/(charge) relating to pensions
€ million

Net financing credit/(charge) relating to pensions

10 Tax

a

Tax charges and tax balances

Tax (charge)/credit in the Income statement, Other comprehensive income and Statement of changes in equity

For the year to December 31, 2016

€ million
Current tax
Movement in respect of prior years
Movement in respect of current year
Total current tax

Deferred tax
Movement in respect of prior years
Movement in respect of current year
Rate change
Total deferred tax

Total tax

Income
statement

Other 
comprehensive 
income

Statement
of changes
in equity

13
(325)
(312)

(11)
(130)
43
(98)

(410)

–
143
143

–
158
(40)
118

261

–
10
10

1
(7)
–
(6)

4

Current tax in Other comprehensive income all relates to employee benefit plans and current tax in the Statement of changes in 
equity relates to share-based payment schemes (€5 million) and finance costs (€5 million).

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

119

Total

(5)
(247)
(252)

33
(243)
84
(126)

(378)

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

For the year to December 31, 2015

€ million
Current tax
Movement in respect of prior years
Movement in respect of current year
Total current tax

Deferred tax
Movement in respect of prior years
Movement in respect of current year
Rate change
Total deferred tax

Income
statement

Other 
comprehensive 
income

Statement
of changes
in equity

(5)
(337)
(342)

32
(59)
84
57

–
76
76

1
(180)
–
(179)

–
14
14

–
(4)
–
(4)

10

Total tax

(285)

(103)

Current tax in the Other comprehensive income all relates to employee benefit plans and current tax in the Statement of changes 
in equity all relates to share-based payment schemes.

Current tax (liability)/asset

€ million

2016
2015

Opening 
balance

Movement in 
respect of 
prior years

Movement
in respect of 
current year

(45)
(48)

13
(5)

(172)
(247)

Cash

318
245

Exchange 
movements

Closing 
balance

13
10

127
(45)

The current tax asset is €228 million (2015: €79 million) and the current tax liability is €101 million (2015: €124 million).

Deferred tax asset/(liability)

€ million

2016
2015

Opening 
balance

Movement in 
respect of 
prior years

Movement
in respect of 
current year

Rate
change

Business 
combinations

Exchange 
movements

Closing 
balance

297
491

(10)
33

21
(243)

3
84

–
(42)

39
(26)

350
297

The deferred tax asset is €526 million (2015: €723 million) and the deferred tax liability is €176 million (2015: €426 million).

b Deferred tax

For the year to December 31, 2016

€ million

Fixed assets
Employee leaving indemnities and other employee 
related provisions
Tax losses carried forward
Fair value losses recognised on cash flow hedges
Employee benefit plans
Tax assets in relation to tax credits and deductions
Share-based payment schemes
Foreign exchange
Deferred revenue in relation to customer 
loyalty programmes
Other items
Total deferred tax

Opening 
balance

(1,208)

472
410
298
168
78
22
8

1
48
297

Movement
in respect of 
prior years

Movement
in respect of 
current year

Rate
change

Exchange 
movements

(7)

1
16
(2)
–
–
1
(4)

–
(15)
(10)

(8)

(99)
(9)
(192)
332
–
(8)
6

1
(2)
21

45

(1)
(1)
(12)
(28)
–
–
–

–
–
3

113

(1)
(9)
(24)
(31)
–
(2)
(1)

–
(6)
39

Closing 
balance

(1,065)

372
407
68
441
78
13
9

2
25
350

Within tax in Other comprehensive income is a tax charge of €187 million that may be reclassified subsequently to the Income 
statement and a tax credit of €345 million that may not. Within tax in Other comprehensive income arising from tax rate changes 
is a tax charge of €12 million that may be reclassified subsequently to the Income statement and a tax charge of €28 million that 
may not.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
120

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

10 Tax continued

For the year to December 31, 2015

€ million

Fixed assets
Employee leaving indemnities and other 
employee related provisions
Tax losses carried forward
Fair value losses recognised on cash 
flow hedges
Employee benefit plans
Tax assets in relation to tax credits 
and deductions
Share-based payment schemes
Foreign exchange
Deferred revenue in relation to customer 
loyalty programmes
Other items
Total deferred tax

Opening 
balance

(1,126)

492
396

330
248

89
22
(16)

17
39
491

Movement
in respect of
prior years

Movement
in respect of 
current year

18

(6)
15

–
–

(10)
3
4

–
9
33

(10)

(13)
(42)

(41)
(125)

(1)
(4)
20

(16)
(11)
(243)

Rate
change

84

Transfer

Exchange 
movements

Closing
balance

(47)

(127)

(1,208)

–
–

–
–

–
–
–

–
–
84

–
–

–
–

–
–
–

–
5
(42)

(1)
41

9
45

–
1
–

–
6
(26)

472
410

298
168

78
22
8

1
48
297

Within tax in Other comprehensive income is a tax charge of €53 million that may be reclassified subsequently to the Income 
statement and a tax charge of €127 million that may not.

Detailed deferred tax movement in respect of current year in the Income statement, Other comprehensive income and 
Statement of changes in equity

For the year to December 31, 2016

€ million

Fixed assets
Employee leaving indemnities and other employee related provisions
Tax losses carried forward
Fair value losses recognised on cash flow hedges
Employee benefit plans
Share-based payment schemes
Foreign exchange
Deferred revenue in relation to customer loyalty programmes
Other items
Total deferred tax

For the year to December 31, 2015

€ million

Fixed assets
Employee leaving indemnities and other employee related provisions
Tax losses carried forward
Fair value losses recognised on cash flow hedges
Employee benefit plans
Tax assets in relation to tax credits and deductions
Share-based payment schemes
Foreign exchange
Deferred revenue in relation to customer loyalty programmes
Other items
Total deferred tax

Income 
statement

Other 
comprehensive 
income

Statement of 
changes in 
equity

(8)
(99)
(9)
(5)
(13)
(1)
6
1
(2)
(130)

–
–
–
(187)
345
–
–
–
–
158

–
–
–
–
–
(7)
–
–
–
(7)

Income 
statement

Other 
comprehensive 
income

Statement of 
changes in 
equity

(10)
(13)
(42)
12
2
(1)
–
20
(16)
(11)
(59)

–
–
–
(53)
(127)
–
–
–
–
–
(180)

–
–
–
–
–
–
(4)
–
–
–
(4)

Total

(8)
(99)
(9)
(192)
332
(8)
6
1
(2)
21

Total

(10)
(13)
(42)
(41)
(125)
(1)
(4)
20
(16)
(11)
(243)

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

121

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

c Reconciliation of the total tax charge in the Income statement

The tax charge is calculated at the domestic rates applicable to profits or losses in the main countries of operation. The tax charge 
on the profit for the year to December 31, 2016 and 2015 is lower than the notional tax charge.

The differences are explained below:

€ million

Accounting profit before tax

Tax calculated at 25 per cent in Spain (2015: 28 per cent), 20 per cent in the UK (2015: 20.25 per cent) 
and 12.5 per cent in Ireland (2015: 12.5 per cent)1
Effects of:

Non-deductible expenses – recurring items
Non-deductible expenses – non-recurring items
Current year tax assets not recognised
Tax on unremitted earnings
Employee benefit plans accounted for net of withholding tax
Investment credit
Previously unrecognised tax assets
Euro preferred securities accounted for as non-controlling interests
Other items
Adjustments in respect of prior years
Tax rate changes

Tax charge in the Income statement

2016

2,362

2015

1,801

466

381

12
9
4
–
(6)
(7)
(9)
(12)
(2)
(2)
(43)
410

6
11
3
3
(8)
(6)
–
(4)
10
(27)
(84)
285

1 The expected tax charge is calculated by aggregating the expected tax charges arising in each Group company.

d Other taxes

The Group also contributed tax and related revenues through payment of transaction and payroll related taxes and charges. A 
breakdown of these other taxes and charges paid during 2016 is as follows:

€ million

Payroll related taxes
UK Air Passenger Duty
Other ticket taxes and charges

2016

495
848
1,626
2,969

2015

455
923
1,583
2,961

The reduction in UK air passenger duty paid reflects foreign exchange movements and not a reduction in underlying payments.

e

Factors that may affect future tax charges

Unrecognised temporary differences – losses

€ million

Spanish corporate income tax losses and deferred finance costs
UK capital losses arising before the change in ownership of the UK Group in 2011
UK capital losses arising after the change in ownership of the UK Group in 2011
UK capital losses arising on properties that were eligible for Industrial Buildings Allowances
Corporate income tax losses outside of the countries of main operation

2016

47
34
8
296
170

2015

35
101
10
350
154

Unrecognised temporary differences – investment in subsidiaries and associates

No deferred tax liability has been recognised in respect of €170 million (2015: €795 million) of temporary differences relating to 
subsidiaries and associates. The Group either controls the reversal of these temporary differences and it is probable that they will 
not reverse in the foreseeable future or no tax consequences would arise from their reversal.

UK tax rate changes

A reduction in the UK corporation tax rate was substantively enacted in the year, in addition to those enacted in 2015. The main 
rate of corporation tax applicable from April 1, 2020 was reduced from 18 per cent to 17 per cent. The deferred tax on temporary 
differences and tax losses at December 31, 2016 was calculated at the rate applicable to the year in which the temporary 
differences and tax losses are expected to reverse.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
122

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

10 Tax continued
Spanish tax law changes

Changes in Spanish corporate income tax law were made towards the end of 2016. These changes included delaying the tax 
deduction for certain expenditure and delaying the offset of brought forward tax losses, both of which accelerate tax payable by 
the Group. There were also changes which increased prepayments of corporate income tax (current tax asset 2016: €228 million). 
These changes are not expected to affect the total future tax charge.

Tax audits

The Group files income tax returns in many jurisdictions throughout the world. Tax returns contain matters that are subject 
to potentially differing interpretations of tax laws and regulations, which may give rise to queries from and disputes with tax 
authorities. The resolution of these queries and disputes can take several years. The Group does not currently expect any material 
impact on the Group’s financial position or results of operations to arise from such resolution. The extent to which there are open 
queries and disputes depends upon the jurisdiction and the issue.

11 Earnings per share
€ million

Earnings attributable to equity holders of the parent for basic earnings
Interest expense on convertible bonds
Diluted earnings attributable to equity holders of the parent and diluted earnings per share

Weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue
Assumed conversion on convertible bonds
Dilutive employee share schemes outstanding
Weighted average number for diluted earnings per share

€ cents

Basic earnings per share
Diluted earnings per share

2016

1,931
26
1,957

2015

1,495
25
1,520

2016
Number
‘000

2,075,568
115,688
19,734
2,210,990

2015
Number
‘000

2,034,197
101,480
24,260
2,159,937

2016

93.0
88.5

2015

73.5
70.4

The calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share before exceptional items is included in the Alternative performance 
measures section.

12 Dividends
€ million
Cash dividend declared
Interim dividend for 2016 of 11 € cents per share (2015: 10 € cents per share)
Final dividend for 2015 of 10 € cents per share

Proposed cash dividend
Final dividend for 2016 of 12.5 € cents per share

2016

2015

203
–

233
212

265

The proposed dividend would be distributed from net profit for the year to December 31, 2016.

Proposed dividends on ordinary shares are subject to approval at the annual general meeting and subject to approval are 
recognised as a liability on that date.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

13 Property, plant and equipment
€ million
Cost
Balance at January 1, 2015
Additions
Acquired through Business combination
Disposals
Reclassifications
Exchange movements
Balance at December 31, 2015
Additions
Disposals
Reclassifications
Exchange movements
December 31, 2016
Depreciation and impairment
Balance at January 1, 2015
Charge for the year
Disposals
Reclassifications
Exchange movements
Balance at December 31, 2015
Charge for the year
Disposals
Reclassifications
Exchange movements
December 31, 2016

Net book values
December 31, 2016
December 31, 2015

Analysis at December 31, 2016
Owned
Finance leased
Progress payments
Property, plant and equipment
Analysis at December 31, 2015
Owned
Finance leased
Progress payments
Property, plant and equipment

123

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Fleet

Property

Equipment

Total

20,226
1,774
751
(1,180)
(184)
1,488
22,875
2,739
(2,957)
(178)
(2,740)
19,739

10,252
1,066
(954)
(99)
793
11,058
1,016
(1,309)
(140)
(1,430)
9,195

10,544
11,817

3,930
6,000
614
10,544

4,763
6,385
669
11,817

2,259
51
16
(3)
3
155
2,481
31
(5)
–
(297)
2,210

999
70
(3)
2
75
1,143
64
(5)
–
(149)
1,053

1,157
1,338

1,114
4
39
1,157

1,289
16
33
1,338

1,515
112
12
(56)
(22)
90
1,651
123
(50)
(21)
(170)
1,533

965
91
(34)
(10)
64
1,076
89
(27)
(9)
(122)
1,007

526
575

409
57
60
526

460
33
82
575

24,000
1,937
779
(1,239)
(203)
1,733
27,007
2,893
(3,012)
(199)
(3,207)
23,482

12,216
1,227
(991)
(107)
932
13,277
1,169
(1,341)
(149)
(1,701)
11,255

12,227
13,730

5,453
6,061
713
12,227

6,512
6,434
784
13,730

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
124

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

13 Property, plant and equipment continued

The net book value of property comprises:

€ million

Freehold
Long leasehold improvements
Short leasehold improvements1
Property

2016

494
331
332
1,157

2015

561
387
390
1,338

1 Short leasehold improvements relate to property leasehold interests with duration of less than 50 years.

At December 31, 2016, bank and other loans of the Group are secured on fleet assets with a cost of €1,071 million 
(2015: €1,466 million) and letters of credit of €273 million in favour of the British Airways Pension Trustees are secured on certain 
aircraft (2015: €278 million).

14 Capital expenditure commitments

Capital expenditure authorised and contracted for but not provided for in the accounts amounts to €14,022 million (December 31, 
2015: €16,091 million). The majority of capital expenditure commitments are denominated in US dollars, and as such are subject to 
changes in exchange rates.

The outstanding commitments include €13,991 million for the acquisition of 89 Airbus A320s (from 2018 to 2022), 17 Airbus A321s 
(from 2017 to 2019), 5 Airbus A330s (from 2017 to 2018), 43 Airbus A350s (from 2018 to 2022) and 18 Boeing 787s (from 2017 
to 2021).

15 Non-current assets held for sale

The non-current assets held for sale of €38 million represent €15 million for the Group’s investment in Propius Holdings Limited 
and €23 million for five Airbus A340-300 aircraft. These are presented within the Aer Lingus and Iberia operating segments 
respectively and will exit the business within 12 months of December 31, 2016.

During the year to December 31, 2016 six Airbus A340-300 aircraft were classified as held for sale. Assets held for sale with a net 
book value of €19 million disposed of during the year, related to the sale of one Airbus A340-300 aircraft in Iberia and three Boeing 
737-400 airframes and nine Boeing 737-400 engines in British Airways, resulting in a gain of €1 million in British Airways.

At December 31, 2015 the non-current assets held for sale of €5 million represented three Boeing 737-400 airframes and nine 
Boeing 737-400 engines that had been stood down from use and were being marketed for sale. These were presented within the 
British Airways segment.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

125

16 Intangible assets and impairment review

a

Intangible assets

€ million
Cost
Balance at January 1, 2015
Additions
Acquired through Business combination
Disposals
Reclassifications
Exchange movements
Balance at December 31, 2015
Additions
Disposals
Reclassifications
Exchange movements
December 31, 2016
Amortisation and impairment
Balance at January 1, 2015
Charge for the year
Disposals
Reclassifications
Exchange movements
Balance at December 31, 2015
Charge for the year
Impairment charge recognised during the year3
Reclassifications
Exchange movements
December 31, 2016
Net book values
December 31, 2016
December 31, 2015

Goodwill

Brand

Customer 
loyalty 
programmes

Landing
rights1

Other2

Total

328 
–
272 
–
–
5
605 
–
–
–
(7)
598 

249 
–
–
–
–
249 
–
–
–
–
249 

349 
356 

341 
–
110 
–
–
–
451 
–
–
–
–
451 

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

253 
–
–
–
–
–
253 
–
–
–
–
253 

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–

1,442 
–
172 
–
–
70 
1,684 
–
–
–
(128)
1,556 

77 
3
–
–
6
86 
6
14 
–
(8)
98 

451 
451 

253 
253 

1,458 
1,598 

749 
168 
40 
(114)
20 
42 
905 
154 
(19)
20 
(100)
960 

349 
72 
(78)
8
17 
368 
98 
–
9
(41)
434 

526 
537 

3,113
168
594
(114)
20
117
3,898
154
(19)
20
(235)
3,818

675
75
(78)
8
23
703
104
14
9
(49)
781

3,037
3,195

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

1 The net book value includes non-EU based landing rights of €113 million (2015: €123 million) that have a finite life. The remaining life of these landing rights is 19 years.
2 Other intangible assets consist primarily of software with a net book value of €474 million (2015: €487 million), and also include purchased emissions allowances.
3 The impairment charge of €14 million relates to landing rights associated with British Airways’ Openskies operation, €11 million of which relates to landing rights in the EU that have an 

indefinite life.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
126

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

16 Intangible assets and impairment review continued
b Impairment review

The carrying amounts of intangible assets with indefinite life and goodwill allocated to cash generating units (CGUs) of the 
Group are:

€ million
2016
Iberia
January 1 and December 31, 2016

British Airways
January 1, 2016
Impairment
Exchange movements
December 31, 2016

Vueling
January 1 and December 31, 2016

Aer Lingus
January 1 and December 31, 2016

Avios
January 1 and December 31, 2016

Goodwill

Landing 
rights

Customer 
loyalty 
programmes

Brand

–

423 

306 

56 
–
(7)
49 

901 
(11)
(119)
771 

–
–
–
–

28 

89 

35 

272 

62 

110 

–

–
–
–
–

–

–

Total

729

957
(11)
(126)
820

152

444

–

–

–

253 

253

December 31, 2016

349 

1,345 

451 

253 

2,398

€ million
2015
Iberia
January 1, 2015
Transfer to Avios
December 31, 2015

British Airways
January 1, 2015
Exchange movements
December 31, 2015

Vueling
January 1 and December 31, 2015

Aer Lingus
January 1, 2015
Acquired through Business combination
December 31, 2015

Avios
January 1, 2015
Transfer from Iberia
December 31, 2015

December 31, 2015

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Goodwill

Landing 
rights

Customer 
loyalty 
programmes

Brand

–
–
–

51 
5
56 

423 
–
423 

840 
61 
901 

306 
–
306 

–
–
–

28 

89 

35 

–
272 
272 

–
–
–

–
62 
62 

–
–
–

–
110 
110 

–
–
–

253 
(253)
–

–
–
–

–

–
–
–

–
253 
253 

Total

982
(253)
729

891
66
957

152

–
444
444

–
253
253

356 

1,475 

451 

253 

2,535

127

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Basis for calculating recoverable amount

The recoverable amounts of CGUs have been measured based on their value-in-use.

Value-in-use is calculated using a discounted cash flow model, with the royalty methodology used for brands. Cash flow 
projections are based on the Business plan approved by the Board covering a five year period. Cash flows extrapolated beyond 
the five year period are projected to increase based on long-term growth rates. Cash flow projections are discounted using the 
CGU’s pre-tax discount rate.

Annually the Group prepares and the Board approves five year business plans. Business plans were approved in the fourth quarter 
of the year. The business plan cash flows used in the value-in-use calculations reflect all restructuring of the business that has been 
approved by the Board and which can be executed by Management under existing agreements.

Key assumptions

For each of the CGUs the key assumptions used in the value-in-use calculations are as follows:

Per cent

Lease adjusted operating margin
Average ASK growth per annum
Long-term growth rate
Pre-tax discount rate

Per cent

Lease adjusted operating margin
Average ASK growth per annum
Long-term growth rate
Pre-tax discount rate

British 
Airways

12–15
2
2.5
8.5

2016

Iberia

Vueling

Aer Lingus

Avios

8–14
4
2.0
9.8

British 
Airways

12–15
2–3
2.5
8.6

7–15
7
2.0
10.6

2015

Iberia

8–14
7
2.0
9.7

12–15
8
2.0
7.8

n/a1
n/a1
2.4
9.1

Vueling

Avios

12–15
10
2.0
10.3

n/a1
n/a1
2.4
9.1

1 Lease adjusted operating margin and ASK growth per annum assumptions are not applicable for the Avios loyalty reward business, which conducts business with partners both within 

and outside IAG.

Lease adjusted operating margin is the average annual operating result, adjusted for aircraft operating lease costs, as a percentage 
of revenue over the five year Business plan to 2021. It is presented as a percentage point range and is based on past performance, 
Management’s expectation of the market development and incorporating risks into the cash flow estimates.

ASK growth is the average annual increase over the Business plan, based on past performance and Management’s expectation of 
the market.

The long-term growth rate is calculated for each CGU based on the forecasted weighted average exposure in each primary market 
using gross domestic product (GDP) (source: Oxford Economics). This is reviewed each year and updated as necessary to reflect 
management’s view on specific market risk.

Pre-tax discount rates represent the current market assessment of the risks specific to each CGU, taking into consideration the 
time value of money and underlying risks of its primary market. The discount rate calculation is based on the circumstances of 
the airline industry, the Group and the CGU. It is derived from the weighted average cost of capital (WACC). The WACC takes into 
consideration both debt and equity available to airlines. The cost of equity is derived from the expected return on investment by 
airline investors and the cost of debt is broadly based on the Group’s interest-bearing borrowings. CGU specific risk is incorporated 
by applying individual beta factors which are evaluated annually based on available market data. The pre-tax discount rate reflects 
the timing of future tax flows.

Summary of results

In 2016, Management reviewed the recoverable amount of each of its CGUs and concluded the recoverable amounts exceeded the 
carrying values.

In 2016, British Airways recognised an impairment charge of €14 million in respect of landing rights associated with its Openskies 
operation, €11 million of which related to landing rights in the EU that have an indefinite life. The impairment has arisen as a result 
of changes in Business plan assumptions for the Openskies operation. At December 31, 2016 the remaining carrying value was 
€12 million, representing its value-in-use.

Sensitivities

Sensitivities have been considered for each CGU. No reasonable possible change in the key assumptions for any of the Groups 
CGUs would cause the carrying amounts to exceed the recoverable amounts.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
128

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

17 Investments

a

Investments in subsidiaries

The Group’s principal subsidiaries at December 31, 2016 are listed in the Group investments section.

All subsidiary undertakings are included in the consolidation. There have been no significant changes in ownership interests of 
subsidiaries during the year.

The total non-controlling interest at December 31, 2016 is €308 million which largely comprises €300 million of 6.75 per cent fixed 
coupon euro preferred securities issued by British Airways Finance (Jersey) L.P. (note 31).

British Airways Employee Benefit Trustee (Jersey) Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of British Airways, governs the British 
Airways Plc Employee Share Ownership Trust (the Trust). The Trust is not a legal subsidiary of IAG; however, it is consolidated 
within the Group results.

b Investments in associates and joint ventures

The share of assets, liabilities, revenue and profit of the Group’s associates and joint ventures, which are included in the Group’s 
financial statements, are as follows:

€ million

Total assets
Total liabilities
Revenue
Profit for the year

The detail of the movement in Investment in associates and joint ventures is shown as follows:

€ million

At beginning of year
Share of retained profits
Acquired through Business combination
Disposals
Reclassification1
Exchange movements
Dividends received

2016

88
(61)
52
6

2015

100
(64)
75
6

2016

2015

41
6
–
–
(15)
–
(3)
29

27
6
17
(1)
–
1
(9)
41

1 During the year the Group’s 33.33 per cent equity interest in the share capital of Propius Holdings Limited was classified as held for sale.

At December 31, 2016 there are no restrictions on the ability of associates or joint ventures to transfer funds to the parent and there 
are no related contingent liabilities.

At December 31, 2016 the investment in Handling Guinea Ecuatorial, S.A. exceeded 50 per cent ownership by the Group (51 per 
cent) and is treated as an associate as the local partner controls its activities.

18 Available-for-sale financial assets

Available-for-sale financial assets include the following:

€ million
Listed securities
Comair Limited
Unlisted securities

The net gain relating to available-for-sale financial assets was €4 million (2015: €5 million).

2016

2015

15
58
73

9
65
74

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

19 Trade and other receivables

€ million
Amounts falling due within one year
Trade receivables
Provision for doubtful receivables
Net trade receivables
Prepayments and accrued income
Other non-trade debtors

Amounts falling due after one year
Prepayments and accrued income
Other interest-bearing deposits (greater than one year)
Other non-trade debtors

Movements in the provision for doubtful trade receivables were as follows:

€ million

At beginning of year
Provision for doubtful receivables
Unused amounts reversed
Receivables written off during the year
Exchange movements

The ageing analysis of net trade receivables is as follows:

€ million

Neither past due date nor impaired
< 30 days
30 – 60 days
> 60 days
Net trade receivables

Trade receivables are generally non-interest-bearing and on 30 days terms (2015: 30 days).

20 Cash, cash equivalents and other current interest-bearing deposits
€ million

Cash at bank and in hand
Short-term deposits falling due within three months
Cash and cash equivalents
Other current interest-bearing deposits maturing after three months
Cash, cash equivalents and other interest-bearing deposits

129

2016

2015

1,469
(64)
1,405
717
182
2,304

313
114
72
499

2016

84
7
(1)
(23)
(3)
64

2016

1,017
235
96
57
1,405

2016

2,021
1,316
3,337
3,091
6,428

1,280
(84)
1,196
925
310
2,431

173
104
88
365

2015

97
8
(3)
(20)
2
84

2015

986
117
77
16
1,196

2015

2,230
679
2,909
2,947
5,856

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Cash at bank is primarily held in AAA money market funds and bank deposits. Short-term deposits are made for periods up to 
three months depending on the cash requirements of the Group and earn interest based on the floating deposit rates.

At December 31, 2016 the Group had no outstanding bank overdrafts (2015: nil).

Other current interest-bearing deposits are made for periods in excess of three months with maturity typically within 12 months 
and earn interest based on the market rates available at the time the deposit was made.

At December 31, 2016 Aer Lingus held €47 million of restricted cash (2015: €49 million) within interest-bearing deposits maturing 
after more than three months to be used for employee related obligations.

21 Trade and other payables
€ million

Trade creditors
Other creditors
Other taxation and social security
Accruals and deferred income

2016

1,776
910
218
401
3,305

2015

2,043
1,031
186
543
3,803

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
130

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

21 Trade and other payables continued
Average payment days to suppliers – Spanish Group companies
Days

Average payment days for payment to suppliers
Ratio of transactions paid
Ratio of transactions outstanding for payment

€ million

Total payments made
Total payments outstanding

22 Other long-term liabilities
€ million

Non-current trade creditors
Accruals and deferred income

23 Long-term borrowings

a Current
€ million

Bank and other loans
Finance leases

b Non-current
€ million

Bank and other loans
Finance leases

2016

31
30
53

2016

4,600
86

2016

4
234
238

2016

149
777
926

2016

1,764
5,825
7,589

2015

42
42
47

2015

4,272
84

2015

5
218
223

2015

576
556
1,132

2015

2,176
5,322
7,498

During the year all holders of the €390 million 1.75 per cent convertible bond exercised their options to exchange their convertible 
bonds for ordinary shares in the Company, resulting in the issuance of 92,910,220 shares during the year.

Banks and other loans are repayable up to the year 2027. Bank and other loans of the Group amounting to €613 million 
(2015: €813 million) are secured on aircraft. Finance leases are all secured on aircraft or property, plant and equipment.

c Bank and other loans

Bank and other loans comprise the following:

€ million

€500 million fixed rate 0.25 per cent convertible bond 20201
€500 million fixed rate 0.625 per cent convertible bond 20221
Floating rate euro mortgage loans secured on aircraft2
€200 million fixed rate unsecured bonds3
Floating rate euro syndicate loan secured on investments4
Fixed rate US dollar mortgage loans secured on aircraft5
Fixed rate Chinese yuan mortgage loans secured on aircraft6
Floating rate pound sterling mortgage loans secured on aircraft7
Fixed rate unsecured euro loans with the Spanish State (Department of Industry)8
Floating rate US dollar mortgage loans secured on aircraft9
European Investment Bank sterling loans secured on certain property10
€390 million fixed rate 1.75 per cent convertible bond 201811
£250 million fixed rate 8.75 per cent unsecured Eurobonds 201612
Fixed rate pound sterling mortgage loans secured on aircraft13

Less current instalments due on bank and other loans

2016

463
441
304
200
176
157
87
53
18
12
2
–
–
–
1,913
(149)
1,764

2015

454
431
328
147
192
174
102
55
15
52
7
350
343
102
2,752
(576)
2,176

1 Two senior unsecured bonds convertible into ordinary shares of IAG were issued by the Group in November 2015; €500 million fixed rate 0.25 per cent raising net proceeds of 

€494 million and due in 2020, and €500 million fixed rate 0.625 per cent raising net proceeds of €494 million and due in 2022. The Group holds an option to redeem each convertible 
bond at its principal amount, together with accrued interest, no earlier than two years prior to the final maturity date. The equity portion of the convertible bond issue of €39 million 
and €62 million respectively is included in Other reserves (note 31). The bonds contain dividend protection, and a total of 72,417,846 options related to the bonds were outstanding 
from issuance and at December 31, 2016.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

131

2 Floating rate euro mortgage loans are secured on specific aircraft assets of the Group and bear interest of between 0.29 and 1.50 per cent. The loans are repayable between 2024 

and 2027.

3 €200 million fixed rate unsecured bonds between 2.5 to 3.75 per cent coupon repayable between 2018 and 2027. During the year, the Group issued bonds totalling €49 million.
4 Floating rate euro syndicate loan secured on investments is secured on specific assets of the Group and bears interest of 1.375 per cent plus 3 month EURIBOR. The loan is repayable 

in 2020.

5 Fixed rate US dollar mortgage loans are secured on specific aircraft assets of the Group and bear interest of between 3.81 and 4.76 per cent. The loans are repayable between 2021 

and 2026.

6 Fixed rate Chinese yuan mortgage loans are secured on specific aircraft assets of the Group and bears interest of 5.20 per cent. The loans are repayable in 2022.
7 Floating rate pound sterling mortgage loans are secured on specific aircraft assets of the Group and bear interest of 1.10 per cent. The loans are repayable between 2018 and 2019.
8 Fixed rate unsecured euro loans with the Spanish State (Department of Industry) bear interest of between nil and 5.68 per cent and are repayable between 2017 and 2026.
9 Floating rate US dollar mortgage loans are secured on specific aircraft assets of the Group and bear interest of 3.66 per cent. The loans are repayable in 2017.
10 European Investment Bank pound sterling loan is secured on certain property assets of the Group and bears interest of 0.50 per cent. The loan is repayable in 2017.
11 €390 million fixed rate 1.75 per cent convertible bond issued by the Group, in May 2013, raising net proceeds of €386 million, convertible into ordinary shares at the option of the 

holder before or upon maturity in May 2018. The conversion price was set at a premium of 35 per cent on the Group’s share price on the date of issuance. The Group held an option to 
redeem the convertible bond at its principal amount, together with accrued interest, upon fulfilment of certain pre-determined criteria.
In early 2016 certain bondholders requested conversion, resulting in the issuance of 929,102 shares. Following the announcement by the Group that it had exercised its option to 
redeem all of its outstanding €390 million 1.75 per cent convertible bonds due 2018, in June 2016 all remaining bondholders exercised their option to exchange their convertible bonds 
for ordinary shares, resulting in the issuance of 91,981,118 new shares.
At December 31, 2016 there were no options outstanding (2015: 91,758,228).

12 £250 million fixed rate 8.75 per cent unsecured eurobonds 2016 were repaid in August 2016.
13 Fixed rate pound sterling mortgage loans were converted into floating rate sterling mortgage loans during the year. These loans are now included within part 7 above.

d Total loans and finance leases
Million
Loans
Bank:

US dollar
Euro
Pound sterling
Chinese yuan

Fixed rate bonds:

Euro
Pound sterling

Finance leases
US dollar
Euro
Japanese yen
Pound sterling

2016

2015

$176
€498
£47
CNY 623
€809

$246
€536
£119
CNY 716
€1,027

€1,104
–
€1,104

€1,381
£250
€1,725

$3,246
€2,343
¥63,614
£527
€6,602

$3,464
€1,458
¥44,599
£656
€5,878

€8,515

€8,630

e Obligations under finance leases

The Group uses finance leases principally to acquire aircraft. These leases have both renewal and purchase options, at the option 
of the Group. Future minimum finance lease payments under finance leases are as follows:

€ million

Future minimum payments due:

Within one year
After more than one year but within five years
In five years or more

Less: finance charges
Present value of minimum lease payments
The present value of minimum lease payments is analysed as follows:

Within one year
After more than one year but within five years
In five years or more

2016

2015

905
3,339
3,070
7,314
(712)
6,602

777
2,938
2,887
6,602

692
3,084
2,769
6,545
(667)
5,878

556
2,723
2,599
5,878

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
132

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

24 Operating lease commitments

The Group has entered into commercial leases on certain properties, equipment and aircraft. These leases have durations ranging 
from less than one year to 14 years for aircraft and less than one year to 22 years for property, plant and equipment with the 
exception of one ground lease which has a remaining lease of 129 years. Certain leases contain options for renewal.

The aggregate payments, for which there are commitments under operating leases, fall due as follows:

€ million

Within one year
Between one and five years
Over five years

Sub-leasing

2016

Property, 
plant and 
equipment

158
233
2,060
2,451

Fleet

975
2,970
1,918
5,863

Total

1,133
3,203
3,978
8,314

2015

Property, 
plant and 
equipment

179
384
2,456
3,019

Fleet

778
2,184
1,206
4,168

Total

957
2,568
3,662
7,187

Sub-leases entered into by the Group relate to surplus rental properties and aircraft assets held under non-cancellable leases 
to third parties. These leases have remaining terms of one to 21 years and the assets are surplus to the Group’s requirements. 
Future minimum rentals receivable under non-cancellable operating leases are €12 million (2015: €16 million) with €7 million 
(2015: €9 million) falling due within one year, €5 million (2015: €5 million) between one and five years and nil (2015: €2 million) 
over five years.

25 Provision for liabilities and charges

€ million

Net book value January 1, 2016
Provisions recorded during the year
Utilised during the year
Release of unused amounts
Unwinding of discount
Exchange differences
Net book value December 31, 2016
Analysis:
Current
Non-current

Restoration 
and 
handback 
provisions Restructuring

Employee 
leaving 
indemnities 
and other 
employee 
related 
provisions

Legal claims 
provisions

Other 
provisions

1,013
319
(141)
(23)
3
30
1,201

296
905
1,201

744
172
(206)
(18)
3
(3)
692

248
444
692

579
26
(24)
(1)
13
–
593

65
528
593

235
23
(8)
(60)
1
(2)
189

119
70
189

83
101
(94)
(5)
1
(3)
83

43
40
83

Total
2,654
641
(473)
(107)
21
22
2,758

771
1,987
2,758

Restoration and handback provisions

The provision for restoration and handback costs is maintained to meet the contractual return conditions on aircraft held 
under operating leases. The provision also includes an amount relating to leased land and buildings where restoration costs 
are contractually required at the end of the lease. Where such costs arise as a result of capital expenditure on the leased asset, 
the restoration costs are capitalised. The provision is a long-term provision, typically covering the leased asset term which is up 
to 14 years for aircraft.

Restructuring

The Group recognises a provision for targeted voluntary severance schemes. Part of this provision relates to a collective 
redundancy programme, which provides for payments to affected employees until they reach the statutory retirement age. 
The amount provided for has been determined by an actuarial valuation made by independent actuaries, and was based on 
the same assumptions as those made to determine the provisions for obligations to flight crew below, with the exception of the 
discount rate, which in this case was 0.20 per cent. The payments related to this provision will continue over ten years.

During the year the Group recognised a provision of €144 million in relation to the restructuring plans at British Airways (note 5). 
The costs related to this provision are expected to be incurred in the next two years.

Employee leaving indemnities and other employee related provisions

This provision includes employees leaving indemnities relating to staff under various contractual arrangements.

The Group recognises a provision relating to flight crew who, having met certain conditions, have the option of being 
placed on reserve and retaining their employment relationship until reaching the statutory retirement age, or taking early 
retirement. The Group is required to remunerate these employees until they reach the statutory retirement age, and an initial 
provision was recognised based on an actuarial valuation. The provision was reviewed at December 31, 2016 with the use of 
independent actuaries using the projected unit credit method, based on a discount rate of 1.18 per cent and a 0.02 per cent 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

133

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

depending on whether the employees are currently active or not and a 1.50 per cent annual increase in the Consumer Price 
Index (CPI). This is mainly a long-term provision. The amount relating to this provision was €524 million at December 31, 2016 
(2015: €505 million).

Legal claims provisions

Legal claims provisions includes:

•

•
•

Amounts for multi-party claims from groups or employees on a number of matters related to its operations, including claims 
for additional holiday pay and for age discrimination;
Provisions related to tax assessment; and
Amounts related to investigations by a number of competition authorities in connection with alleged anti-competitive activity 
concerning the Group’s passenger and cargo businesses. The final amount required to pay the remaining claims and fines is 
subject to uncertainty (note 33).

Other provisions

Other provisions includes:

•

•

•

Amounts for passengers whose flights were significantly delayed and are entitled to receive compensation. This provision is 
largely a current provision and is expected to have amounts both utilised and provided for each year. This provision has been 
reassessed based on the historic level of claims;
A provision for the Emissions Trading Scheme that represents the excess of CO2 emitted on flights within the EU in excess of 
the EU Emission Allowances granted; and
A provision related to unfavourable fleet contracts.

26 Financial risk management objectives and policies

The Group is exposed to a variety of financial risks: market risk (including fuel price risk, foreign currency risk and interest rate risk), 
counterparty risk, liquidity risk and capital risk. The Group’s Financial Risk Management programme focuses on the unpredictability 
of financial markets and defines the amount of risk that the Group is prepared to retain.

Financial risk is managed in two tiers under the overall oversight of the Group Treasury department. The first tier comprises 
fuel price fluctuations, euro-US dollar volatility and sterling-US dollar volatility which represent the largest financial risks facing 
the Group. The Board approves the key strategic principles and the risk appetite. The IAG Management Committee approves 
the hedging levels and the degree of flexibility in applying the levels that are delegated to the Group Treasury Committee. The 
Group Treasury Committee meets periodically and includes representatives from Group Treasury, British Airways, Iberia, Vueling 
and Aer Lingus. The Committee approves a mandate for British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus treasury teams to place 
hedging cover in the market for their respective companies, including the instruments to be used. Second tier risks such as interest 
rate movements, emissions and minor currency pairs are managed separately by Group Treasury for British Airways and Iberia. 
Vueling and Aer Lingus manage second tier risks under authority delegated by their boards to their treasury departments, aligned 
with Group treasury policy.

The Group Treasury Committee provides a quarterly report on the hedging position to the IAG Management Committee and the 
Audit and Compliance Committee. The Board reviews the strategy once a year.

a

Fuel price risk

The Group is exposed to fuel price risk. The Group’s fuel price risk management strategy aims to provide protection against 
sudden and significant increases in fuel prices while ensuring that the Group is not competitively disadvantaged in the event 
of a substantial fall in the price. The current Group strategy, as approved by the IAG Management Committee, is to hedge a 
proportion of fuel consumption for the next eight quarters, within certain defined limits. In addition, the Group has additional 
flexibility to hedge a proportion of fuel consumption up to quarter 12.

Within the strategy, the Financial Risk Management programme allows for the use of a number of derivatives available 
on over-the-counter (OTC) markets with approved counterparties.

The following table demonstrates the sensitivity of financial instruments to a reasonable possible change in fuel prices, with all 
other variables held constant, on result before tax and equity:

Increase/(decrease)
in fuel price
per cent

Effect on result
before tax
€ million

30
(30)

73
(114)

b Foreign currency risk

2016

Effect on
equity
€ million

1,006
(855)

Increase/(decrease)
in fuel price
per cent

Effect on result
before tax
€ million

30
(30)

70
(49)

2015

Effect on
equity
€ million

656
(731)

The Group presents its consolidated financial statements in euros, has functional entities in euro and pound sterling, and conducts 
business in a number of different countries. Consequently the Group is exposed to currency risk on revenue, purchases and 
borrowings that are denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the entity. The currencies in which these 
transactions are denominated are primarily euro, US dollar and pound sterling. The Group generates a surplus in most currencies in 
which it does business. The US dollar is an exception as fuel purchases, maintenance expenses and debt repayments denominated 
in US dollars typically create a deficit.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
134

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

26 Financial risk management objectives and policies continued

The Group has a number of strategies to hedge foreign currency risks. The operational US dollar short position is subject to the 
same governance structure as the fuel hedging strategy set out above. The current Group strategy, as approved by the IAG 
Management Committee, is to hedge a proportion of up to three years of US dollar exposure, within certain defined limits. Foreign 
exchange forwards and options are used to implement the strategy.

British Airways utilises its US dollar, euro and Japanese yen debt repayments as a hedge of future US dollar, euro and Japanese 
yen revenues. Iberia’s balance sheet assets and liabilities in US dollars are hedged through a rolling programme of swaps and US 
dollar financial assets that eliminate the profit and loss volatility arising from revaluation of these items into euros. Vueling and Aer 
Lingus manage their net position in US dollars using derivative financial instruments.

The following table demonstrates the sensitivity of financial instruments to a reasonable possible change in the exchange rates, 
with all other variables held constant, on result before tax and equity:

Strengthening/
(weakening) in 
US dollar rate
per cent
10
(10)

Effect on 
result before 
tax € million
9
(9)

Effect on 
equity 
€ million
(29)
73

Strengthening/
(weakening) in 
pound sterling 
rate per cent
10
(10)

Effect on 
result before 
tax € million
(39)
40

Effect on 
equity 
€ million
277
(277)

Strengthening/
(weakening) in 
Japanese yen 
rate per cent
10
(10)

Effect on 
result before 
tax € million
(3)
3

Effect on 
equity 
€ million
(50)
50

10
(10)

(2)
2

(72)
117

10
(10)

(43)
43

170
(179)

10
(10)

–
–

(32)
32

2016

2015

c

Interest rate risk

The Group is exposed to changes in interest rates on floating rate debt and on cash deposits.

Interest rate risk on floating rate debt is managed through interest rate swaps, floating to fixed cross currency swaps and interest 
rate collars. After taking into account the impact of these derivatives, 70 per cent of the Group’s borrowings were at fixed rates and 
30 per cent were at floating rates.

All cash deposits are generally on tenors less than one year. The interest rate is predominantly fixed for the tenor of the deposit.

The following table demonstrates the sensitivity of financial instruments to a reasonable possible change in the US dollar, euro 
and sterling interest rates, on result before tax and equity:

Strengthening/
(weakening) in 
US interest rate 
Basis points
50
(50)

Effect on 
result before 
tax € million
(1)
1

Strengthening/
(weakening) in 
euro interest 
rate Basis 
points
50
(50)

Effect on 
equity 
€ million
7
(8)

Effect on 
result before 
tax € million
(11)
12

Effect on 
equity 
€ million
–
–

Strengthening/
(weakening) in 
sterling interest 
rate Basis 
points
50
(50)

Effect on 
result before 
tax € million
10
(10)

Effect on 
equity 
€ million
–
–

50
(50)

(3)
3

1
(1)

50
(50)

(6)
6

–
–

50
(50)

8
(8)

–
–

2016

2015

d Counterparty risk

The Group is exposed to counterparty risk to the extent of non-performance by its counterparties in respect of financial assets 
receivable. The Group has policies and procedures in place to minimise the risk by placing credit limits on each counterparty. 
These policies and procedures are coordinated through the Group Treasury Committee. The Committee also reviews the 
application of the policies and procedures by British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus. The Group monitors counterparty 
credit limits and defaults of counterparties, incorporating this information into credit risk controls. Treasury activities include placing 
money market deposits, fuel hedging and foreign currency transactions, which could lead to a concentration of different credit 
risks with the same counterparty. This risk is managed by allocation of exposure limits for the counterparty to British Airways, 
Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus. Exposures at the activity level are monitored on a daily basis and the overall exposure limit for 
the counterparty is reviewed at least monthly using available market information such as credit ratings. Sovereign risk is also 
monitored, country concentration and sovereign credit ratings are reviewed at every Group Treasury Committee meeting.

Each operating company invests surplus cash in interest-bearing accounts, time deposits, and money market funds, choosing 
instruments with appropriate maturities or liquidity to provide sufficient headroom. At the reporting date the operating companies 
held money market funds and other liquid assets that are expected to readily generate cash inflows for managing liquidity risk.

The financial assets recognised in the financial statements, net of impairment losses, represent the Group’s maximum exposure 
to credit risk, without taking account of any guarantees in place or other credit enhancements.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

At December 31, 2016 the Group’s credit risk position, allocated by region, in respect of treasury managed cash and derivatives was 
as follows:

135

Region

United Kingdom
Spain
Ireland
Rest of Eurozone
Rest of world

e

Liquidity risk

Mark-to-market of treasury controlled financial 
instruments allocated by geography

2016

36%
1%
1%
38%
24%

2015

20%
4%
7%
38%
31%

Liquidity risk management includes maintaining sufficient cash and interest-bearing deposits, the availability of funding from 
an adequate amount of credit facilities and the ability to close out market positions. Due to the volatile nature of the underlying 
business, Group treasury maintains flexibility in funding by using committed credit lines.

At December 31, 2016 the Group had undrawn revolving credit of facilities of €17 million (2015: €14 million). The Group held 
undrawn uncommitted money market lines of €30 million at December 31, 2016 (2015: €34 million). The Group held undrawn 
general and committed aircraft financing facilities:

Million

Euro facilities expiring between January and October 2017
US dollar facility expiring December 2021
US dollar facility expiring June 2022

Million

Euro facilities expiring between February and November 2016
US dollar facilities expiring between September and December 2016
US dollar facility expiring December 2021
US dollar facility expiring June 2022

2016

Currency € equivalent

€215
$1,164
$1,030

215
1,117
988

2015

Currency € equivalent

€137
$1,247
$1,164
$1,750

137
1,146
1,069
1,608

The following table categorises the Group’s (outflows) and inflows in respect of financial liabilities and derivative financial 
instruments into relevant maturity groupings based on the remaining period at December 31 to the contractual maturity date. 
The amounts disclosed in the table are the contractual undiscounted cash flows and include interest.

€ million

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings:

Finance lease obligations
Fixed rate borrowings
Floating rate borrowings

Trade and other payables
Derivative financial instruments (assets):

Aircraft lease hedges
Forward currency contracts
Fuel derivatives
Currency options

Derivative financial instruments (liabilities):

Aircraft lease hedges
Forward currency contracts
Fuel derivatives
December 31, 2016

Within 6 
months

6-12
months

(376)
(72)
(34)
(3,049)

18
93
68
2

(14)
(23)
(38)
(3,425)

(529)
(31)
(67)
–

–
85
65
2

–
(2)
(24)
(501)

1-2
years

(982)
(70)
(105)
(16)

–
93
55
2

2-5
years

More than 5 
years

Total
2016

(2,357)
(737)
(198)
–

(3,070)
(649)
(181)
–

(7,314)
(1,559)
(585)
(3,065)

–
5
12
–

–
–
–
–

18
276
200
6

–
(7)
(12)
(1,042)

–
–
–
(3,275)

–
–
–
(3,900)

(14)
(32)
(74)
(12,143)

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
136

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

26 Financial risk management objectives and policies continued

€ million

Interest-bearing loans and borrowings:
Finance lease obligations
Fixed rate borrowings
Floating rate borrowings
Trade and other payables
Derivative financial instruments (assets):
Aircraft lease hedges
Forward currency contracts
Fuel derivatives
Currency options
Derivative financial instruments (liabilities):
Aircraft lease hedges
Forward currency contracts
Fuel derivatives
Currency options
Hedge of available-for-sale asset
December 31, 2015

Within 6 
months

6-12
months

(315)
(53)
(62)
(3,442)

1
97
2
11

(1)
(6)
(858)
(2)
1
(4,627)

(371)
(449)
(73)
–

1
86
1
3

(1)
–
(465)
(1)
–
(1,269)

1-2
years

(803)
(89)
(81)
(10)

10
38
–
4

(3)
(2)
(232)
(1)
–
(1,169)

2-5
years

More than 5 
years

Total
2015

(2,263)
(1,109)
(251)
–

(2,765)
(737)
(207)
–

(6,517)
(2,437)
(674)
(3,452)

–
11
–
2

–
(2)
(42)
(1)
–
(3,655)

–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–
(3,709)

12
232
3
20

(5)
(10)
(1,597)
(5)
1
(14,429)

f Offsetting financial assets and liabilities

The following financial assets and liabilities are subject to offsetting, enforceable master netting arrangements and 
similar agreements.

The Group enters into derivative transactions under ISDA (International Swaps and Derivatives Association) documentation. 
In general, under such agreements the amounts owed by each counterparty on a single day in respect of all transactions 
outstanding are aggregated into a single net amount that is payable by one party to the other.

December 31, 2016

€ million
Financial assets
Derivative financial assets

Financial liabilities
Derivative financial liabilities

December 31, 2015

€ million
Financial assets
Derivative financial assets

Financial liabilities
Derivative financial liabilities

g Capital risk management

Gross value 
of financial 
instruments

Financial 
instruments that 
are offset under 
netting 
agreements

Net amounts 
of financial 
instruments in the 
balance sheet

Related amounts 
not offset in the 
balance sheet

Net amount

1,419

(921)

498

1,029

(921)

108

(14)

(14)

484

94

Gross value 
of financial 
instruments

Financial 
instruments that 
are offset under 
netting 
agreements

Net amounts 
of financial 
instruments in the 
balance sheet

Related amounts 
not offset in the 
balance sheet

Net amount

279

(19)

260

1,629

(19)

1,610

(5)

(5)

255

1,605

The Group’s objectives when managing capital are to safeguard the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern to maintain an 
optimal capital structure, to reduce the cost of capital and to provide returns to shareholders.

The Group monitors capital on the basis of the adjusted gearing ratio. For the year to December 31, 2016, the adjusted gearing 
ratio was 51 per cent (2015: 54 per cent). The definition and calculation for this performance measure is included in the Alternative 
performance measures section.

Further detail on liquidity and capital resources and capital risk management is disclosed in the financial review.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

137

27 Financial instruments

a

Financial assets and liabilities by category

The detail of the Group’s financial instruments at December 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015 by nature and classification for 
measurement purposes is as follows:

December 31, 2016

€ million
Non-current assets
Available-for-sale financial assets
Derivative financial instruments
Other non-current assets

Current assets
Trade receivables
Other current assets
Non-current assets held for sale
Derivative financial instruments
Other current interest-bearing deposits
Cash and cash equivalents

€ million
Non-current liabilities
Interest-bearing long-term borrowings
Derivative financial instruments
Other long-term liabilities

Current liabilities
Current portion of long-term borrowings
Trade and other payables
Derivative financial instruments

December 31, 2015

€ million
Non-current assets
Available-for-sale financial assets
Derivative financial instruments
Other non-current assets

Current assets
Trade receivables
Other current assets
Non-current assets held for sale
Derivative financial instruments
Other current interest-bearing deposits
Cash and cash equivalents

Financial assets

Loans and
receivables

Derivatives
used for
hedging

Available-for-
sale

Non-financial
assets

–
–
267

1,405
304
–
–
3,091
3,337

–
169
–

–
–
–
329
–
–

73
–
–

–
–
–
–
–
–

–
–
232

–
595
38
–
–
–

Financial liabilities

Loans and
payables

Derivatives
used for
hedging

Non-
financial
liabilities

7,589
–
16

926
3,049
–

–
20
–

–
–
88

–
–
222

–
256
–

Financial assets

Loans and 
receivables

Derivatives 
used for 
hedging

Available-for-
sale

Non-financial 
assets

–
–
345

1,196
545
–
–
2,947
2,909

–
62
–

–
–
–
198
–
–

74
–
–

–
–
–
–
–
–

–
–
20

–
690
5
–
–
–

Total
carrying
amount by
balance 
sheet
item

73
169
499

1,405
899
38
329
3,091
3,337

Total
carrying
amount by
balance 
sheet
item

7,589
20
238

926
3,305
88

Total 
carrying 
amount by 
balance 
sheet item

74
62
365

1,196
1,235
5
198
2,947
2,909

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
138

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

27 Financial instruments continued

€ million
Non-current liabilities
Interest-bearing long-term borrowings
Derivative financial instruments
Other long-term liabilities

Current liabilities
Current portion of long-term borrowings
Trade and other payables
Derivative financial instruments

Financial liabilities

Loans and
payables

Derivatives
used for
hedging

Non-
financial
liabilities

7,498
–
10

1,132
3,442
–

–
282
–

–
–
1,328

–
–
213

–
361
–

Total
carrying
amount by
balance 
sheet
item

7,498
282
223

1,132
3,803
1,328

b Fair value of financial assets and financial liabilities

The fair values of the Group’s financial instruments are disclosed in hierarchy levels depending on the nature of the inputs used in 
determining the fair values as follows:

Level 1: Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets and liabilities. A market is regarded as active if quoted 
prices are readily and regularly available from an exchange, dealer, broker, industry group, pricing service, or regulatory agency, and 
those prices present actual and regularly occurring market transactions on an arm’s length basis;

Level 2: Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or 
indirectly. The fair value of financial instruments that are not traded in an active market is determined by valuation techniques. 
These valuation techniques maximise the use of observable market data where it is available and rely as little as possible on entity 
specific estimates; and

Level 3: Inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data.

The fair value of cash and cash equivalents, other current interest-bearing deposits, trade receivables, other current assets and 
trade and other payables approximate their carrying value largely due to the short-term maturities of these instruments.

The following methods and assumptions were used by the Group in estimating its fair value disclosures for financial instruments:

Level 1: The fair value of listed asset investments classified as available-for-sale and listed interest-bearing borrowings is based on 
market value at the balance sheet date.

Level 2: The fair value of derivatives and other interest-bearing borrowings is determined as follows:

•

•

Forward currency transactions and over-the-counter fuel derivatives are measured at the market value of instruments with 
similar terms and conditions at the balance sheet date using forward pricing models. Counterparty and own credit risk is 
deemed to be not significant.
The fair value of the Group’s interest-bearing borrowings including leases is determined by discounting the remaining 
contractual cash flows at the relevant market interest rates at the balance sheet date.

Level 3: Unlisted investments are predominantly measured at historic cost less accumulated impairment losses.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

The carrying amounts and fair values of the Group’s financial assets and liabilities at December 31, 2016 are set as follows:

€ million
Financial assets
Available-for-sale financial assets
Aircraft lease hedges
Forward currency contracts1
Fuel derivatives1
Currency option contracts1

Financial liabilities
Interest-bearing loans and borrowings:

Finance lease obligations
Fixed rate borrowings
Floating rate borrowings

Aircraft lease hedges2
Cross currency swaps2
Forward currency contracts2
Fuel derivatives2

Fair value

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Total

15
–
–
–
–

–
1,020
–
–
–
–
–

–
5
252
212
29

6,823
286
547
1
1
32
74

58
–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–
–
–

73
5
252
212
29

6,823
1,306
547
1
1
32
74

1 Current portion of derivative financial assets is €329 million.
2 Current portion of derivative financial liabilities is €88 million.

The carrying amounts and fair values of the Group’s financial assets and liabilities at December 31, 2015 are set out below:

€ million
Financial assets
Available-for-sale financial assets
Aircraft lease hedges1
Forward currency contracts1
Fuel derivatives1
Currency option contracts1

Financial liabilities
Interest-bearing loans and borrowings:

Finance lease obligations
Fixed rate borrowings
Floating rate borrowings

Aircraft lease hedges2
Forward currency contracts2
Fuel derivatives2

Fair value

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Total

9
–
–
–
–

–
2,102
–
–
–
–

–
12
231
3
14

6,117
496
635
5
10
1,595

65
–
–
–
–

–
–
–
–
–
–

74
12
231
3
14

6,117
2,598
635
5
10
1,595

139

Carrying
value

Total

73
5
252
212
29

6,602
1,366
547
1
1
32
74

Carrying 
value

Total

74
12
231
3
14

5,878
2,117
635
5
10
1,595

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

1 Current portion of derivative financial assets is €198 million.
2 Current portion of derivative financial liabilities is €1,328 million.

There have been no transfers between levels of fair value hierarchy during the year.

The financial instruments listed in the previous table are measured at fair value for reporting purposes with the exception of the 
interest-bearing borrowings.

c

 Level 3 financial assets reconciliation

The following table summarises key movements in Level 3 financial assets:

€ million

Opening balance for the year
Settlements
Exchange movements
Closing balance for the year

December 
31, 2016

December 31, 
2015

65
–
(7)
58

65
(5)
5
65

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
140

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

27 Financial instruments continued

The fair value of Level 3 financial assets cannot be measured reliably; as such these assets are stated at historic cost less 
accumulated impairment losses with the exception of the Group’s investment in The Airline Group Limited. This unlisted investment 
had previously been valued at nil, since the fair value could not be reasonably calculated. During the year to December 31, 2014 
other shareholders disposed of a combined holding of 49.9 per cent providing a market reference from which to determine a fair 
value. The investment remains classified as a Level 3 financial asset due to the valuation criteria applied not being observable.

d Hedges

Cash flow hedges

At December 31, 2016 the Group’s principal risk management activities that were hedging future forecast transactions were:

•
•
•
•

Future loan repayment instalments in foreign currency, hedging foreign exchange risk on revenue cash inflows;
Forward crude, gas oil and jet kerosene derivative contracts, hedging price risk on fuel cash outflows;
Cross currency swaps, hedging foreign exchange and interest rate risk associated with lease cash outflows; and
Foreign exchange contracts, hedging foreign exchange risk on revenue cash inflows and certain operational payments.

To the extent that the hedges were assessed as highly effective, a summary of the amounts included in equity, the notional 
principal amounts and the years to which the related cash flows are expected to occur are summarised below:

December 31, 2016

Financial instruments designated as hedging instruments
€ million

Within 6 
months

6-12 
months

1-2 years

2-5 years

More than 5 
years

Total
December 
31, 2016

Cash flows hedged

34
(65)
(24)
(3)
(2)
(60)

77
(76)
(44)
–
(7)
(50)

108
(73)
(48)
–
(5)
(18)

239
(4)
(11)
–
–
224

361
–
–
–
–
361

819
(218)
(127)
(3)
(14)
457
(73)
384

Notional principal amounts
(in local currency)

€480
CAD 85
£88
$174
$3,037
$4,304

$57
€17
$340

$2,798
€2,111
¥60,577
CNY 623

Debt repayments to hedge future revenue
Forward contracts to hedge future payments
Hedges of future fuel purchases
Hedges of future aircraft operating leases
Currency options to hedge future payments

Related deferred tax credit
Total amount included within equity

December 31, 2016

€ million

To hedge future currency revenues in euros
To hedge future currency revenues in Canadian dollars
To hedge future currency revenues in pound sterling
To hedge future currency revenues in US dollars
To hedge future operating payments in US dollars
Hedges of future fuel purchases
Cross currency swaps:

- Floating to fixed (US dollars)
- Fixed to fixed (euro)
- Fixed to floating (US dollars)

Debt repayments to hedge future revenue:

- US dollars
- Euro
- Japanese yen
- Chinese yuan

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

141

December 31, 2015

Financial instruments designated as hedging instruments
(€ million)

Within 6 
months

6-12 months

1-2 years

2-5 years

More than 5 
years

Total
December 31, 
2015

Cash flows hedged

Debt repayments to hedge future revenue
Forward contracts to hedge future payments
Hedges of future fuel purchases
Hedges of future aircraft operating leases
Currency options to hedge future payments

Related deferred tax credit
Total amount included within equity

December 31, 2015

€ million

To hedge future currency revenues in euros
To hedge future currency revenues in pound sterling
To hedge future currency revenues in US dollars
To hedge future operating payments in US dollars
Hedges of future fuel purchases
Cross currency swaps:

- Floating to fixed (euro)
- Fixed to fixed (euro)

Debt repayments to hedge future revenue:

- US dollars
- Euro
- Japanese yen
- Chinese yuan

7
(92)
780
1
(8)
688

14
(86)
530
–
(1)
457

33
(36)
206
(7)
(2)
194

26
(9)
32
–
(1)
48

(10)
(3)
–
–
–
(13)

70
(226)
1,548
(6)
(12)
1,374
(298)
1,076

Notional principal amounts
(in local currency)

€160
£76
$54
$3,770
$4,710

€260
€126

$3,061
€1,498
¥41,698
CNY 716

The ineffective portion recognised in the Income statement during the year on unrealised cash flow hedges was a gain of 
€36 million (2015: loss of €70 million).

The Group has no significant fair value hedges or net investments in foreign operations at December 31, 2016 and 2015.

28 Share capital and share premium

Alloted, called up and fully paid
January 1, 2016: Ordinary shares of €0.50 each
Issue of ordinary shares of €0.50 each
Final 2015 dividend of €0.05 per share
December 31, 2016

Number of 
shares
000s

Ordinary 
share capital
€ million

Share 
premium
€ million

2,040,079
92,910
–
2,132,989

1,020
46
–
1,066

5,867
344
(106)
6,105

During the year all holders of the €390 million 1.75 per cent convertible bond exercised their options to exchange their convertible 
bonds for ordinary shares in the Company, resulting in the issuance of 92,910,220 shares during the year.

29 Treasury shares

The Group has authority to acquire its own shares, subject to specific conditions as set out in the Corporate governance section.

In February 2017, the Group announced its intention to carry out a share buyback programme as part of its corporate finance 
strategy to return cash to shareholders while reinvesting in the business and managing leverage. The programme will be 
€500 million, carried out during the course of 2017 and may be implemented through one or more share buyback programmes.

The treasury shares balance consists of shares held directly by the Group. During the year to December 31, 2016, the Group 
purchased 3.3 million shares at a weighted average share price of €7.10 per share totalling €25 million, which are held as Treasury 
shares. A total of 5.5 million shares were issued to employees during the year as a result of vesting of employee share schemes. At 
December 31, 2016 the Group held 12.5 million shares, which represented 0.59 per cent of the Issued share capital of the Company.

30 Share-based payments

The Group operates share-based payment schemes as part of the total remuneration package provided to employees. These 
schemes comprise both share option schemes where employees acquire shares at an option price and share award plans whereby 
shares are issued to employees at no cost, subject to the achievement by the Group of specified performance targets.

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
142

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

30 Share-based payments continued
IAG Performance Share Plan
a

The IAG Performance Share Plan (PSP) is granted to senior executives and managers of the Group who are most directly involved 
in shaping and delivering business success over the medium to long term. For 2011 to 2014, a conditional award of shares is subject 
to the achievement of a variety of performance conditions, which will vest after three years subject to the employee remaining 
employed by the Group. From 2015, the award was made as nil-cost options, and also had a two-year additional holding period 
after the end of the performance period, before vesting takes place. The awards made between 2012 and 2014 will vest based 50 
per cent on achievement of IAG’s TSR performance targets relative to the MSCI European Transportation Index, and 50 per cent 
based on achievement of earnings per share targets. The awards made in 2015 and 2016 will vest based one-third on achievement 
of IAG’s TSR performance targets relative to the MSCI European Transportation Index, one-third based on achievement of earnings 
per share targets, and one-third based on achievement of return on invested capital targets.

b IAG Incentive Award Deferral Plan

The IAG Incentive Award Deferral Plan (IADP) is granted to qualifying employees based on performance and service tests. It will be 
awarded when an incentive award is triggered subject to the employee remaining in employment with the Group for three years 
after the grant date. The relevant population will receive 50 per cent of their incentive award up front in cash, and the remaining 50 
per cent in shares after three years through the IADP.

c

Share-based payment schemes summary

Performance Share Plans
Incentive Award Deferral Plans

Outstanding 
at January 1, 
2016

'000s

17,852
6,408
24,260

Granted 
number

Lapsed 
number

Vested 
number

Outstanding 
at December 
31, 2016

Vested and 
exercisable 
December 31, 
2016

'000s

5,413
1,916
7,329

'000s

1,756
122
1,878

'000s

7,455
2,521
9,976

'000s

14,054
5,681
19,735

'000s

43
17
60

The fair value of equity-settled share-based payment plans determined using the Monte-Carlo valuation model, taking into account 
the terms and conditions upon which the plans were granted, used the following weighted average assumptions:

Weighted average fair value (£)
Expected share price volatility (per cent)
Expected comparator group volatility (per cent)
Expected comparator correlation (per cent)
Expected life of options (years)
Weighted average share price at date of grant (£)

December 31,
2016

December 31,
2015

2.27
30
20
60
4.79
5.41

3.19
30
20
60
2.40
5.50

Volatility was calculated with reference to the Group’s weekly pound sterling share price volatility. The expected volatility reflects 
the assumption that the historical volatility is indicative of future trends, which may not necessarily be the actual outcome. The fair 
value of the PSP also takes into account a market condition of TSR as compared to strategic competitors. No other features of 
share-based payment plans granted were incorporated into the measurement of fair value.

The Group recognised a share-based payment charge of €36 million for the year to December 31, 2016 (2015: €35 million).

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

143

31 Other reserves and non-controlling interests

For the year to December 31, 2016

€ million

January 1, 2016

Other reserves

Unrealised 
gains and
losses1

Currency
translation2

Equity 
portion of 
convertible
bond3

Merger 
reserve4

Total other 
reserves

Non-
controlling
interest5

(914)

500

173

(2,467)

(1,548)

308

Retained 
earnings

1,160

Profit for the year

1,931

–

1,931

21

Other comprehensive income for the year
Cash flow hedges reclassified and 
reported in net profit:
Passenger revenue
Fuel and oil costs
Currency differences

Net change in fair value of cash 
flow hedges
Net change in fair value of available-for-
sale financial assets
Currency translation differences
Remeasurements of post-employment 
benefit obligations

Cost of share-based payments
Vesting of share-based 
payment schemes
Dividend
Issue of ordinary shares related to 
conversion of convertible bond
Dividend of a subsidiary
Distributions made to holders of 
perpetual securities
December 31, 2016

–
–
–

–

–
–

(1,807)

35

(73)
(339)

45
–

–
952

–

–
–
–

–

–
(506)

–

–

–
–

–
–

(57)
918
(68)

(182)

4
–

–

–

–
–

–
–

–

–
–
–

–

–
–

–

–

–
–

(72)
–

–
101

–

–
–
–

–

–
–

–

–

–
–

–
–

(57)
918
(68)

(182)

4
(506)

(1,807)

35

(73)
(339)

(27)
–

–
–
–

–

–
–

–

–

–
–

–
(1)

(20)
308

–
(299)

–
(6)

–
(2,467)

–
(1,719)

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
144

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

31 Other reserves and non-controlling interests continued

For the year to December 31, 2015

Other reserves

€ million

January 1, 2015

Retained 
earnings

Unrealised 
gains and
losses1

Currency
translation2

(234)

(1,086)

319

Profit for the year

1,495

–

Other comprehensive income for the year
Cash flow hedges reclassified and 
reported in net profit:
Passenger revenue
Fuel and oil costs
Currency differences
Investments

Net change in fair value of cash 
flow hedges
Available-for-sale assets reclassified and 
reported in net profit
Net change in fair value 
of available-for-sale financial assets
Currency translation differences
Remeasurements of post-employment 
benefit obligations

Cost of share-based payments
Vesting of share-based 
payment schemes
Equity portion of convertible bond issued
Dividend
Dividend of a subsidiary
Distributions made to holders of 
perpetual securities
December 31, 2015

–
–
–
–

–

–

–
–

156

45

(99)
–
(203)
–

–
1,160

14
1,474
(202)
4

(1,104)

(5)

(9)
–

–

–

–
–
–
–

–
(914)

–
500

Equity 
portion of 
convertible
bond3

72

–

–
–
–
–

–

–

–
–

–

–

–
101
–
–

–
173

Merger
reserve4

(2,467)

Total other 
reserves

Non-
controlling
interest5

(3,396)

308

–

–
–
–
–

–

–

–
–

–

–

–
–
–
–

1,495

21

14
1,474
(202)
4

(1,104)

(5)

(9)
181

156

45

(99)
101
(203)
–

–
–
–
–

–

–

–
–

–

–

–
–
–
(1)

–
(2,467)

–
(1,548)

(20)
308

–

–
–
–
–

–

–

–
181

–

–

–
–
–
–

1 The unrealised gains and losses reserve records fair value changes on available-for-sale investments and the portion of the gain or loss on a hedging instrument in a cash flow hedge 

that is determined to be an effective hedge.

2 The currency translation reserve records exchange differences arising from the translation of the financial statements of non-euro functional currency subsidiaries and associates into 
the Group’s reporting currency of euros. The movement through this reserve in 2016 is affected by the fluctuations in the pound sterling to euro foreign exchange translation rate.
3 The equity portion of convertible bond reserve represents the equity portion of convertible bonds issued. At December 31, 2016, this related to the €500 million fixed rate 0.25 per 
cent convertible bond and the €500 million fixed rate 0.625 per cent convertible bond (note 23). At December 31, 2015 this also related to the €390 million fixed rate 1.75 per cent 
convertible bond. The equity portion of this bond was transferred to retained earnings on conversion during the year to December 31, 2016.

4 The merger reserve originated from the merger transaction between British Airways and Iberia. The balance represents the difference between the fair value of the Group on the 

transaction date, and the fair value of Iberia and the book value of British Airways (including its reserves).

5 Non-controlling interests largely comprise €300 million of 6.75 per cent fixed coupon euro perpetual preferred securities issued by British Airways Finance (Jersey) LP. The holders of 
these securities have no rights against Group undertakings other than the issuing entity and, to the extent prescribed by the subordinated guarantee, British Airways Plc. In the event 
of a dividend paid by the Company, the coupon payment is guaranteed. The effect of the securities on the Group as a whole, taking into account the subordinate guarantee and other 
surrounding arrangements, is that the obligations to transfer economic benefits in connection with the securities do not go beyond those that would normally attach to preference 
shares issued by a UK company.

32 Employee benefit obligations

The Group operates a variety of post-employment benefit arrangements, covering both defined contribution and defined benefit 
schemes. The Group also has a scheme for flight crew who meet certain conditions and therefore have the option of being placed 
on reserve and retaining their employment relationship until reaching the statutory retirement age, or taking early retirement 
(note 25).

Defined contribution schemes

The Group operates a number of defined contribution schemes for its employees.

Costs recognised in respect of defined contribution pension plans in Spain, UK and Ireland for the year to December 31, 2016 were 
€132 million (2015: €108 million).

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

145

Defined benefit schemes

i. APS and NAPS

The principal funded defined benefit pension schemes within the Group are the Airways Pension Scheme (APS) and the New 
Airways Pension Scheme (NAPS), both of which are in the UK and are closed to new members. APS has been closed to new 
members since 1984 and NAPS closed to new members in 2003.

Benefits provided under APS are based on final average pensionable pay and, for the majority of members, are subject to 
inflationary increases in payment in line with the Annual Review Orders (ARO) issued by the UK Government, which is based on 
the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Benefits provided under NAPS are based on final average pensionable pay reduced by an amount 
(the abatement) not exceeding one and a half times the Government’s lower earnings limit. NAPS pension increases are also linked 
to the ARO and increases are capped at a maximum of five per cent in any one year.

The Trustees of APS have proposed an additional discretionary increase above CPI inflation for pensions in payment for the year to 
March 31, 2014. British Airways has challenged the decision as it considers the Trustees have no power to grant such increases and 
it is concerned about the actuarial funding position of the scheme. British Airways is also concerned about the residual unhedged 
risk in the scheme, which will be increased by the addition of new unfunded benefits, to which British Airways may ultimately be 
exposed as the principal employer and sponsor of the scheme. British Airways is committed to an existing recovery plan, which 
sees deficit payments of €65 million per annum until March 2023. Legal proceedings, initiated by British Airways, are underway to 
determine the legitimacy of the additional discretionary increase. The outcome of the proceedings is awaited. The discretionary 
increase has not been reflected in the accounting assumptions used.

APS and NAPS are governed by separate Trustee Boards. Although separate, much of the business of the two schemes is 
common. Most main Board and committee meetings are held in tandem although each Trustee Board reaches its decisions 
independently. There are three committees which are separately responsible for the governance, operation and investments of 
each scheme. British Airways Pension Trustees Limited holds the assets of both schemes on behalf of their respective Trustees.

Deficit payment plans are agreed with the Trustees of each scheme every three years based on the actuarial valuation (triennial 
valuation) rather than the IAS 19 accounting valuation. The latest deficit recovery plan was agreed on the March 31, 2012 position 
with respect to APS and March 31, 2015 with respect to NAPS (note 32i). As a result of the litigation referred to above, the triennial 
valuation as at March 31, 2015 for APS has been deferred until the conclusion of the legal proceedings. The actuarial valuations 
performed at March 31, 2012 and March 31, 2015 are different to the valuation performed under IAS 19 ‘Employee benefits’ at 
December 31, 2016 due mainly to timing differences of the measurement dates and to the scheme specific assumptions used in 
the actuarial valuation compared to IAS guidance used in the accounting valuation assumptions.

ii. Other plans

British Airways provides certain additional post-retirement healthcare benefits to eligible employees in the US through the US 
Post-Retirement Medical Benefit plan (US PRMB) which is considered to be a defined benefit scheme. In addition, Aer Lingus 
operates certain defined benefit plans, both funded and unfunded.

The defined benefit plans expose the Group to risks, such as longevity risk, interest rate risk, market (investment) risk and 
currency risk.

iii. Cash payments

Cash payments to pension schemes comprise normal employer contributions by the Group; deficit contributions based on the 
agreed deficit payment plan with APS and NAPS; and cash sweep payments relating to additional payments made conditional 
on the level of cash in British Airways. Total payments for the year to December 31, 2016 net of service costs were €740 million 
(2015: €434 million) being the employer contributions of €936 million (2015: €699 million) less the current service cost of 
€196 million (2015: €265 million) (note 32b).

a

Employee benefit schemes recognised on the Balance Sheet

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

€ million

Scheme assets at fair value
Present value of scheme liabilities
Net pension asset/(liability)
Effect of the asset ceiling2
Other employee benefit obligations
December 31, 2016
Represented by:
Employee benefit assets
Employee benefit obligations

2016

APS

NAPS

Other1

Total

9,637
(8,036)
1,601
(580)
–
1,021

18,366
(20,376)
(2,010)
–
–
(2,010)

445
(781)
(336)
–
(10)
(346)

28,448
(29,193)
(745)
(580)
(10)
(1,335)

1,028
(2,363)
(1,335)

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
146

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

32 Employee benefit obligations continued

€ million

Scheme assets at fair value
Present value of scheme liabilities
Net pension asset/(liability)
Effect of the asset ceiling2
Other employee benefit obligations
December 31, 2015
Represented by:
Employee benefit assets
Employee benefit obligations

2015

APS

NAPS

Other1

Total

9,916
(8,405)
1,511
(561)
–
950

17,997
(18,460)
(463)
–
–
(463)

429
(805)
(376)
–
(12)
(388)

28,342
(27,670)
672
(561)
(12)
99

957
(858)
99

1 The present value of scheme liabilities for the US PRMB was €18 million at December 31, 2016 (2015: €62 million).
2 APS has an accounting surplus under IAS 19, which would be available to the Group as a refund upon wind up of the scheme. This refund is restricted due to withholding taxes that 

would be payable by the Trustees.

b Amounts recognised in the Income statement

Pension costs charged to operating result are:

€ million

Defined benefit plans:
Current service cost
Past service cost1

Defined contribution plans
Pension costs recorded as employee costs

1

In 2016 includes a past service gain of €51 million in respect of the US PRMB, which has been classified as an exceptional item.

Pension costs (credited)/charged as finance costs are:

€ million

Interest income on scheme assets
Interest expense on scheme liabilities
Interest expense on asset ceiling
Net financing (income)/expense relating to pensions

c Remeasurements recognised in the Statement of other comprehensive income
€ million

Return on plan assets excluding interest income
Remeasurement of plan liabilities from changes in financial assumptions
Remeasurement of experience gains
Remeasurement of the APS asset ceiling
Exchange movements
Pension remeasurements charged/(credited) to Other comprehensive income

2016

2015

196
(52)
144
132
276

2016

(952)
921
19
(12)

2016

(3,370)
5,624
(137)
81
56
2,254

265
(1)
264
108
372

2015

(1,031)
1,024
19
12

2015

462
(498)
(183)
–
12
(207)

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

d Fair value of scheme assets

A reconciliation of the opening and closing balances of the fair value of scheme assets is set out below:

€ million

January 1
Acquired through Business combination
Interest income
Return on plan assets excluding interest income
Employer contributions1
Employee contributions
Benefits paid
Exchange movements
December 31

147

2016

28,342
–
952
3,370
906
111
(1,315)
(3,918)
28,448

2015

26,167
13
1,031
(462)
684
114
(1,276)
2,071
28,342

1

Includes employer contributions to APS of €112 million (2015: €120 million) and to NAPS of €763 million (2015: €535 million), of which deficit funding payments represented 
€106 million for APS (2015: €110 million) and €638 million for NAPS (2015: €389 million).

Scheme assets held by all defined benefit schemes operated by the Group at December 31 comprise:

€ million
Return seeking investments – equities
UK
Rest of world

Return seeking investments – other
Private equity
Property
Alternative investments

Liability matching investments
UK fixed bonds
Rest of world fixed bonds
UK index-linked bonds
Rest of world index-linked bonds

Other
Cash and cash equivalents
Derivatives
Insurance contract
Longevity swap
Other

All equities and bonds have quoted prices in active markets.

2016

2015

3,049
7,495
10,544

825
1,783
1,204
3,812

3,850
116
6,690
128
10,784

511
228
1,872
(35)
732
28,448

2,724
7,112
9,836

882
2,142
1,224
4,248

3,949
118
6,650
124
10,841

1,174
(114)
1,928
(40)
469
28,342

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
148

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

32 Employee benefit obligations continued

For APS and NAPS, the composition of the scheme assets is:

€ million

Return seeking investments
Liability matching investments

Insurance contract and related longevity swap
Other
Fair value of scheme assets

December 31, 2016

December 31, 2015

APS

1,582
5,936
7,518
1,811
308
9,637

NAPS

12,565
4,728
17,293
–
1,073
18,366

APS

1,721
6,103
7,824
1,862
230
9,916

NAPS

12,169
4,616
16,785
–
1,212
17,997

For both APS and NAPS, the Trustees have ultimate responsibility for decision making on investments matters, including the 
asset-liability matching strategy, which is a form of investing designed to match the movement in pension plan assets with the 
movement in the projected benefit obligation over time. The Trustees’ investment committee adopts an annual business plan 
which sets out investment objectives and work required to support achievement of these objectives. The committee also deals 
with the monitoring of performance and activities, including work on developing the strategic benchmark to improve the risk return 
profile of the scheme where possible, as well as having a trigger based dynamic governance process to be able to take advantage 
of opportunities as they arise. The investment committee reviews the existing investment restrictions, performance benchmarks 
and targets, as well as continuing to develop the de-risking and liability hedging portfolio.

The strategic benchmark for asset allocations differentiates between ‘return seeking assets’ and ‘liability matching assets’. Given 
the respective maturity of each scheme, the proportion for APS and NAPS vary. At December 31, 2016, the benchmark for APS, 
expressed as a percentage of the assets excluding the insurance contract, was 19 per cent (2015: 19 per cent) in return seeking 
assets and 81 per cent (2015: 81 per cent) in liability matching investments; and for NAPS the benchmark was 68 per cent (2015: 68 
per cent) in return seeking assets and 32 per cent (2015: 32 per cent) in liability matching investments. Bandwidths are set around 
these strategic benchmarks that allow for tactical asset allocation decisions, providing parameters for the investment committee 
and its investment managers to work within.

In addition to this, APS has an insurance contract with Rothesay Life which covers 20 per cent (2015: 24 per cent) of the pensioner 
liabilities for an agreed list of members. The insurance contract is based on future increases to pensions in line with inflation and 
will match future obligations on that basis for that part of the scheme. The insurance contract can only be used to pay or fund 
employee benefits under the scheme. APS has also secured a longevity swap contract with Rothesay Life, which covers an 
additional 24 per cent (2015: 20 per cent) of the pensioner liabilities for the same members covered by the insurance contract 
above. The value of the contract is based on the difference between the value of the payments expected to be received under this 
contract and the pensions payable by the scheme under the contract.

The fair value of insurance policies which exactly match the amount and timing of some or all benefits payable under the scheme 
are deemed to be the present value of the related obligations. Longevity swaps are measured at their fair value.

Both schemes use derivative instruments for investment purposes and to manage exposures to financial risks, such as interest 
rate, foreign exchange and liquidity risks arising in the normal course of business. Exposure to interest rate risk is managed through 
the use of Inflation-Linked Swap contracts. Foreign exchange forward contracts are entered into to mitigate the risk of currency 
fluctuations. For NAPS, a strategy exists to provide protection against the equity market downside risk by reducing some of the 
upside participation.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

e

Present value of scheme liabilities

A reconciliation of the opening and closing balances of the present value of the defined benefit obligations is set out below:

149

€ million

January 1
Acquired through Business combination
Current service cost
Past service cost
Interest expense
Remeasurements – financial assumptions
Remeasurements – demographic assumptions
Benefits paid
Employee contributions
Exchange movements
December 31

2016

27,670
–
196
(52)
921
5,624
(137)
(1,315)
111
(3,825)
29,193

2015

26,120
21
265
(1)
1,024
(498)
(183)
(1,276)
114
2,084
27,670

The defined benefit obligation comprises €33 million (2015: €79 million) arising from unfunded plans and €29,160 million 
(2015: €27,591 million) from plans that are wholly or partly funded.

f

Effect of the asset ceiling

A reconciliation of the effect of the asset ceiling representing the IAS 19 irrecoverable surplus in APS is set out below:

€ million

January 1
Interest expense
Remeasurements
Exchange movements
December 31

g Actuarial assumptions

2016

561
19
81
(81)
580

2015

502
19
–
40
561

The principal assumptions used for the purposes of the actuarial valuations were as follows:

Per cent per annum

Discount rate1
Rate of increase in pensionable pay2
Rate of increase of pensions in payment3
RPI rate of inflation
CPI rate of inflation

2016

2015

APS

2.60
3.20
2.10
3.20
2.10

NAPS

2.70
3.20
2.10
3.20
2.10

Other 
schemes

1.5 – 4.1
3.0 – 3.7
0.4 – 3.5
3.0 – 3.2
1.75 – 3.0

APS

3.60
2.85
1.85
2.85
1.85

NAPS

3.85
3.00
2.00
3.00
2.00

Other 
schemes

2.1 – 4.4
3.0 – 4.0
1.5 – 3.5
3.0 – 3.2
1.7 – 3.0

1 Discount rate is determined by reference to the yield on high quality corporate bonds of currency and term consistent with the scheme liabilities. The decline in these yields has 

resulted in lower discount rates being applied in 2016.

2 Rate of increase in pensionable pay is assumed to be in line with long-term market inflation expectations. The inflation rate assumptions for NAPS and APS are based on the 

difference between the yields on index-linked and fixed-interest long-term government bonds.

3 It has been assumed that the rate of increase of pensions in payment will be in line with CPI for APS and NAPS. However, the APS Trustees have proposed an additional discretionary 
increase of 20 basis points for the year to March 31, 2014, a decision that British Airways has challenged. British Airways initiated legal proceedings to determine the legitimacy of the 
additional increase, the outcome of which is expected in 2017. The proposed discretionary increase is not included in the assumptions above.

Rate of increase in healthcare costs is based on medical trend rates of 6.75 per cent grading down to 5.0 per cent over seven years 
(2015: 7.0 per cent to 5.0 per cent over eight years).

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
150

Notes to the consolidated financial statements continued

32 Employee benefit obligations continued

In the UK, mortality rates are calculated using the standard SAPS mortality tables produced by the CMI for APS and NAPS. The 
standard mortality tables were selected based on the actual recent mortality experience of members and were adjusted to allow 
for future mortality changes. The current longevities underlying the values of the scheme liabilities were as follows:

Mortality assumptions

Life expectancy at age 60 for a:
– male currently aged 60
– male currently aged 40
– female currently aged 60
– female currently aged 40

2016

2015

28.3
29.9
29.9
32.4

28.3
29.9
29.9
32.3

At December 31, 2016, the weighted-average duration of the defined benefit obligation was 12 years for APS (2015: 12 years) and 20 
years for NAPS (2015: 19 years).

For the US PRMB, mortality rates were based on the RP-14 mortality tables.

h

Sensitivity analysis

Reasonable possible changes at the reporting date to significant actuarial assumptions, holding other assumptions constant, 
would have affected the present value of scheme liabilities by the amounts shown:

€ million
Discount rate (decrease of 10 basis points)
Future salary growth (increase of 10 basis points)
Future pension growth (increase of 10 basis points)
Future mortality rate (one year increase in life expectancy)

Increase in scheme 
liabilities

519
97
393
940

Although the analysis does not take into account the full distribution of cash flows expected under the plan, it does provide an 
approximation of the sensitivity of the assumptions shown.

i

Funding

Pension contributions for APS and NAPS were determined by actuarial valuations made at March 31, 2012 and March 31, 2015 
using assumptions and methodologies agreed between the Group and the Trustees of each scheme. At the date of the actuarial 
valuation, the actuarial deficits of APS and NAPS amounted to €932 million and €3,818 million respectively. In order to address the 
deficits in the schemes, the Group has also committed to the following undiscounted deficit payments:

€ million

Within 12 months
2-5 years
5-10 years
More than 10 years
Total expected deficit payments for APS and NAPS

APS

65
261
82
–
408

NAPS

356
1,423
1,779
267
3,825

The Group has determined that the minimum funding requirements set out above for APS and NAPS will not be restricted. The 
present value of the contributions payable is expected to be available as a refund or a reduction in future contributions after they 
are paid into the plan. This determination has been made independently for each plan, subject to withholding taxes that would be 
payable by the Trustees.

Deficit payments in respect of local arrangements outside of the UK have been determined in accordance with local practice.

In total, the Group expects to pay €683 million in employer contributions and deficit payments to its post-retirement benefit plans 
in 2017. This includes expected deficit contributions of €65 million to APS and €356 million to NAPS. This excludes any additional 
deficit contributions which may become due depending on the Group’s cash balance at March 31, 2017.

Until September 2019, if British Airways pays a dividend to IAG higher than 35 per cent of its profits it will either provide the 
scheme with a guarantee for 100 per cent of the amount above 35 per cent or 50 per cent of that amount as an additional 
cash contribution.

British Airways has provided collateral on certain payments to APS which at December 31, 2016 amounted to €296 million 
(2015: €343 million).

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

151

33 Contingent liabilities and guarantees

The Group has certain contingent liabilities and guarantees, in respect of guarantees and indemnities entered into as part of the 
normal course of the Group’s business which at December 31, 2016 amounted to €173 million (December 31, 2015: €172 million). No 
material losses are likely to arise from such contingent liabilities and guarantees. The Group also has the following claims:

Cargo

The Group is party to a number of legal proceedings in the English courts relating to a decision by the European Commission in 
2010 which fined British Airways and ten other airline groups for participating in a cartel in respect of air cargo prices. The decision 
was partially annulled against British Airways following an appeal to the general court of the European Union and the fine was 
refunded in full. In May 2016 the Commission expressed its intention to adopt a new decision amending the 2010 decision insofar 
as that decision was annulled by the General Court. It expects to adopt a new decision in 2017.

The original decision has led to a large number of claimants seeking, in proceedings brought in the English courts, to recover 
damages from British Airways which they claim arise from the alleged cartel activity. It is not possible at this stage to predict the 
outcome of the proceedings, which British Airways will vigorously defend. British Airways has joined the other airlines alleged to 
have participated in cartel activity to these proceedings to contribute to such damages, if any awarded.

The Group is also party to similar litigation in a number of other jurisdictions including Germany, the Netherlands and Canada 
together with a number of other airlines. At present, the outcome of the proceedings is unknown. In each case, the precise effect, 
if any, of the alleged cartelising activity on the claimants will need to be assessed.

We are currently unable to determine whether the Group has an existing obligation as a result of the past event.

Pensions

The Trustees of the Airways Pension Scheme (APS) have proposed an additional discretionary increase above CPI for pensions 
in payment for the year to March 31, 2014. British Airways has challenged the decision, as it considers the Trustees have no power 
to grant such increases, and initiated legal proceedings to determine the legitimacy of the discretionary increase. The outcome of 
the legal proceedings is uncertain and, once known, the delayed 2015 triennial valuation will resume so that an appropriate funding 
plan can be agreed with the Trustees. The outcome is expected in 2017, and may result in changes to the obligations under the 
scheme which are recognised in the financial statements. The Group is unable to quantify the financial effects until the outcome 
of the legal proceedings is known.

34 Related party transactions

The following transactions took place with related parties for the financial years to December 31:

€ million
Sales of goods and services
Sales to associates1
Sales to significant shareholders2

Purchases of goods and services
Purchases from associates3
Purchases from significant shareholders2

Receivables from related parties
Amounts owed by associates4
Amounts owed by significant shareholders5

Payables to related parties
Amounts owed to associates6
Amounts owed to significant shareholders5

2016

2015

7
39

49
60

2
1

4
–

8
29

57
61

3
1

3
4

1 Sales to associates: Consisted primarily of sales for airline related services to Dunwoody Airline Services (Holding) Limited (Dunwoody) of €7 million (2015: €8 million) and an amount 
of less than €1 million (2015: less than €1 million) to Sociedad Conjunta para la Emisión y Gestión de Medios de Pago EFC, S.A. (Medios de Pago) and Handling Guinea Ecuatorial, S.A.

2 Sales to and purchases from significant shareholders: Related to interline services with Qatar Airways.
3 Purchases from associates: Mainly included €33 million of airport auxiliary services purchased from Multiservicios Aeroportuarios, S.A. (2015: €29 million), €10 million of handling 

services provided by Dunwoody (2015: €10 million), €6 million of maintenance services received from Serpista, S.L. (2015: €7 million). During the year there were no services received 
from International Supply Management, S.L. (2015: €8 million) and less than €1 million of services provided by Iber-America Aerospace, LLC (2015: €3 million).

4 Amounts owed by associates: For airline related services rendered, that included balances with Dunwoody of €1 million (2015: €1 million) and €1 million of services provided to 

Handling Guinea Ecuatorial, S.A., Medios de Pago and Iber-America Aerospace, LLC (2015: €2 million for Madrid Aerospace Services, S.L. and Medios de Pago).

5 Amounts owed by and to significant shareholders: Related to Qatar Airways.
6 Amounts owed to associates: Consisted primarily of €1 million due to Dunwoody (2015: €1 million), €2 million to Multiservicios Aeroportuarios, S.A. (2015: less than €1 million) and 

€1 million to Serpista, S.A. (2015: €1 million).

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
152

34 Related party transactions continued

During the year to December 31, 2016 British Airways met certain costs of administering its retirement benefit plans, including 
the provision of support services to the Trustees. Costs borne on behalf of the retirement benefit plans amounted to €7 million 
(2015: €7 million) in relation to the costs of the Pension Protection Fund levy.

The Group has transactions with related parties that are conducted in the normal course of the airline business, which include the 
provision of airline and related services. All such transactions are carried out on an arm’s length basis.

For the year to December 31, 2016, the Group has not made any provision for doubtful debts arising relating to amounts owed by 
related parties (2015: nil).

Significant shareholders

In this instance, significant shareholders are those parties who have the power to participate in the financial and operating policy 
decisions of the Group, as a result of their shareholdings in the Group, but who do not have control over these policies.

On July 29, 2016, Qatar Airways (Q.C.S.C.) increased its shareholding in IAG to 20.01 per cent (2015: 9.99 per cent).

On February 13, 2017 Deutsche Bank AG notified the Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) of the acquisition of 
a shareholding of 3.061 per cent.

At December 31, 2016 the Group had cash deposit balances with shareholders holding a participation of between 3 to 5 per cent, 
of €189 million (2015: €48 million).

Board of Directors and Management Committee remuneration

Compensation received by the Group’s Board of Directors and Management Committee, in 2016 and 2015 is as follows:

€ million

Base salary, fees and benefits
Board of Directors’ remuneration
Management Committee remuneration

December 
31, 2016

December 
31, 2015

7
10
17

15
22
37

The Board of Directors includes remuneration for two Executive Directors (2015: two Executive Directors).

The Management Committee includes remuneration for nine members (2015: nine members).

The Company provides life insurance for all Executive Directors and the Management Committee. For the year to December 31, 
2016 the Company’s obligation was €44,000 (2015: €72,000).

At December 31, 2016 the transfer value of accrued pensions covered under defined benefit obligation schemes, relating to the 
Management Committee totalled €4 million (2015: €9 million).

No loans or credit transactions were outstanding with Directors or officers of the Group at December 31, 2016 (2015: nil).

In relation to Article 229 of the Spanish Companies Act, all IAG Directors have confirmed that they have no conflict with the 
Company’s interests.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Spanish corporate governance report

According to the provisions of Article 540 of the Spanish 
Companies Act, the Company presents the Spanish 
Corporate Governance Report, which provides a detailed 
explanation of the structure of its governance and its 
operation. This report has been prepared following the 
form established by the Comisión Nacional del Mercado 
de Valores for this purpose.

In this section

154 A Ownership structure

159 B Shareholders’ meeting

160 C Company management structure

188 D Related–party and intragroup transactions 

190 E Risk control and management systems

194 F Internal Control over Financial Reporting (ICFR)

202 G Degree of compliance with Corporate governance recommendations

211

H Other information of interest

www.iairgroup.com

154

Spanish corporate governance report 

A. 

A.1 

OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE 

Complete the following table on the company’s share capital: 

Date of last modification 

June 20, 2016 

Share capital (€) 

1,066,494,371.50 

Number of shares 

2,132,988,743 

Indicate whether different types of shares exist with different associated rights: 

No 

Type 
(cid:3)

A.2 

Number of shares 
(cid:3)

(cid:3)

Nominal 
amount 

(cid:3)

Nominal amount of  
voting rights 

(cid:3)

List the direct and indirect holders of significant ownership interests in your company at year-end, 
excluding directors:  

Number of 
voting rights 

2,132,988,743 

Other rights 

Indirect voting rights 

(cid:3)

% of total 
voting rights 

20.01 

9.967 

5.875 

5.032 
3.105 

2.749 

2.007 

Name or corporate name of 
shareholder 

Qatar Airways (Q.C.S.C.) 

Capital Research and 
Management Company 

Standard Life Investments 
(Holdings) Limited 

Europacific Growth Fund 
BlackRock Inc. 

Lansdowne Partners 
International Limited 

Number of direct 
voting rights  (cid:3)

Name of direct holder 

0    Qatar Airways Luxembourg 

S.à.r.l. 

0    Collective investment 

institutions managed by 
Capital Research and 
Management Company 
0    Standard Life Investments 

Limited and Ignis Investment 
Services Limited 

107,329,400    – 

0    Funds and accounts 

managed by investors 
controlled by BlackRock Inc. 

0    Funds and accounts 

managed by Lansdowne 
Partners (UK) LLP. 

Number of voting rights 

(cid:3)
426,811,047   

212,588,702   

125,314,496   

0   
66,227,368   

58,627,247   

Invesco Limited  

0    Mutual and pension funds 

42,814,558   

managed by Invesco Limited 
and its subsidiaries 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

155

Indicate the most significant movements in the shareholder structure during the year:  

Name or corporate name of shareholder 

Date of the transaction 

Description of the transaction 

Qatar Airways (Q.C.S.C) 
Qatar Airways (Q.C.S.C.) 
Qatar Airways (Q.C.S.C.) 
Qatar Airways (Q.C.S.C.) 
Qatar Airways (Q.C.S.C.) 
Lansdowne Partners International Limited 
Lansdowne Partners International Limited 
Lansdowne Partners International Limited 
Capital Research and Management Company 
Capital Research and Management Company 
BlackRock Inc. 
BlackRock Inc. 
Invesco Limited 

March 3, 2016 
May 17, 2016 
June 21, 2016 
July 5, 2016 
July 28, 2016 
January 26, 2016 
January 27, 2016 
February 1, 2016 
October 25, 2016 
November 21, 2016 
May 10, 2016 
July 11, 2016 
December 12, 2016 

Increase to above 10% of the share capital 
Increase to above 15% of the share capital 
Decrease to below 15% of the share capital 
Increase to above 15% of the share capital 
Increase to above 20% of the share capital 
Increase to above 2% of the share capital 
Decrease to below 2% of the share capital 
Increase to above 2% of the share capital 
Increase to above 10% of the share capital 
Decrease to below 10% of the share capital 
Decrease to below 3% of the share capital 
Increase to above 3% of the share capital 
Increase to above 2% of the share capital 

A.3 

Complete the following tables on company directors holding voting rights through company shares:  

Number of direct  
voting rights  (cid:3)

Name of direct holder 

Indirect voting rights 

Name or corporate  
name of director 

Antonio Vázquez  

Willie Walsh 

Marc Bolland 

Patrick Cescau 

Enrique Dupuy de Lôme 

Baroness Kingsmill 

James Lawrence 

María Fernanda Mejía  

Kieran Poynter 

Emilio Saracho 

Dame Marjorie Scardino 

Alberto Terol  

512,291  (cid:3) – 
1,656,082  (cid:3) – 
0  (cid:3) - 
0  (cid:3) – 
466,807  (cid:3) – 
2,000  (cid:3) – 
326,500  (cid:3) – 
100  (cid:3) – 
15,000  (cid:3) – 
0  (cid:3) - 
100  (cid:3) – 
16,900  (cid:3) – 

(cid:3)
Number of voting rights  (cid:3)
–  (cid:3)
–  (cid:3)
-  (cid:3)
–  (cid:3)
–  (cid:3)
–  (cid:3)
–  (cid:3)
–  (cid:3)
–  (cid:3)
-  (cid:3)
–  (cid:3)
–  (cid:3)

% of total 
voting rights 

0.024 

0.078 

0.000 

0.000 

0.021 

0.000 

0.015 

0,000 

0.000 

0.000 

0.000 

0.001 

0.139 

% of total voting rights held by the Board of Directors:  

Complete the following tables on company’s share rights held by the company’s directors:  

Name or corporate  
name of director 

Willie Walsh 

Enrique Dupuy de Lôme 
(cid:3)

Number of  
direct rights  (cid:3)

Indirect rights 

Direct holder 

Number of voting rights 

Number of  
equivalent shares 

% of total 
voting rights 

1,428,791  (cid:3) (cid:177)(cid:3)
541,721  (cid:3) (cid:177)(cid:3)

(cid:177)(cid:3)

(cid:177)(cid:3)

1,428,791 

541,721 

0.067 

0.025 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
156

Spanish corporate governance report continued

A.4 

Indicate, as applicable, any family, commercial, contractual or corporate relationships between owners of 
significant shareholdings, insofar as these are known by the company, unless they are insignificant or arise from 
ordinary trading or exchange activities:  

Brief description 

(cid:177)(cid:3)

Related-party name or corporate name 

Type of relationship 

(cid:177)(cid:3)

(cid:177)(cid:3)

A.5 

Indicate, as applicable, any commercial, contractual or corporate relationships between owners of significant 
shareholdings, and the company and/or its group, unless they are insignificant or arise from ordinary trading or 
exchange activities:  

(cid:3)
Related-party name or corporate name 

(cid:3)
Type of relationship 

BlackRock Investment  
Management (UK) Ltd. 

Commercial 

Qatar Airways (Q.C.S.C.) 

Commercial 

(cid:3)
Brief description 

Cash deposits invested as 
part of liquidity fund portfolio 
Cargo capacity agreement, passenger 
codeshares and interline agreement 

Indicate whether the company has been notified of any shareholders’ agreements pursuant to articles 530 and 
531 of the Spanish Companies Law. Provide a brief description and list the shareholders bound by the 
agreement, as applicable: 

A.6 

No 

Parts bound by agreement 

% of share capital affected 

Brief description of agreement 

(cid:177)(cid:3)

(cid:177)(cid:3)

(cid:177)(cid:3)

Indicate whether the company is aware of the existence of any concerted actions among its shareholders. Give a brief  
description as applicable: 

No 

Shareholders involved in concerted action 

% of share capital affected 

Brief description of concerted action 

(cid:177)(cid:3)

(cid:177)(cid:3)

(cid:177)(cid:3)

Expressly indicate any amendments to or termination of such agreements or concerted actions during the year: 

Not applicable 

Indicate whether any individuals or bodies corporate currently exercise control or could exercise control over 
the company in accordance with article 5 of the Securities Market Law: If so, identify: 

A.7 

No 

Name or corporate name 

– 

Remarks 

(cid:177)(cid:3)

A.8 

Complete the following tables on the company’s treasury stock: 

At year-end:  

Number of shares held directly 

Number of shares held indirectly (*) 

12,521,662 

(*) Through: 

0 

% of total share capital 

0.587 

Name or corporate name of direct stake 

Number of shares held directly 

– 
Total 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

– 
– 

 
 
 
 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

157

Explain any significant changes during the year, pursuant to Royal Decree 1362/2007:  

Explanation of  
significant changes 
Date of  
notification 

(cid:3)

A.9 

Total number of direct  
shares acquired 

Total number of indirect  
shares acquired 

(cid:3)

(cid:3)

% of total 
share capital 

(cid:3)

Give details of the applicable conditions and time periods governing any resolutions of the Shareholders’ 
Meeting to issue, buy back and/or transfer treasury stock. 

The Annual Shareholders’ Meeting of International Consolidated Airlines Group, S.A. (“IAG” or the “Company”) held on June 16, 2016, 
granted authorisation to the Board of Directors for the derivative acquisition of shares of the Company in the context of the 
provisions of article 146 of the Spanish Companies Law, according to the applicable laws and subject to the following conditions: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

The acquisitions may be made directly by IAG or indirectly through its subsidiaries. 

The acquisitions shall be made through purchase and sale, exchange or any other transaction 
permitted by(cid:3)the(cid:3)law. 

The maximum aggregate number of shares which are authorised to be purchased is the lower of the 
maximum amount permitted by the law and the number as represents 10 per cent of the share capital 
of IAG as at the date of passing the resolution, that is, June 16, 2016. 

The minimum price which may be paid for a share is zero. 

The maximum price which may be paid for a share is the highest of: 

i) 

ii) 

an amount equal to 5 per cent above the average of the middle market quotations for the 
shares as taken from the relevant stock exchange for the five business days immediately 
preceding the day on which the transaction is performed; and 

the higher of the price of the last independent trade and the highest current independent bid 
on the trading venues where the transaction is carried out at the relevant time;  

in each case, exclusive of(cid:3)expenses. 

f) 

The authorisation is granted for a term ending at 2017 annual Shareholders’ Meeting (or if earlier, 15 
months from June 16, 2016). 

The resolution of the Shareholders’ Meeting, places expressly on record that for the purposes of provisions of article 146 of the 
Spanish Companies Law, the shares acquired pursuant to the authorisation may be delivered directly to the employees or 
directors of the Company or its subsidiaries, or as a result of the exercise of option rights held thereby. 

A.9 bis  Estimated floating capital  
(cid:3)
Estimated floating capital 
(cid:3)

% 

50.529 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
158

Spanish corporate governance report continued

A.10  Give details of any restriction on the transfer of securities or voting rights. Indicate, in particular, the existence 

of any restrictions on the takeover of the company by means of share purchases on the market 

Yes 

Description of restrictions 

The Bylaws establish a series of special obligations concerning disclosure of share ownership as well as certain limits on 
shareholdings, taking into account the ownership and control restrictions provided for in applicable legislation and bilateral air 
transport treaties signed by Spain and the UK. 

Disclosure obligations 

In accordance with article 7.2 b) of the Bylaws, shareholders must notify the Company of any acquisition or disposal of shares or of 
any interest in the shares of the Company that directly or indirectly entails the acquisition or disposal of a stake equal to or of over 
0.25 per cent of the Company’s capital, or of the voting rights corresponding thereto, as well as the creation of any charges on 
shares (or interests in shares) or other encumbrances whatsoever, for the purposes of the exercise of the rights conferred by them. 

In addition, in accordance with article 10.1 of the Bylaws, the Company may require any shareholder or any other person with a 
confirmed or apparent interest in shares of the Company to disclose to the Company in writing such information as the Company 
shall require relating to the beneficial ownership of or any interest in the shares in question, as lies within the knowledge of such 
shareholder or other person, including any information that the Company deems necessary or desirable in order to determine the 
nationality of the holders of said shares or other person with an interest in the Company’s shares, or whether it is necessary to take 
steps in order to protect the operating rights of the Company or its operating affiliates or for any other reason in relation to the 
potential application of article 11 of the Bylaws (Limitation on share ownership). 

In the event of the breach of these obligations by a shareholder or any other person with a confirmed or apparent interest in the 
Company’s shares, the Board of Directors may suspend at any time the voting and other political rights of the relevant person in 
respect of the shares in relation to which the default has occurred and the relevant shareholder will not be entitled to exercise any 
voting rights or any political rights at any Shareholders’ Meeting. If the shares with respect to which the aforementioned 
obligations have been breached represent a percentage equal to or greater than 0.25 per cent of the Company’s capital,  
the Board of Directors may also direct that no transfer of any such shares is registered. 

Limitations on ownership of the Company shares 

In the event that the Board of Directors deems it necessary or appropriate to adopt measures to protect an operating right  
of the Company or of its operating subsidiaries, in light of the nationality of its shareholders or any persons with an interest in  
the Company’s shares, it may adopt any of the measures provided for such purpose in article 11 of the Bylaws, including the 
determination of a maximum number of shares that may be held by non-EU shareholders, which may not be less than  
40 per cent of the Company’s capital stock under any circumstances.  

In the event that the Board has specified a maximum number of shares that may be held by non-EU shareholders, and identified 
those shares the holding of which gave rise or contributed to such a determination, the Board may also (i) agree on the 
suspension of voting and other political rights of the holder of the relevant shares, and (ii) request that the holders dispose of the 
corresponding shares so that no non-EU person may directly or indirectly own such shares or have an interest in the same. If such 
transfer is not performed on the terms provided for in the Bylaws, the Company may acquire the corresponding shares (for their 
subsequent redemption) pursuant to applicable legislation. This acquisition must be performed at the lower of the following prices: 
(a) the book value of the corresponding shares according to the latest published audited balance sheet of the Company; and (b) 
the middle market quotation for an ordinary share of the Company as derived from the London Stock Exchange’s Daily Official List 
for the business day on which they were acquired by the relevant non-EU person. 

Indicate whether the shareholders’ meeting has agreed to take neutralisation measures to prevent a public 
takeover bid by virtue of the provisions of Law 6/2007. 

A.11 

No 

If applicable, explain the measures adopted and the terms under which these restrictions may be lifted: 

Not applicable 

A.12 

Indicate whether the company has issued securities not traded in a regulated market of the European Union.  

No 

If so, identify the various classes of shares and, for each class of shares, the rights and obligations they confer. 

Not applicable 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

159

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

SHAREHOLDERS’ MEETING 

Indicate, and as applicable, describe the difference in relation to the minimum rules established in the Spanish 
Companies Law (LSC) regarding the quorum required for constitution of the shareholders’ meeting.  

B. 

B.1 

No 

(cid:3)
Quorum required for first call 
Quorum required for second call 
(cid:3)

Description of differences 

Quorum % other than that established 
in article 193 of the LSC for general cases 

Quorum % other than that established 
in article 194 of the LSC for the 
special cases described in article 194 

(cid:177)(cid:3)
(cid:177)(cid:3)

(cid:177)(cid:3)
(cid:177)(cid:3)

(cid:177)(cid:3)

B.2 

No 

Indicate and, as applicable, describe any differences in relation to the rules established in the Spanish 
Companies Law (LSC) regarding the system of adopting corporate resolutions: 

Describe how they differ from the rules established in the LSC. 

(cid:3)
% set by company for adopting 
corporate resolutions 
(cid:3)
Describe the differences 

Qualified majority other than that established 
in article 201.2 of the LSC for general cases 
described in 194.1 of the LSC 

(cid:177)(cid:3)

Other cases requiring 
a qualified majority 

(cid:177)(cid:3)

(cid:177)(cid:3)

B.3 

Indicate the rules governing amendments to the company’s Bylaws. In particular, indicate the majorities required 
to amend the Bylaws and, if applicable, the rules for protecting shareholders’ rights when changing  
the Bylaws. 

The procedure for amending the Bylaws and the applicable rules for protecting shareholders’ rights when changing the Bylaws are 
governed by the provisions established in the Spanish Companies Law.  

B.4 

Indicate the attendance figures for the shareholders’ meetings held during the year corresponding to this report 
and for the previous year: 

(cid:3)
Date of shareholders’ 
meeting 

June 16, 2016 
June 18, 2015 

% attending  
in person 

0.108 
0.124 

Attendance data 

% remote voting 

% by proxy 

Electronic means 

64.198 
60.677 

0.005 
0.003 

Other 

4.283 
3.566 

Total 

68.594 
64.370 

Indicate whether the Bylaws impose any minimum requirement on the number of shares required to attend the 
shareholders’ meetings: 

B.5 

No  

Number of shares required to attend the shareholders’ meetings 

(cid:177)(cid:3)

B.6 

B.7 

Section eliminated. 

Indicate the address and mode of accessing corporate governance content on your company’s website as well 
as other information on shareholders’ meetings which must be made available to shareholders on the website. 

The Company corporate governance information is available on the Company’s website: www.iairgroup.com in the “Corporate 
Governance” section. 

www.iairgroup.com

(cid:3)
(cid:3)

 
 
 
 
 
160

Spanish corporate governance report continued

C. 

C.1 

COMPANY MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE  

Board of Directors 

List the maximum and minimum number of directors included in the Bylaws: 

C.1.1 
(cid:3)
Maximum number of directors 
Minimum number of directors 

(cid:3)

C.1.2 

Complete the following table with board members:(cid:3)

Name or corporate 
name of director 

Representative 

Antonio  
Vázquez  

Willie Walsh 

Marc Bolland 

– 

– 

- 

Category  
of director 

Independent 

Position on  
the board 

Chairman 

Date of first 
appointment 

Date of last 
appointment 

May 25, 2010 

June 16, 2016 

Executive 

Chief Executive  
Officer 

May 25, 2010 

June 16, 2016 

Independent 

Director 

June 16, 2016 

June 16, 2016 

Patrick Cescau 

– 

Independent 

Director 

Enrique Dupuy  
de Lôme  

Baroness  
Kingsmill 

James  
Lawrence 

María  
Fernanda Mejía  

– 

– 

– 

– 

Executive 

Director 

Independent 

Director 

Independent 

Director 

Independent 

Director 

September 27,  
2010 

September 26,  
2013 

September 27,  
2010 

September 27,  
2010 

February 27,  
2014 

 June 16, 2016 

June 16, 2016 

June 16, 2016 

June 16, 2016 

June 16, 2016 

Kieran Poynter 

– 

Independent 

Director 

September 27,  
2010 

June 16, 2016 

Emilio Saracho 

- 

Independent 

Director 

June 16, 2016 

June 16, 2016 

Dame Marjorie 
Scardino 

– 

Independent 

Director 

Alberto Terol  

– 

Independent 

Director 

December 19,  
2013 

June 16, 2016 

June 20,  
2013 

June 16, 2016 

Total number of directors: 

Indicate any board members who left the board during this information period: 

Name or corporate name of director 

Sir Martin Broughton 
Cesar Alierta 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Category of the director  
at the time of leaving 

Independent 
Independent 

14 
9 

Election 
procedure 

Vote at the 
Shareholders’ 
Meeting(cid:3)
Vote at the 
Shareholders’ 
Meeting 
Vote at the 
Shareholders' 
Meeting 
Vote at the 
Shareholders’ 
Meeting 
Vote at the 
Shareholders’ 
Meeting 
Vote at the 
Shareholders’ 
Meeting 
Vote at the 
Shareholders’ 
Meeting 
Vote at the 
Shareholders’ 
Meeting 
Vote at the 
Shareholders’ 
Meeting 
Vote at the 
Shareholders' 
Meeting 
Vote at the 
Shareholders’ 
Meeting 
Vote at the 
Shareholders’ 
Meeting 

12 

Leaving date 

June 16, 2016 
June 16, 2016 

161

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

C.1.3 

Complete the following tables on board members and their respective categories: 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS 

Name or corporate name of director 

Willie Walsh 
Enrique Dupuy de Lôme  

Total number of executive directors 
% of the total of the board 

PROPRIETARY DIRECTORS 

Name or corporate name of director 

– 
Total number of proprietary directors 
% of the total of the board 

EXTERNAL INDEPENDENT DIRECTORS 

Position held in the company organization chart 

Chief Executive Officer 
Chief Financial Officer 

2 
16.67 

Name or corporate name of significant shareholder 
represented or proposing appointment 

– 
– 
– 

Individual or corporate  
name of director 

Antonio Vázquez 

Marc Bolland 

Patrick Cescau 

Profile 

Key areas of experience: retail, sales/marketing, finance, governance.  
Current external appointments: Member, Advisory Board of Telefónica América Latina. Member, 
Advisory Board of the Franklin Institute. Member, Advisory Board of Loyola University. 
Previous relevant experience: Chairman, Iberia 2012-2013. Chairman and CEO, Iberia 2009-2011. 
Chairman and CEO, Altadis Group 2005-2008. Chairman, Logista 2005-2008. Non-Executive Director, 
Iberia 2005-2007. CEO of Altadis Cigars and other various positions in Altadis Group 1993-2005. 
Various positions at Osborne 1978-1983 and Domecq 1983-1993.(cid:3)
Key areas of experience: general management, commercial management/marketing, retail,  
hospitality industry. 
Current external appointments: Head of European Portfolio Operations, The Blackstone Group, L.P. 
Non-Executive Director, Coca-Cola Company. Non-Executive Director, Exor S.p.A. Vice President, 
UNICEF UK.  
Previous relevant experience: Chief Executive, Marks & Spencer 2010-2016. Chief Executive, WM 
Morrison Supermarkets PLC 2006-2010. Non-Executive Director, Manpower Inc USA 2005-2015. Chief 
Operating Officer 2005-2006, Executive Director 2001-2005 and other executive and non-executive 
positions, Heineken 1986-2001.(cid:3)
Key areas of experience: retail, finance, sales/marketing, governance.  
Current external appointments: Non-Executive Chairman, InterContinental Hotel Group. Trustee, 
LeverHulme Trust. Member, Temasek European Advisory Panel. Patron, St Jude India 
Children’s Charity.  
Previous relevant experience: Senior Independent and Non-Executive Director, Tesco 2009-2015. 
Director, INSEAD 2009-2013. Senior Independent and Non-Executive Director, Pearson Plc 2002(cid:827)2012. 
Group Chief Executive, Unilever 2005-2008. Chairman, Unilever PLC. Deputy Chairman, Unilever NV, 
Food Director. Prior to being appointed to the Board of Unilever in 1999 as Group Finance Director, he 
was Chairman of a number of the company’s major operating companies and divisions including the 
USA, Indonesia and Portugal. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
162

Spanish corporate governance report continued

Individual or corporate  
name of director 

Baroness Kingsmill 

James Lawrence 

María Fernanda Mejía  

Kieran Poynter 

Emilio Saracho 

Profile 

Key areas of experience: government, legal and regulatory affairs.  
Current external appointments: Non-Executive Director, Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. (Inditex). 
Non-Executive Director, EON Supervisory Board. Non-Executive Director, Telecom Italia. Chairman, 
Monzo Bank Ltd. Member of the International Advisory Board, IESE Business School. Member of the 
House of Lords since 2006.  
Previous relevant experience: Vice Chair and Senior Independent Director, APR Energy 2010-2015. 
Non-Executive Director, British Airways 2004-2011. Deputy Chairman, Competition Commission 1997-
2003. Chairman, Department of Trade and Industry’s Accounting for People task force 2003.  

Key areas of experience: finance, consumer, airline sector.  
Current external appointments: Chairman, Great North Star LLC. Non-Executive Director, Smurfit 
Kappa Group. Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee, Avnet Inc.  
Previous relevant experience: Chairman, Rothschild North America 2012-2015. CEO, Rothschild 
North America and Co-Head of Global Investment Banking 2010-2012. Non-Executive Director, British 
Airways 2006-2011. Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer, Unilever 2007-2010. Vice Chairman, 
Chief Financial Officer and Head of International, General Mills 1998-2007. Executive Vice President 
and Chief Financial Officer, Northwest Airlines 1996-1998. Executive Vice President and other 
executive positions, Pepsi-Cola 1992-1996. Chairman and Co-Founder, LEK Consulting 1983(cid:827)1992. 
Partner, Bain & Company 1977-1983.  

Key areas of experience: consumer, customer development, strategic planning, supply chain, 
innovation, marketing communications, merger and acquisitions. 
Current external appointments: Senior Vice President and President of Kellogg Latin America, 
Corporate Officer and member of Kellogg’s Global Leadership Team. Board Member of the Council of 
the Americas.  
Previous relevant experience: Vice-President and General Manager Global Personal Care and 
Corporate Fragrance Development Colgate-Palmolive Co. 2010-2011, Vice-President Marketing and 
Innovation Europe/South Pacific Division Colgate-Palmolive Co. 2005-2010, President and CEO Spain 
and Spain Holding Company 2003-2005, General Manager Hong Kong and Director , Greater China 
Management team 2002-2003, Marketing Director Venezuela 2000-2002, Marketing Director 
Ecuador 1998-2000. 

Key areas of experience: professional services, finance services, corporate governance. 
Current external appointments: Chairman, F&C Asset Management PLC. Senior Independent Director 
and Chairman of the Audit Committee, British American Tobacco PLC.  
Previous relevant experience: Chairman, Nomura International plc 2009-2015. Member, Advisory 
Committee for the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the competitiveness of the UK financial services 
sector 2009-2010. Member, President’s committee of the Confederation of British Industry 2000(cid:827)2008. 
Chairman and Senior Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers 2000-2008. Managing Partner, 
PricewaterhouseCoopers 1998-2000 and other executive positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers  
1982-1998.  

Key areas of experience: corporate finance, investment banking.  
Current external appointments: Vice Chairman and Member of the Investment Banking Management 
Committee, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Non-executive Director, Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. (Inditex). 
Previous relevant experience: Deputy CEO for EMEA 2012-2015, CEO Investment Banking for EMEA 
2012-2014 and member of the Executive Committee 2009-2013, JP Morgan Chase & Co. CEO, JP 
Morgan Private Banking for EMEA 2006-2012. Member of the Board, Cintra 2008. Member of the 
Board, ONO 2008. Chairman, JP Morgan Spain and Portugal 1998-2006. Global Investment Banking 
Head, Santander Investment (UK) 1995-1998. Spanish Market Manager, Goldman Sachs International 
1990-1995. Investment Banking division Manager, Banco Santander de Negocios 1985-1990. Analyst, 
Chase Manhattan Bank 1980-1985. Member of the Board, Fiseat 1988.(cid:3)

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
163

Individual or corporate  
name of director 
Dame Marjorie Scardino 

Alberto Terol  

Profile 
Key areas of experience: commercial management, government affairs, communications,  
digital and media, legal services.  
Current external appointments: Senior Independent Director, Twitter, Inc. Senior Independent 
Director, Pure Tech Health Inc. Member, charitable boards including The MacArthur Foundation 
(Chairman), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (Chairman), and The Carter Center. 
Member, Board of the Royal College of Art. Member of the Visiting Committee for the MIT Media Lab. 
Member, Board of Bridge International Academies (HQ-Kenya). 
Previous relevant experience: Chief Executive Officer, Pearson plc 1997-2012. Chief Executive Officer, 
The Economist Group from 1993-1996. President, The Economist Group US 1985-1993. Lawyer 
practising in the US 1975-1985. 

Key areas of experience: finance, professional services, information technology, hospitality industry. 
Current external appointments: Non-Executive Director, Indra Sistemas, S.A. Non-Executive Director, 
Broseta Abogados. International Senior Advisor, Centerbridge. Executive Chairman of various family 
owned companies. 
Previous relevant experience: Non-Executive Director, OHL 2010-2016. Non-Executive Director, 
Aktua 2013-2016. Non-Executive Director, N+1 2014-2015. International Senior Advisor, BNP Paribas 
2011-2014. Member, Global Executive Committee Deloitte 2007-2009. Managing Partner, EMEA 
Deloitte 2007-2009. Managing Partner, Global Tax & Legal Deloitte 2007-2009. Member, Global 
Management Committee Deloitte 2003(cid:827)2007. Managing Partner, Latin America Deloitte 2003-2007. 
Managing Partner, Integration Andersen Deloitte 2002–2003, Managing Partner, Europe Arthur 
Andersen 2001-2002. Managing Partner, Global Tax & Legal Arthur Andersen 1997-2001. Managing 
Partner, Garrigues 1997-2000. 

Total number of external independent directors 
% of the board 

10 
83.33 

List any external independent directors who receive from the company or group any amount or payment other than standard 
director remuneration or who maintain or have maintained during the period in question a business relationship with the company 
or any group company, either in their own name or as a significant shareholder, director or senior manager of an entity which 
maintains or has maintained the said relationship.  

No  

If applicable, include a justified statement from the board detailing the reasons why the said director may carry on their duties as 
an external independent director. 

Name or corporate name of director 

Description of the relationship 

Justified statement 

(cid:177)(cid:3)

(cid:177)(cid:3)

(cid:177)(cid:3)

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

OTHER NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS 

Name or corporate name of director 

(cid:177) 
(cid:3)

Total number of other non-executive directors 
% of the total of the board 

Committee notifying or 
proposing appointment 

- 

- 
- 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
164

Spanish corporate governance report continued

List the reasons why these cannot be considered proprietary or external independent directors and detail their relationships with 
the company, its executives or shareholders. 

Name or corporate name of director 

-  

Reasons 

- 

Company, executive or 
shareholder with whom the 
relationship is maintained 

– 

List any changes in the category of each director which have occurred during the year. 

Name or corporate name of director 

Antonio Vázquez 

Date of change 

January 21, 2016 

Previous category 

Other external 

Current category 

Independent 

C.1.4  Complete the following table on the number of female directors at the end of the last four years and  

their category.  

(cid:3)
Executive  
Proprietary  
External independent 
Other non-executive  
Total 

Year(cid:3)t(cid:3)
0 
0 
3 
0 
3 

Number of female directors 

% of total directors of each category 

Year t-1 

Year t-2 

Year t-3   

0 
0 
3 
0 
3 

0 
0 
3 
0 
3 

0   
0   
2   
0   
2   

Year t 

0 
0 
30.00 
0 
25.00 

Year t-1 

Year t-2 

Year t-3 

0 
0 
33.33 
0 
25.00 

0 
0 
30.00 
0 
23.08 

0 
0 
22.22 
0 
14.29 

C.1.5 

Explain the measures, if applicable, which have been adopted to ensure that there is a sufficient number of 
female directors on the board to guarantee an even balance between men and women. 

Explanation of measures 

Following the new Spanish corporate governance code recommendation, the Board approved on January 2016 a Directors 
Selection and Diversity policy which superseded the former IAG Board Diversity policy. The objective of this Policy is to ensure 
that the appointments of directors are based on a prior analysis of the Board’s needs and favour a diversity of knowledge, 
experience and gender. This Policy incorporates the former IAG diversity principles while regulating the process for appointing 
directors. Under this Policy, director appointments are evaluated against the existing balance of skills, knowledge and experience 
on the Board, with directors asked to be mindful of diversity, inclusiveness and meritocracy considerations when examining 
nominations to the Board. 

The Board recognises the value of diversity as a tool to enrich its discussions and decision-making process. Consequently, it is the 
Board’s objective to create a board whose composition ensures a healthy diversity of opinions, perspectives, skills, experiences, 
backgrounds and orientations. Specifically, this will include an appropriate gender ratio, as well as including diversity in other 
senses, subject to the overriding principle of merit and suitability mentioned above.  

This will be achieved over time, taking account of the valuable knowledge and experience of the present board members and the 
value of a more diverse Board. 

Accordingly, the Directors Selection and Diversity Policy establishes a new female representation objective of 33 per cent for 2020 
following the recommendation included in the final Davies report published in the UK and exceeding the 30 per cent 
recommended in the Spanish Good Governance Code for Listed Companies. 

The Board, through its Nominations Committee, regularly reviews the percentage of women that sit on the Board and on the 
Company’s Management Committee, as well as the number of women in the Group’s workforce worldwide. The IAG Board and 
Management Committee continue to focus on this important area. 

The Nominations Committee leads the process for Board appointments. It evaluates the balance of skills, experience, 
independence, diversity and knowledge on the Board and, in the light of this evaluation, considers the role and capabilities 
required for a particular appointment. This evaluation will be made alongside succession plans for directors and takes into 
consideration any conclusions from the annual review of Board performance.  

As further detailed in the following section, the Directors Selection and Diversity Policy states the Company’s intention only to 
engage, so far as practicable, search firms which have signed up to the latest UK Voluntary Code of Conduct for Executive Search 
Firms (or its international equivalent). This is a voluntary code of conduct to address gender diversity on corporate boards and 
best practice for the related search processes. The code lays out steps for search firms to follow across the search process, from 
accepting a brief through to final induction. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
165

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

When reviewing board appointments, the Board’s Policy is to consider candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds, without 
discrimination based on gender, race, colour, age, social class, beliefs, religion, sexual orientation, disability or other factors. 

It is the Nominations Committee’s intention to reconcile the achievement of this objective while preserving the general diversity 
and merit based appointment principles established in IAG’s policy. 

IAG’s Directors Selection and Diversity Policy is published on the Company’s website. 

C.1.6 

Explain the measures taken, if applicable, by the nomination committee to ensure that the selection processes 
are not subject to implicit bias that would make it difficult to select female directors, and whether the company 
makes a conscious effort to search for female candidates who have the required profile.  

Explanation of measures 

As previously stated, the Nominations Committee leads the process for Board appointments. It evaluates the balance of skills, 
experience, independence, diversity and knowledge in the Board and, in the light of this evaluation, considers the role and 
capabilities required for a particular appointment. The appointment of new directors is made in accordance with a formal, rigorous 
and transparent process. 

An overriding principle is that all appointments to the Board will be based upon merit and suitability of the candidate to the 
particular role being filled. As stated in the Directors Selection and Diversity Policy, it is the Board’s objective to create a board 
whose composition ensures a healthy diversity of opinions, perspectives, skills, experiences, backgrounds and orientations. 
Specifically, this includes an appropriate gender ratio, as well as including diversity in other senses, subject to the overriding 
principle of merit and suitability mentioned above.  

In support of this Policy and, particularly, of the gender ratio objective, IAG has stated that, when conducting a search for a new 
board member, so far as practicable, it intends only to engage search consultants who have signed up to the UK Voluntary Code 
of Conduct on gender diversity for executive search firms or an international equivalent. 

As previously explained, this is a voluntary code of conduct to address gender diversity on corporate boards and best practice for 
the related search processes, which lays out steps for search firms to follow across the search process. 

According to this code, when taking a specific brief, search firms should look at overall board composition and, in the context of 
the board’s agreed aspirational goals on gender balance and diversity more broadly, explore with the Chairman if recruiting 
women directors is a priority on this occasion.  

In addition, when presenting their longlists, search firms should try to ensure that at least 30 per cent of the candidates are women 
– and, if not, should explicitly justify to the client why they are convinced that there are no other qualified female options, through 
demonstrating the scope and rigour of their research. Search firms should seek to ensure that the shortlist is appropriately 
reflective of the longlist, discussing with their clients each woman on the longlist and aiming to have at least one woman whom 
they would ‘strongly recommend’ that the client should meet. 

Finally, search firms who are signatories to this code should seek to broaden their own databases of potential candidates, and are 
encouraged to invest time into developing relationships with the pipeline of future female candidates. 

This code has been signed up to by over 70 search firms, who collectively account for the vast majority of the board work in the 
UK. All have committed to following the code’s provisions in their board search processes, irrespective of sector, company and 
organisation and to ensuring that all provisions of the code are embedded in their day to day practices. 

In parallel, when a selection process is carried out, the Company informs the selected search firm of its policies and objectives 
regarding diversity. It also ensures that longlist include an adequate number of female candidates. 

When, despite the measures taken, there are few or no female directors, explain the reasons.  

Explanation  

– 
(cid:3)

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
166

Spanish corporate governance report continued

C.1.6.bis Explain the conclusions of the Nominations Committee with respect to verification of compliance with the 

director selection policy. In particular, explain how this policy promotes the objective of having female directors 
represent at least 30% of the total members of the Board of Directors by 2020. 

The Nominations Committee, at its meeting held on December 14, 2016, carried out a check of compliance with its Directors 
Selection and Diversity Policy. Two appointments were made in 2016 to the Board of Directors of the Company, both as a result of 
the same process. The process followed to complete these two appointments was reviewed in detail by the Committee who 
concluded that: 

a)(cid:3) The procedure was formal, rigorous and transparent. 

b)(cid:3) The proposals were based on a prior analysis of the needs of the IAG Board of Directors. This evaluation was made 

alongside succession plans for directors and taking into consideration the conclusions from the annual review of Board 
performance. 

c)(cid:3) The Company engaged a professional and well-known search firm, Spencer Stuart, which is a signatory to the UK Voluntary 

Code of Conduct for Executive Search Firms. 

d)(cid:3) The process followed conformed to all the gender diversity requirements established in both the IAG’s policy and in the UK 

Voluntary Code of Conduct on gender diversity for executive search firms. 

e)(cid:3) Both proposals referred to applicants who satisfy the legal and statutory conditions required to hold office as a director, are 
of suitable repute and have the appropriate knowledge, experience, skills and availability for the exercise of the functions 
and duties of such office.  

A detailed explanation of how this Policy promotes the achievement of the gender diversity objective established by the Company 
is included in the two preceding sections. 

In addition to this and from a general perspective, the Nominations Committee regularly reviews the percentage of women that sit 
on the Board and on the Company’s Management Committee. It also monitors the number of women within the Group’s workforce 
worldwide. This information (and the progress made towards achieving greater diversity) is published annually in the Company’s 
annual report. 

C.1.7 

Explain how shareholders with significant holdings are represented on the board. 

There are no significant shareholders with representation on the Board of Directors. 

C.1.8 

Explain, if applicable, the reasons why proprietary directors have been appointed upon the request of 
shareholders who hold less than 3% of the share capital. 

Name or corporate name of shareholder 

– 

(cid:177)(cid:3)

Reason 

Provide details of any rejections of formal requests for board representation from shareholders whose equity interest is 
equal to or greater than that of other shareholders who have successfully requested the appointment of proprietary 
directors. If so, explain why these requests have not been entertained. 

No  

Name or corporate name of shareholder 

– 

C.1.9 

Explanation 

– 

Indicate whether any director has resigned from office before their term of office has expired, whether that 
director has given the board their reasons and through which channel and, if tendered in writing, list below the 
reasons given by that director: 

Name of director 

– 
(cid:3)

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Reasons for resignation 

– 

 
 
167

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

C.1.10 

Indicate what powers, if any, have been delegated to the chief executive officer(s). 

Name or corporate name of director 

Willie Walsh 

Brief description 

All of the powers of the Board have been permanently 
delegated to the IAG Chief Executive for their exercise, 
jointly and severally, save for those which cannot be 
delegated pursuant to the Bylaws, the Board 
Regulations or the applicable legislation. 

C.1.11 

List the directors, if any, who hold office as directors or executives in other companies belonging to the listed 
company’s group:  

Individual or corporate  
name of director 

Willie Walsh 

Corporate name of entity  
within the Group 

Position 

Do they have executive 
functions? 

Aer Lingus plc 

Non-Executive Chairman 

No 

C.1.12  List any company board members who likewise sit on the boards of directors of other non-group companies that 

are listed on official securities markets, insofar as these have been disclosed to the company.  

Name or corporate name of director 

Name of listed company 

Marc Bolland 
Marc Bolland 
Patrick Cescau  
Baroness Kingsmill 
Baroness Kingsmill 
Baroness Kingsmill 
James Lawrence 
James Lawrence 
Kieran Poynter 
Emilio Saracho 
Dame Marjorie Scardino 
Alberto Terol 

Coca-Cola Company 
Exor S.p.A 
Intercontinental Hotels Group 
Telecom Italia 
E.ON 
Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. (Inditex) 
Smurfit Kappa Group 
Avnet Inc. 
British American Tobacco 
Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A. (Inditex) 
Twitter, Inc. 
Indra Sistemas, S.A. 

Position 

Non-Executive Director 
Non-Executive Director 
Non–Executive Chairman 
Non–Executive Director 
Member of the Supervisory Board 
Non-Executive Director 
Non–Executive Director 
Non–Executive Director 
Non–Executive Director 
Non-Executive Director 
Non–Executive Director 
Non–Executive Director 

Indicate and, where appropriate, explain whether the board regulations establish rules on the maximum number 
of company boards on which its directors may sit: 

C.1.13 

Yes 

Explanation of rules 

According to article 17.5 of the Board Regulations, unless otherwise authorised by the Nominations Committee, a director shall not 
hold more than six other directorships of which no more than four, in the case of non-executive directors, and no more than one, in 
the case of executive directors, can be in public listed companies. In any event, prior consent from the Nominations Committee is 
required before an executive director can accept any external directorship appointment.  
Asset-holding or pure investment companies are excluded for the purposes of the preceding paragraph. Furthermore, companies 
belonging to the same group shall be considered as a single company. 

C.1.14  Section eliminated.  

C.1.15  List the total remuneration of the board:  

Board remuneration (thousands of euros) 

Amount of pension rights accumulated by directors (thousands of euros) 
Amount of pension rights accumulated by former directors (thousands of euros) 
(cid:3)

11,329 

320 
3,752 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
168

Spanish corporate governance report continued

C.1.16  List any members of senior management who are not executive directors and indicate total remuneration paid to 

them during the year. 

Name or corporate name 

Alex Cruz 
Luis Gallego  
Robert Boyle 
Javier Sanchez-Prieto 
Ignacio de Torres  
Christopher Haynes 
Julia Simpson 
Andrew Crawley 
Stephen Kavanagh 

Position(s) 

Executive Chairman of British Airways 
Executive Chairman of Iberia 
Director of Strategy 
Vueling Chief Executive Officer 
Director of Global Services 
General Counsel 
Chief of Staff 
IAG Cargo Chief Executive Officer 
Aer Lingus Chief Executive Officer 

Total remuneration received by senior management (thousands of euros) 

C.1.17  List, if applicable, the identity of those directors who are likewise members of the boards of directors of 

companies that own significant holdings and/or group companies.  

Name or corporate name of director 

– 

Name or corporate name of 
significant shareholder 

– 

16,010 

Position 

– 

List, if appropriate, any relevant relationships, other than those included under the previous heading, that link members of the 
board with significant shareholders and/or their group companies.  

Name or corporate name of director 

(cid:177)(cid:3)

Name or corporate name of 
significant shareholder 

– 

Relationship 

– 

C.1.18 

Indicate whether any amendments have been made to the board regulations during the year. 

No 

Description of amendments  

C.1.19 

Indicate the procedures for selection, appointing, re-electing, evaluating and removing directors. List the 
competent bodies, procedures and criteria used for each of these procedures. 

Appointment of directors 

The Shareholders’ Meeting or, if applicable, the Board of Directors itself shall be entitled to designate the members of the Board of 
Directors subject to the current law provisions. 

Any vacancies may be covered by the Board of Directors by means of cooption, according to the applicable law, on an interim 
basis until the next Shareholders’ Meeting is held, which shall ratify, as the case may be, the appointments or appoint the persons 
that are to replace any directors not ratified, or eliminate any vacant positions. 

Proposals for the appointment of directors submitted by the Board to the Shareholders’ Meeting for consideration, as well as 
decisions on appointments made by the Board of Directors using the powers of cooption legally attributed to it, shall be in respect 
of persons that satisfy the legal and Bylaw requirements to hold office as director, are of suitable repute and have appropriate 
professional skills, experience, knowledge and availability for the exercise of the functions and duties of such office.  

Proposals for the appointment or renewal of directors submitted to the Shareholders’ Meeting by the Board, as well as provisional 
appointments by means of cooption, must be approved on the proposal of the Nominations Committee in the case of 
independent directors and subject to a report from the Nominations Committee in all other cases. 

Directors shall hold office for the period set forth in the Bylaws (one year) unless the Shareholders’ Meeting resolves on their 
removal from office or dismissal, or they stand down from office. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
169

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Selection of directors 

In identifying suitable candidates, the Nominations Committee may use open advertising or the services of external advisers to 
facilitate the search, and consider candidates from a wide range of backgrounds with due regard to diversity, including gender as 
well as other forms of diversity. Selection will be based on merit and against objective criteria, as well as considering the 
candidates’ ability to commit sufficient time to the role.  

In accordance with the recommendation included in the Spanish Good Governance Code for Listed Companies, the Board 
approved in January 2016 a Directors Selection and Diversity Policy which ensures that appointments are based on a prior analysis 
of the Board’s needs and favours a diversity of knowledge, experience and gender. In particular and as established in this policy, 
IAG only engages external search consultants who have signed up to the UK Voluntary Code of Conduct on gender diversity for 
executive search firms or an international equivalent. 

Re-election of directors 

At the end of their term of office, directors may be re-elected one or more times for periods of equal duration to that established in 
the Bylaws. 

Proposals for re-election of directors that the Board of Directors resolves to submit to the Shareholders’ Meeting shall be subject 
to a formal preparation process, which must include a proposal made by the Nominations Committee, in the case of independent 
directors, and the report from the Nominations Committee in all other cases. The Nominations Committee’s proposal or report shall 
be prepared having given due regard to the performance, commitment, capacity, ability and availability of the director to continue 
to contribute to the Board with the knowledge, skills and experience required. To this end, the directors sitting on the Nominations 
Committee shall be evaluated by the Nominations Committee itself, and each of them shall abstain from participating in any 
debate or vote that may affect them. 

Evaluation of directors  

Under the Chairman’s leadership, the performance of individual directors, the Board of Directors as a whole and the Board 
Committees is evaluated at least once a year.  

During the reporting period, the Chairman met each non-executive directors individually to discuss their contribution to the Board. 
In addition to this, the Senior Independent Director met with the other non-executive directors to discuss the performance of the 
Chairman, and the outcome of this evaluation was reported and considered by the Nominations Committee and by the Board as a 
whole.  

Resignation and dismissal of directors 

Directors shall cease to hold office when the term of office for which they were appointed expires and they are not re-appointed or 
whenever so decided by the Shareholders’ Meeting. 

Notwithstanding the above, a director must place his position at the disposal of the Board of Directors and, at its request, formally 
resign from office in the cases established in article 16.2 of the Board Regulations. 

Directors who stand down before the end of their term of office, due to resignation or for any other reason, must state their 
reasons in a letter to be sent to all the directors. Without prejudice to the notification of such vacation of office as a price sensitive 
information communication, the reasons for the same must be explained in the Annual Corporate Governance Report. 

The Board of Directors may only propose the removal of an independent director before the end of the mandate established in 
the Bylaws when it considers there is just cause, following a report by the Nominations Committee. For these purposes, just cause 
shall be deemed to exist when the director takes up new positions or enters into new obligations that prevent him from dedicating 
the necessary time to the performance of the duties inherent in his office, breaches the duties inherent in his office or 
unexpectedly becomes subject to any of the circumstances provided for in article 16.2 of the Board Regulations. The removal may 
also be proposed as a result of takeover bids, mergers or other similar corporate transactions that determine a material change to 
the shareholding structure of the Company. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
170

Spanish corporate governance report continued

C.1.20  Explain to what extent the annual evaluation of the board has prompted significant changes in its internal 

organisation and the procedures applicable to its activities:  

Description of amendments  

An external evaluation was conducted this year facilitated by Dr Tracy Long from Boardroom Review Limited, who has no other 
connection with the Company. Dr Long also facilitated the 2013 evaluation and was re-appointed to provide a degree of 
continuity to this exercise, enabling the Board to better assess its development and progress since the incorporation  
of the Company. 

The overall conclusion of the review was positive. Over the last three years the Board was considered to have made meaningful 
progress and to have built on its strengths. The result of the evaluation shows that the Board continues to adequately fulfil its 
responsibilities and that each of its committees continue to be effective and efficient. 

The key actions agreed by the Board following this year’s evaluation are set out in the table below. 

Strategy and business oversight 

Risk agenda 

Board performance 

Succession Planning 

Provide further context for Board strategy discussions, enhancing visibility of changing environment 

Enrich non-financial information reporting to the Board 

Implement suggestions to further improve the effectiveness of the annual strategy session 

Increase coverage and visibility of risk priorities across the Board forward agenda 

More dynamic management of the Board planning agenda, ensuring focus on agreed priorities and including  
training and development 

Continue to encourage site visits and other opportunities to engage with management, not only as an important  
source of information for non-executive directors but also as it provides context for succession planning and talent 
development discussions 

Succession planning at both Board and executive level should remain a priority 

Further formalisation of the process and reinforce the report to the whole Board 

Continue analysis of the Board skills matrix and discussions on future domain knowledge priorities 

At executive level, strengthen focus on talent development  

C.1.20 bis  Describe the evaluation process and the areas evaluated by the board with the aid, as applicable, of an 

external consultant, with respect to the diversity of its composition and competencies, the functioning and 
composition of its committees, the performance of the board chairman and of the chief executive, and the 
performance and contribution of each director. 

As stated in the previous section, the Board and committees’ performance evaluation was conducted externally in 2016.  

The evaluation comprised in-depth one-to-one interviews with directors, the General Counsel of the Company and the Company 
Secretary, observation of Board and committees meetings, and a review of Board and committee papers as well as other 
Company information.  

The main themes covered in this evaluation were: strategy and execution; risk and control; remuneration and executive succession; 
stakeholders; culture, composition and board choreography; as well as the use of time and quality of information. 

The Senior Independent Director met with the other non-executive directors to discuss the performance of the Chairman. 
Additionally, the Chairman met with each director individually to discuss their contribution to the Board, the functioning of the 
Board as a whole, as well as an assessment of performance against the objectives agreed for 2016. In general terms, good progress 
was made against these objectives, namely the improvements introduced regarding the Board agenda and time management, as 
well as the induction designed and completed this year for new committee members. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
171

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

C.1.20 ter  List any business relationships held by the consultant or any company in its group with the company or any 

group company. 

Not applicable 

C.1.21 

Indicate the cases in which directors must resign. 

In accordance with article 16.2 of the Board Regulations, a director must place his position at the disposal of the Board of Directors 
and, at its request, formally resign from office in the following cases: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

f)  

g) 

When he or she ceases to hold the executive positions to which his or her appointment as director is linked, or 
when the reasons for which he was appointed no longer exist. In particular, in the case of nominee directors, 
when the shareholder(s) that proposed, requested or determined their appointment sell or transfer their 
holding in whole or in part, so that such holding has no longer the status of significant or is not sufficient to 
justify the appointment. 

When, due to supervening circumstances, the director is subject to any of the grounds for incompatibility or 
prohibition provided for in the law, the Corporate Bylaws or the Board Regulations. 

When he is prohibited by law from acting as a director. 

If requested to do so by the Board of directors as a result of a determination made in accordance with the 
provisions of article 11.7 of the Bylaws, to the extent that such determination arises as a result of his or her 
membership of the Board of Directors. 

When the director ceases to have the good standing, suitability, reliability, competence, availability or 
commitment to office necessary to be a director of the Company. 

When his or her presence on the Board of Directors might jeopardise, for any reason, directly, indirectly or 
through any person related to him, the loyal and diligent exercise of his functions in accordance with the 
corporate interest. 

When his or her remaining on the Board might affect the Company’s credit or reputation in the market or 
otherwise jeopardise its interests. 

C.1.22  Section eliminated.  

C.1.23  Are qualified majorities other than those prescribed by law required for any type of decision? 

No  

If applicable, describe the differences.  

Description of differences 

– 

C.1.24 

Indicate whether there are any specific requirements, apart from those relating to the directors, to be appointed 
chairman of the board: 

No  

Description of requirements  

– 

C.1.25 

Indicate whether the chairman has the casting vote: 

No  

Matters where the Chairman has the casting vote 

– 

C.1.26 

Indicate whether the bylaws or the board regulations set an age limit for directors. 

No  

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
172

Spanish corporate governance report continued

C.1.27 

Indicate whether the bylaws or the board regulations set a limited term of office for external independent 
directors different from the one established in the applicable law. 

No  

Maximum number of years in office 

– 

C.1.28 

(cid:3)
(cid:3)

Indicate whether the bylaws or the board regulations stipulate specific rules on appointing a proxy to the board, 
the procedures for doing so and, in particular, the maximum number of proxy appointments a director may hold, 
as well as whether any limit has been established in relation to the categories of director that may be appointed 
as a proxy, further to the limits imposed by law. If so, give brief details. 

In accordance with article 40 of the Bylaws and 10 of the Board Regulations, directors shall make every effort to attend 
Board meetings.  

Notwithstanding the above, all directors may cast their vote through, and grant a proxy to another director, although non(cid:827)
executive directors may only grant a proxy to other non-executive director.  

Proxies must be granted in writing, addressed to the Chairman or to the Board Secretary, and must be granted specifically for 
each meeting. For such purposes, a message addressed to the Chairman or the Secretary by letter, fax, telegram or e-mail  
shall be valid. 

No director may hold more than three proxies, with the exception of the Chairman, who shall not be subject to such limit but may 
not represent more than half of the members of the Board of Directors.  

The director granting the proxy shall endeavour, where possible, to include voting instructions in the proxy letter. 

C.1.29 

Indicate the number of board meetings held during the year and how many times the board has met without the 
Chairman’s attendance. Attendance will also include proxies appointed with specific instructions.  

Number of board meetings 
Number of board meetings held without the Chairman’s attendance  

If the chairman is an executive director, indicate the number of meetings held without the presence of an executive director, in 
person or by proxy, and under the chairmanship of the lead director. 

Number of meetings 

Indicate the number of meetings of the various board committees held during the year.  

Number of meetings of the Executive or Delegate Committee  
Number of meetings of the Audit and Compliance Committee  
Number of meetings of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee 
Number of meetings of the Nominations Committee 
Number of meetings of the Remuneration Committee 
Number of meetings of the Safety Committee  

11 
0 

(cid:177)(cid:3)

– 
8 
– 
6 
3 
2 

C.1.30 

Indicate the number of board meetings held during the year with all members in attendance. Attendance will also 
include proxies appointed with specific instructions.  

Number of meetings held with all directors in attendance 
% of attendances of the total votes cast during the year  

(cid:3)

5 
94.21 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
173

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

C.1.31 
the board are certified previously: 

Indicate whether the consolidated and individual financial statements submitted for authorisation for issue by 

Yes 

Identify, where applicable, the person(s) who certified the company’s individual and consolidated financial statements prior to their 
approval by the board. 

Name 

Willie Walsh 
Enrique Dupuy de Lôme  

Position  

Chief Executive Officer 
Chief Financial Officer 

C.1.32  Explain the mechanisms, if any, established by the board to prevent the individual and consolidated financial 
statements it prepares from being laid before the shareholders’ meeting with a qualified audit report. 

In accordance with article 35.4 of the Board Regulations, the Board of Directors shall prepare the Company’s financial statements 
so that such financial statements do not give rise to any restrictions or qualifications by the auditors. This notwithstanding, if the 
Board of Directors deems it appropriate to prepare the financial statements subject to restrictions or qualifications in the opinion 
of the auditors, it must clearly explain to shareholders the scope of such restrictions or qualifications and the reasons behind  
its actions.  

The Audit and Compliance Committee has the duty to review the Company’s annual financial statements, monitor compliance with 
legal requirements, the appropriate definition of the scope of consolidation and the correct application of generally accepted 
accounting principles, as well as reviewing significant financial reporting judgements in the Company’s annual accounts. 

C.1.33   Is the secretary of the board also a director? 

No  

If the secretary is not a director, complete the following table: 

Name or corporate name of the secretary 

Álvaro López-Jorrín  

C.1.34  Section eliminated. 

Representative 

– 

C.1.35 

Indicate and explain, where applicable, the specific mechanisms implemented by the company to preserve the 
independence of the auditor, financial analysts, investment banks and rating agencies.  

The relations of the Board of Directors with the Company’s auditors shall be channelled through the Audit and 
Compliance Committee. 

The Board of Directors shall refrain from engaging any audit firm entitled to be paid by the Company for all services rendered fees 
in an amount in excess of 10 per cent of such firm’s total revenue for the previous year. 

With regard to the external auditor, the Audit and Compliance Committee has, among others, the following powers: 

i) 

ii) 

iii) 

iv) 

v) 

To submit to the Board proposals on the selection, appointment, reappointment and substitution of the 
auditor, assuming responsibility for the selection process and the terms of its engagement, its remuneration 
(ensuring its independence and quality are not compromised), the scope of its professional mandate and the 
revocation or renewal of its appointment.  

To regularly collect information from the auditors on the audit plan and its implementation, as well as 
preserving their independence in the exercise of their functions. In particular, to ensure that the Company and 
the external auditor respect the current legislation on provision of non-audit services, the limits on the auditor’s 
business concentration and, in general, any other rules regarding auditor independence.  

To oversee compliance with the audit agreement. 

To serve as a channel for communication between the Board and the auditors and to assess the results of 
each(cid:3)audit. 
To review the effectiveness of the external audit process. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
174

Spanish corporate governance report continued

vi) 

vii) 

viii) 

ix) 

To establish the appropriate relationships with the external auditor in order to receive information on matters 
which may jeopardise its independence, for its examination by the Audit and Compliance Committee, and on 
any other matters relating to the audit process, and, as appropriate, the authorisation of permissible non-audit 
services as legally established, as well as any other communications provided for in the audit legislation 
and(cid:3)standards.  
In all cases, the declaration of their independence(cid:3)in relation to the entity or entities directly or indirectly related 
thereto must be received annually from the external auditors, as well as information on the additional services 
of any kind provided and the corresponding fees received. 

To issue on an annual basis, prior to the issue of the auditor’s report, a report expressing an opinion on whether 
the independence of the auditor is compromised. This report must contain, in all cases, the assessment of the 
provision of the additional services referred to in the preceding paragraph, taken individually and as a whole, 
other than the statutory audit and in relation to the rules on independence or to audit regulations. 

To develop and implement a policy on the engagement of the external auditors to supply additional non-audit 
services pursuant to the provisions of the UK Corporate Governance Code issued by the Financial 
Reporting(cid:3)Council. 
To ensure that the external auditor has a yearly meeting with the Board of Directors in full to inform on the 
work undertaken and any developments in the Company’s risk and accounting positions. 

x) 

In the event of the external auditor’s resignation, to review any underlying circumstances. 

During 2016, the Audit and Compliance Committee reviewed the work undertaken by the external auditors and assessed their 
independence, objectivity and performance. In doing so, it took into account relevant professional and regulatory requirements 
and the relationship with the auditor as a whole, including the provision of any non-audit services. The Audit and Compliance 
Committee monitored the auditors’ compliance with relevant regulatory, ethical and professional guidance on the rotation of 
partners, and assessed its qualifications, expertise, resources and the effectiveness of the audit process, including a report from the 
external auditor on its own internal quality procedures. The Audit and Compliance Committee decided not to tender the audit for 
the Company for fiscal year 2017. 

The Audit and Compliance Committee receives a quarterly report on compliance with the Group’s External Auditor Services Policy, 
which restricts the volume and types of non-audit services that Ernst & Young can provide throughout the Group.  

The Board of Directors approved in January 2016 a Shareholder Communication Policy regarding communication and contact with 
shareholders, institutional investors and proxy advisors that regulates the relationship and channels of communication of the 
Company with shareholders, institutional investors and proxy advisors. This policy complies in full with market abuse regulations 
and provides an equitable treatment to shareholders in the same position. 

In addition, the Company has a Group Standing Instruction on business integrity in order to ensure compliance with competition 
and anti-bribery legislation. As stated in this Instruction, IAG and its staff are bound by values of integrity and responsibility; the 
Company is firmly committed to maintaining the highest standards of ethics, honesty, openness and accountability.  

This Instruction applies to all staff of IAG and its subsidiary companies and to suppliers and their representatives when working for 
IAG. A breach of these principles will be managed in accordance with the Company’s established disciplinary procedures or 
contract engagement terms. In accordance with this policy, staff should immediately report any actual or potential breaches of the 
Instruction to their line managers or, if not appropriate for whatever reason, to the Chief of Staff or General Counsel. All matters will 
be dealt with in confidence. Timely, appropriate and thorough investigations will be carried out into all cases of actual or suspected 
breaches whether discovered or reported. There is also mandatory training providing specific guidance on how these policies 
apply to staff in their respective roles.  

This Instruction also prevents the offering or making of payments or the offering or promising of gifts to dishonestly influence a 
decision or to induce or reward a person for improper performance of their functions or job activity.  

The Company has established whistleblowing procedures so that staff can report any malpractice. In addition to this, there is a 
whistle blower hotline as an alternative for those employees who, for whatever reason, do not feel comfortable using internal 
procedures. This hotline is an independent, confidential call bureau. All calls are forwarded to the highest level of management 
within IAG.  

Conflict of interest situations are also covered within IAG’s employees’ regulations, establishing appropriate reporting obligations. If 
employees become aware of any potential conflicts of interest, these must be disclosed to the Company as soon as possible.  

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
175

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

C.1.36 

Indicate whether the company has changed its external audit firm during the year. If so, identify the incoming 
audit firm and the outgoing auditor. 

No  

Outgoing auditor 

– 

Explain any disagreements with the outgoing auditor and the reasons for the same. 

No  

Explanation of the disagreements 

Incoming auditor 

– 

– 

C.1.37 

Yes 

Indicate whether the audit firm performs non-audit work for the company and/or its group. If so, state the 
amount of fees paid for such work and the percentage they represent of all fees invoiced to the company and/or 
its group.  

(cid:3)
Amount of non-audit work  
(in thousands euros) 
Amount of non-audit work as a % of the total 
amount billed by the audit firm 

Company 

33 

5 

Group 

805 

18 

Total 

838 

17 

Indicate whether the audit report on the previous year’s financial statements is qualified or includes reservations. 
Indicate the reasons given by the Chairman of the Audit Committee to explain the content and scope of those 
reservations or qualifications. 

C.1.38 

No  

Explanation of reasons 

– 

C.1.39 

Indicate the number of consecutive years during which the current audit firm has been auditing the financial 
statements of the company and/or its group. Likewise, indicate for how many years the current firm has been 
auditing the financial statements as a percentage of the total number of years over which the financial 
statements have been audited.  

(cid:3)
Number of consecutive years 
(cid:3)
Number of years audited by current audit firm/Number of years the 
company’s financial statements have been audited (%) 
(cid:3)

Company 

7 

Company 

100 

Group 

7 

Group 

100 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
176

Spanish corporate governance report continued

C.1.40 

Indicate and give details of any procedures through which directors may receive external advice: 

Yes 

Procedures 

In accordance with article 26 of the Board Regulations, in order to be assisted in the performance of his or her duties, any director 
may request the hiring of legal, accounting, technical, financial, commercial or other expert advisors, whose services shall be paid 
for by the Company. 

The assignment must deal with specific issues of certain significance and complexity arising during the performance of the 
director’s duties. 

The request for an expert to be hired shall be channelled through the Chairman or the Company Secretary, who may submit it 
to the prior approval of the Board of Directors. Such approval may be denied in well-founded instances, including the 
following circumstances: 

Where it is not necessary for the proper performance of the duties entrusted to the directors; 

Where the cost thereof is not reasonable in light of the significance of the issues and the assets and income of 
the(cid:3)Company; 
Where the technical assistance sought may be adequately provided by the Company’s own experts and technical 
personnel; or 

Where it may entail a risk to the confidentiality of the information that must be made available to the expert. 

Indicate whether there are procedures for directors to receive the information they need in sufficient time to 
prepare for meetings of the governing bodies: 

a. 

b. 

c. 

d. 

C.1.41 

Yes 

Procedures 

Calls to Board meetings always include, unless there is a justified cause, the meeting agenda (which shall indicate any items 
requiring a resolution or decision by the Board of Directors) and shall be accompanied, as the case may be, by the information 
deemed necessary. Call notices shall be sent sufficiently in advance to ensure that directors receive them no later than the seven 
days before the date of the meeting, except in the case of meetings deemed urgent by the Chairman (or by the Deputy Chairman, 
in the event of absence, illness or inability of the Chairman). This notice period shall not apply to cases in which the Board 
Regulations stipulate a specific call period. 

In addition, in accordance with article 9 of the Board Regulations, prior to the commencement of each fiscal year, the Board of 
Directors shall set a schedule for its ordinary meetings. This schedule may be modified by a resolution adopted by the Board of 
Directors or by a decision made by the Chairman, who shall endeavour to notify the modification to the directors not less than five 
days in advance of the date originally set for the meeting or of the new date set in lieu thereof, if the latter date falls earlier.  

Papers for Board meetings are typically distributed to the Board members in the week prior to the relevant meeting. 

In this regard, the Chairman shall ensure that the directors receive accurate, appropriate and clear information, in particular about 
the Company’s performance, its strategy, challenges and opportunities in order to enable the Board of Directors to make sound 
decisions and monitor correctly the Company’s performance and shall lead Board of Directors discussions with a view to 
encouraging effective decision-making and a constructive debate on the performance of the Company, its growth strategy 
and commercial objectives encouraging the active participation of the directors during meetings and safeguarding their 
freedom of expression. 

In accordance with article 25 of the Board Regulations, a director shall have the broadest powers to obtain information regarding 
any aspect of the Company, to examine its books, records and documents, to inspect its facilities, and to communicate with the 
senior managers of the Company. The exercise of such powers of information shall be channelled through the Chairman or the 
Board Secretary. 

In addition, all Board members have access to the Board Secretary and the Group General Counsel for any further information they 
require. If any of the non–executive directors has any concerns about the running of the Group, they discuss these concerns with 
one of the executive directors, the Group General Counsel or the Chairman.  

In accordance with article 28 of the Board Regulations, the Board Committees must receive appropriate and timely training, both 
in the form of induction programmes for new members and on an on-going basis for all members. The Board Committees shall 
also arrange for annual evaluations of their own performance, conducted externally at least every three years. 

Papers for Committees are typically distributed to their members in the week prior to the relevant meeting. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

177

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

C.1.42 

Indicate and, where appropriate, give details of whether the company has established rules obliging directors to 
inform the board of any circumstances that might harm the organisation’s name or reputation, tendering their 
resignation as the case may be. 

Yes 

Details of rules 

In accordance with article 23.2.c) of the Board Regulations, a director must disclose to the Company any judicial, administrative or 
other proceedings brought against the director which, because of their significance or characteristics, may seriously reflect upon 
the reputation of the Company and, in general, any fact or event that may be reasonably material to his or her conduct as a 
director of the Company. In particular, directors must inform the Company, through the Chairman, if they are charged, become 
subject to an order for further criminal prosecution upon indictment or if an order for the commencement of an oral trial is issued 
against them in a criminal proceeding for any crime, and of the occurrence of any other significant procedural milestone in such 
proceedings. In such case, the Board of Directors shall review the case as soon as practicable and shall adopt the decisions it 
deems fit, taking into account of the corporate interest. 

In addition, in accordance with article 16.2 of the Board Regulations, a director must place his or her position at the disposal of the 
Board of Directors and, at its request, formally resign from his or her position: 

a. 

b. 

c. 

d. 

e. 

f. 

g. 

When the director ceases to hold the executive positions to which his or her appointment as director is linked, or when 
the reasons for which he or she was appointed no longer exist. In particular, in the case of nominee directors, when the 
shareholders that proposed, requested or determined their appointment sell or transfer their holding in whole or in part, 
so that such holding no longer has the status of significant or is not sufficient to justify the appointment. 

When, due to supervening circumstances, the director is subject to any of the grounds for incompatibility or prohibition 
provided for in the law, the Corporate Bylaws or these Regulations. 

When the director is prohibited by law from acting as a director. 

If requested to do so by the Board of Directors as a result of a determination having been made under article 11.7 of the 
Corporate Bylaws to the extent that such determination is due to the fact that such director is a member of the Board 
of Directors. 

When the director ceases to have the good standing, suitability, reliability, competence, availability or commitment to 
office necessary to be a director of the Company. 

When his or her presence on the Board of Directors might jeopardise, for any reason, directly, indirectly or through any 
person related to him or her, the loyal and diligent exercise of his functions in accordance with the corporate interest. 

When his or her remaining on the Board of Directors might affect the Company’s credit or reputation in the market or 
otherwise jeopardises its interests. 

C.1.43 

Indicate whether any director has notified the company that they have been indicted or tried for any of the 
offences stated in article 213 of the Spanish Companies Law. 

No  

Name of director 

– 

Criminal proceedings 

– 

Remarks 

– 

Indicate whether the board has examined this matter. If so, provide a justified explanation of the decision taken as to whether or 
not the director should continue to hold office or, if applicable, detail the actions taken or to be taken by the board.  

Decision/action taken 

(cid:177)(cid:3)
(cid:3)

Justified explanation 

(cid:177)(cid:3)

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
178

Spanish corporate governance report continued

C.1.44  List the significant agreements entered into by the company which come into force, are amended or terminate in 

the event of a change of control of the company due to a takeover bid, and their effects.  

The following significant agreements contain provisions entitling the counterparties to exercise termination, alteration or other 
similar rights, in the event of a change of control of the Company: 

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

the brand alliance agreement in respect of British Airways and Iberia’s membership of “oneworld”, the globally-branded 
airline alliance, could be terminated by a majority vote of the parties in the event of a change of control of the Company. 

the joint business agreement between British Airways, Iberia, American Airlines and Finnair and the joint business 
agreement between British Airways, Japan Airlines and Finnair can be terminated by the other parties to those 
agreements in the event of a change of control of the Company by either a third party airline, or the parent of a third party 
airline. 

Certain British Airways exchange and interest rate hedging contracts allow for early termination if after a change of 
control of the Company, British Airways’ credit worthiness was materially weaker.  

In addition, the Company’s share plans contain provisions as a result of which options and awards may vest and become 
exercisable on a change of control of the Company in accordance with the rules of the plans. 

C.1.45 

Identify, in aggregate form and provide detailed information on agreements between the company and its 
officers, executives and employees that provide indemnities, guarantee or ‘‘golden parachute’’ clauses for the 
event of resignation, unfair dismissal or termination as a result of a takeover bid or other type of transaction. 

Number of beneficiaries 

12 
(cid:3)

(cid:3)
(cid:3)

Type of beneficiary 

Description of the resolution 

Executive Directors  
and IAG Management 
Committee 

Chairman 

There are no express provisions in executive directors and senior executives service contracts with the 
Company for compensation payable upon termination of those contracts, other than for payments in 
lieu of notice. The period of notice required from the executive directors and senior executives is six 
months; the period of notice required from the Company is 12 months.  
Where the Company makes a payment in lieu of notice, a lump sum in lieu of six months’ basic salary 
is payable within 28 days of the date of termination of employment. A payment in respect of basic 
salary for the second six months period only becomes payable if, in the Company’s reasonable 
opinion, the executive directors and senior executives have taken reasonable steps to find alternative 
paid work and then only in six monthly instalments. The Company may reduce the sum payable in 
respect of any month by any amount earned by the executive directors and senior executives 
(including salary and benefits) referable to work done in that month. 
Antonio Vázquez has a specific agreement if his service contract is terminated for whatever reason. 
Additional information on this agreement has been provided in the Annual Report on the 
Remuneration of the Directors. 

Indicate whether these agreements must be reported to and/or authorised by the governing bodies of the company or its(cid:3)group. 

(cid:3)
Body authorising clauses 
(cid:3)

(cid:3)
Is the Shareholders’ Meeting informed of such clauses? 
(cid:3)

Board of Directors 

Shareholders’ Meeting 

X 

Yes 

X 

No 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
 
179

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

C.2 

Board committees 

C.2.1  Give details of all board committees, their members and the proportion of executive, proprietary, independent 

and other non-executive directors on them: 

EXECUTIVE OR DELEGATE COMMITTEE  

Name 

– 
– 

% of executive directors  
% of proprietary directors  
% of external independent directors  
% of other non-executive directors 

Position 

– 
– 

Type 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 
– 

Explain the functions attributed to this committee, describe the procedures and rules governing its organization and operation, 
and summarize the most important steps taken during the year. 

--- 

Indicate whether the composition of the executive or delegate committee reflects the participation within the board of the 
different types of directors: 

No  

If not, explain the composition of the executive or delegate committee 

(cid:177)(cid:3)

AUDIT COMMITTEE 

Name 

Kieran Poynter 
Patrick Cescau 
James Lawrence 
Maria Fernanda Mejia 
Alberto Terol  

% of proprietary directors  
% of external independent directors  
% of other non-executive directors 

Position 

Chairman 
Member 
Member 
Member 
Member 

Type 

Independent 
Independent 
Independent 
Independent 
Independent 

– 
100 
– 

Explain the functions attributed to this committee, describe the procedures and rules governing its organization and operation, 
and summarize the most important steps taken during the year.  

a) 

Rules of organisation and operation: 

The Audit and Compliance Committee shall be made up of no less than three and no more than five non(cid:827)executive 
directors appointed by the Board, with the dedication, capacity and experience necessary to carry out their function. 
The members of the Audit and Compliance Committee, and particularly its Chairman, shall be appointed in light of 
their knowledge and experience on accounting, audit and risk management matters, and at least one of them shall 
have recent and relevant financial experience.  

A majority of the members of the Audit and Compliance Committee shall be independent directors and one of 
them, at least, shall be appointed in light of his or her knowledge and experience on accounting or audit 
matters, or both.  

The Board of Directors shall designate an Audit and Compliance Committee chairman from among the 
independent directors on the Audit and Compliance Committee who must be replaced at least every four 
years and may stand for re-election one year after vacating office. The Secretary or his nominee shall act as 
secretary to the Audit and Compliance Committee. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
180

Spanish corporate governance report continued

The Audit and Compliance Committee shall meet whenever convened by its chairman, at his own initiative, or 
at the request of at least two of its members and at least once every three months and, in all cases, where the 
Board of Directors requests the issue of reports, the presentation of proposals or the adoption of resolutions 
within the scope of its functions. 

The Chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee shall have the power to call committee meetings and 
to establish the agenda. The Audit and Compliance Committee shall be validly convened without prior call 
when all of its members are present and unanimously agree to hold a meeting. The call notice for ordinary 
meetings shall include the agenda, shall be served in writing sufficiently in advance to ensure that members 
receive it no later than three days before the date of the meeting and shall be authorised by the signature of 
the Chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee or the Secretary or whomsoever acts as such. 
Extraordinary meetings may be called by telephone and the above requirements shall not apply where the 
Chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee deems that the circumstances justify it. 

The Audit and Compliance Committee shall be validly convened where more than half of its members are 
present, in person or by proxy, and decisions shall be adopted by an absolute majority of the members 
present, in person or by proxy. 

The Audit and Compliance Committee may call any employee or officer of the Company and may even order 
them to appear without the presence of any other officer. 

b) 

Functions: 

The key function of the Audit and Compliance Committee is to assist the Board of Directors in oversight and 
control of the Group, regularly checking compliance with the legal provisions and internal regulations 
applicable to the IAG Group. 

The main functions of the Audit and Compliance Committee include: 

A. 

In relation to the Shareholders’ Meeting: 

a. 

To report to the Shareholders’ Meeting on questions raised in relation to any matters under 
the Committee’s competence and, in particular, on the results of the statutory audit explaining 
how this has contributed to the integrity of the financial information and the role that the 
Committee has performed in this process. 

B. 

With regard to the external auditor: 

a. 

b. 

c. 

d. 

To submit to the Board the proposals on the selection, appointment, reappointment and 
substitution of the auditor, assuming responsibility for the selection process, and the terms of 
its engagement, its remuneration (ensuring its independence and quality are not 
compromised), the scope of its professional mandate and the revocation or renewal of its 
appointment.  

To regularly collect information from the auditors on the audit plan and its implementation, as 
well as preserving their independence in the exercise of their functions. In particular, to ensure 
that the Company and the external auditor respect the current legislation on provision of non-
audit services, the limits on the auditor’s business concentration and, in general, any other 
rules regarding auditor independence.  

To oversee compliance with the audit agreement, ensuring that the opinion concerning the 
annual accounts and that the principal contents of the audit report are drafted in a clear and 
precise manner. 

To serve as a channel for communication between the Board and the auditors, to assess the 
results of each audit and the response by the management team to their recommendations, 
and to mediate in the event of disputes between the auditors and the management team in 
relation to the principles and methods used in preparing the annual accounts. 

e. 

To review the effectiveness of the external audit process. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
181

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

f. 

g. 

h. 

i. 

j. 

To establish the appropriate relationships with the external auditor in order to receive 
information on matters which may jeopardise its independence, for its examination by the 
Committee, and on any other matters relating to the audit process, and, as appropriate, the 
authorisation of permissible non-audit services as legally established, as well as any other 
communications provided for in the audit legislation and standards. In all cases, the 
declaration of their independence(cid:3)in relation to the entity or entities directly or indirectly 
related thereto must be received annually from the external auditors, as well as information on 
the additional services of any kind provided and the corresponding fees received from these 
entities by the external auditors or by persons or entities related thereto pursuant to the 
provisions of audit legislation. 

To issue on an annual basis, prior to the issue of the auditor’s report, a report expressing an 
opinion on whether the independence of the auditor is compromised.  

To develop and implement a policy on the engagement of the external auditors to supply 
additional non-audit services pursuant to the provisions of the UK Corporate Governance 
Code issued by the Financial Reporting Council. 

To ensure that the external auditor has a yearly meeting with the Board of Directors to inform 
on the work undertaken and any developments in the Company’s risk and 
accounting(cid:3)positions. 

In the event of the external auditor’s resignation, to review any underlying circumstances and, 
in general, to oversee that the Company discloses the change of auditor as price sensitive 
information (relevant fact), including a statement regarding any possible discrepancies with 
the departing auditor and, if any exist, their content. 

C. 

In relation to internal control and reporting systems: 

a. 

b. 

c. 

d. 

e. 

To supervise the effectiveness of the internal control of the Company, the internal auditing, 
and the risk management systems, including tax risks, and to discuss with the auditor any 
significant weaknesses in the internal control systems identified in the course of the audit. 

To ensure the independence and efficiency of the internal audit function (which functionally 
reports to the Chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee) to propose the selection, 
appointment, reappointment and removal of the head of the internal audit service; to validate 
the department’s budget; to approve its annual work plan and focus, ensuring that its activity 
is focused principally on the significant risks faced by the Company; to receive periodic 
information on its activities, as well as on any incidents arising; and to check that senior 
management takes into account the conclusions and recommendations contained in its 
reports.  

To periodically review the internal control and risk management systems to ensure that the 
principal risks are adequately identified, managed and disclosed.  

To monitor the functioning of the Company’s risk control and management unit, accountable 
for: (a) ensuring that risk control and management systems are functioning correctly and, 
specifically, that major risks the Company faces are correctly identified, managed and 
quantified; (b) participating actively in the preparation of risk strategies and in key decisions 
about their management; and (c) ensuring that risk control and management systems are 
mitigating risks effectively in accordance with the policy drawn up by the Board. 

To review the arrangements by which the employees of the Group may, in confidence, raise 
concerns about possible irregularities in matters of financial reporting or other matters. The 
Audit and Compliance Committee’s objective should be to ensure that arrangements are in 
place for the proportionate and independent investigation of such matters and for appropriate 
follow-up action. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
182

Spanish corporate governance report continued

D. 

In relation to financial information: 

a. 

b. 

c. 

d. 

To supervise the process for the preparation and presentation of the required financial 
information and report to the Board on the financial information that the Company is 
periodically required to disclose. 

To review the Company’s accounts, monitor compliance with legal requirements, the 
appropriate definition of the scope of consolidation and the correct application of generally 
accepted accounting principles. To review significant financial reporting judgements in the 
Company’s accounts. To monitor the functioning of the internal financial control manuals and 
procedures adopted by the Company, to verify compliance with them and review the 
designation and replacement of the persons responsible for them. 

To report to the Board on the steps taken by management to ensure that the Annual Report 
and Accounts, taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the 
information necessary for shareholders to assess the Company’s performance, business model 
and strategy. 

To report to the Board of Directors on the steps taken by management to assess the viability 
of the Company, including whether there is a reasonable expectation that the Company will 
be able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities as they fall due. 

E. 

In relation to compliance supervision: 

a. 

b. 

c. 

d. 

e. 

f. 

g. 

h. 

To assess the level of compliance with the Bylaws, the Board Regulations and the Internal 
Code of Conduct in matters relating to the securities market and, in general, with the 
Company’s rules on governance and to make the necessary proposals for improvement, 
assessing regularly the effectiveness of the Company’s corporate governance system, to 
confirm that it is fulfilling its mission to promote the corporate interest and accommodating, as 
appropriate, the legitimate interests of the remaining stakeholders. In particular, the Audit and 
Compliance Committee shall be responsible for receiving information and, as the case may be, 
issuing reports on the disciplinary measures to be applied to senior executives of 
the(cid:3)Company. 

To consider suggestions from the Audit and Compliance Committee Chairman, directors, 
senior executives or shareholders, and to report and make proposals to the Board with regard 
to any measures it deems appropriate in relation to the audit activity and any others assigned 
to it, as well as with regard to compliance with legislation on market reporting and 
transparency and accuracy of the same.  

To oversee the communication and relations strategy with shareholders and investors, 
including small and medium-sized shareholders.  

To review the Company’s corporate social responsibility policy, ensuring that it is geared to 
value creation. 

To monitor corporate social responsibility strategy and practices and assess compliance in this 
respect. 

To monitor and evaluate the Company’s interaction with its stakeholder groups. 

To evaluate all aspects of the non-financial risks the Company is exposed to, including 
operational, technological, legal, social, environmental, political and reputational risks. 

To coordinate non-financial and diversity reporting processes in accordance with applicable 
legislation and international benchmarks. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
183

F. 

Other responsibilities: 

a. 

b. 

c. 

To report on related transactions or on transactions that entail or may entail a conflict of 
interest, in the terms established in the Board Regulations.  

To report to the Board, prior to the adoption by it of the corresponding decision, regarding the 
creation or acquisition of interests in special purpose entities or entities registered in countries or 
territories regarded as tax havens, as well as any other transactions or operations of a similar nature 
that, due to the complexity thereof, might detract from the transparency of the Group. 

To receive information on any relevant structural or corporate transactions that the Company 
plans to undertake, for its analysis and subsequent report to the Board of Directors on its 
economic conditions and accounting impact and particularly, when applicable, on the 
exchange ratio proposed. 

c) 

Steps taken during the year:  

The Committee’s principal activities during the year were: 

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

review of financial statements and announcements relating to the financial performance and 
governance of the Group; 

review of the effectiveness of the internal control system, provide assurance on the risk management 
process and review the principal risks facing the Group; 

review and agreement of the internal audit programme, resourcing, effectiveness and resolution of 
issues raised; and 

recommending the appointment of external auditors and reviewing their effectiveness, fees, terms of 
reference and independence. 

State the member of the Audit Committee who has been appointed having regard to his/her knowledge or experience in 
accounting and/or audit matters and indicate the number of years the Committee chairman has held office. 

Name of director with experience 
Number of years Committee chairman has held office 

NOMINATION AND REMUNERATION COMMITTEE 

Name 

– 
– 

% of proprietary directors  
% of external independent directors  
% of other non-executive directors 

Position 

– 
– 

Kieran Poynter 
0 

Type 

– 
– 

– 
– 
– 

Explain the functions attributed to this committee, describe the procedures and rules governing its organization and operation, 
and summarize the most important steps taken during the year. 

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE 

Name 

Antonio Vázquez 
Patrick Cescau 
Baroness Kingsmill 
Emilio Saracho 
Dame Marjorie Scardino 

% of proprietary directors  
% of external independent directors  
% of other non-executive directors 

Position 

Chairman 
Member 
Member 
Member 
Member 

Type 

Independent 
Independent 
Independent 
Independent 
Independent 

– 
100 
– 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
184

Spanish corporate governance report continued

Explain the functions attributed to this committee, describe the procedures and rules governing its organization and operation, 
and summarize the most important steps taken during the year. 

a) 

Rules of organisation and operation: 

The Nominations Committee shall be made up of no less than three and no more than five non-executive 
directors appointed by the Board, with the dedication, capacity and experience necessary to carry out their 
function. A majority of the members of the Nominations Committee shall be independent directors.  

The Board of Directors shall designate a Nominations Committee Chairman from among the independent 
directors forming part of the Committee. The Secretary of the Board of Directors or his or her nominee shall act 
as Secretary to the Nominations Committee. 

The Nominations Committee shall meet whenever convened by its Chairman, at his or her own initiative, or at 
the request of two or more of its members and at least once every year and, in all cases, where the Board 
requests the issue of reports, the presentation of proposals or the adoption of resolutions within the scope of 
its functions. 

b) 

Functions: 

The main functions of the Nominations Committee include: 

A. 

B. 

C. 

D. 

E. 

F. 

G. 

H. 

I. 

J. 

K. 

L. 

To evaluate the competencies, knowledge and experience necessary on the Board and report 
on and review the criteria to be followed for its composition and the selection of candidates, 
defining the necessary functions and skills and evaluating the time and dedication required to 
correctly perform its remit. 

To submit to the Board the proposed appointments of independent directors for their 
designation by cooption or, as the case may be, to submit the decision to the Shareholders’ 
Meeting, as well as proposals for the re-appointment or removal of such directors by the 
Shareholders’ Meeting. 

To report on the proposals of the Board for the appointment of the remaining directors for 
their designation by cooption or, as the case may be, to submit the decision to the 
Shareholders’ Meeting, as well as proposals for the re-appointment or removal of such 
directors by the Shareholders’ Meeting. 

To report on the proposed designation or removal from office of the Board (including the 
Secretary and the Deputy Secretary) and propose to the Board the members that are to form 
each of the Board committees and their chairmen. 

To put in place plans for the succession of directors, in particular, the succession of the 
Chairman and the Chief Executive and, as the case may be, to make proposals to the Board of 
Directors so that such succession occurs in a planned and orderly manner. 

To oversee and establish guidelines relating to the appointment, recruitment, career, 
promotion and dismissal of senior executives in order to ensure that the Company has the 
highly-skilled personnel required for its management. 

To report on the proposed appointment and/or removal of senior executives of the Company. 

To report on the proposed appointment and/or removal of members of the managing bodies 
of the main subsidiaries and/or investees of the Group and on the appointment of their 
chairmen and chief executive officers.  

To ensure that, on appointment, non-executive directors receive a formal letter of 
appointment setting out clearly what is expected from them in terms of time commitment, 
committee service and involvement outside Board meetings. 

To identify directors qualified to fill vacancies on any committee of the Board of Directors 
(including the Nominations Committee). 

To establish a target for the representation of the underrepresented gender on the Board 
which should be pursued by the Company’s director selection policy. 

To submit to the Board the annual report on the evaluation of the Board as a whole.  

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
185

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

 c) 

Steps taken during the year:  

The Committee’s principal activities during the year were: 

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

Board succession planning; 

Director' Selection and Diversity Policy; 

performance evaluation of the Chairman and the Chief Executive; 

annual review of the category of each director; 

assessment of directors re-election;  

review of investors’ feedback from the 2016 Shareholders’ Meeting; 

appointments to the Group subsidiary boards; 

succession planning for the Group Chief Executive, the IAG Management Committee and leadership 
teams of the Group operating companies; and 

annual performance evaluation planning for the Board and for the Committee. 

REMUNERATION COMMITTEE 

Name 

Dame Marjorie Scardino 
Marc Bolland 
Baroness Kingsmill 
María Fernanda Mejía  
Alberto Terol  

% of proprietary directors 
% of external independent directors  
% of other non-executive directors 

Position 

Chairman 
Member 
Member 
Member 
Member 

Type 

Independent 
Independent 
Independent 
Independent 
Independent 

– 
100 
– 

Explain the functions attributed to this committee, describe the procedures and rules governing its organization and operation, 
and summarize the most important steps taken during the year. 

a) 

Rules of organisation and operation 

The Remuneration Committee shall be made up of no less than three and no more than five non-executive 
directors appointed by the Board of Directors, with the dedication, capacity and experience necessary to carry 
out their function. A majority of the members of the Remuneration Committee shall be independent directors.  

The Board shall designate a Remuneration Committee Chairman from among the independent directors of the 
Remuneration Committee. The Chairman of the Board may not be appointed as Remuneration Committee 
Chairman. The Secretary of the Board or his or her nominee shall act as secretary to the 
Remuneration(cid:3)Committee. 
The Remuneration Committee shall meet whenever convened by its Chairman, at his or her own initiative, or at 
the request of two or more of its members and at least twice every year and, in all cases, where the Board 
requests the issue of reports, the presentation of proposals or the adoption of resolutions within the scope of 
its functions. 

b) 

Functions 

The main functions of the Remuneration Committee include: 

A. 

B. 

C. 

To propose to the Board the system and amount of the annual remuneration for directors, as well as 
the individual remuneration of the executive directors and the other terms of their contracts. 

To report to the Board on the contractual terms on termination for the senior executives,  
including executive directors, and to ensure that any payments made are fair to the individual  
and the Company, that failure is not rewarded and the duty to mitigate loss is fully recognised. 

To report to the Board on the senior executive remuneration policy and the basic terms of 
their(cid:3)contracts. 

D. 

To report on incentive plans and pension arrangements. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
186

Spanish corporate governance report continued

E. 

F. 

G. 

H. 

I. 

To periodically review the remuneration policy for directors and senior executives, taking into  
account their suitability and performance and how they reflect and support the Company strategy. 
When considering the remuneration policy, to review and have regard to the remuneration trends and 
to pay and employees conditions in the Group. And also to obtain reliable, up-to-date information 
about remuneration in other companies. To help fulfil its obligations, the Committee shall have full 
authority to appoint remuneration consultants and to commission or purchase any reports, surveys or 
information which it deems necessary. 

To monitor compliance with the Company’s remuneration policy. 

To ensure that the disclosure requirements of the Spanish and the United Kingdom listing rules, any 
other applicable listing rules, the law or regulation and relevant stock exchanges are fulfilled, including 
the annual report on directors’ remuneration. 

To ensure that any conflicts of interest do not jeopardise the independence of the external advice 
provided to the Committee. 

To verify the information on directors’ and executives’ remuneration contained in the different 
corporate documents, including the annual report on directors’ remuneration. 

c) 

Steps taken during the year:  

The Committee’s principal activities during the year were: 

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

Update on the 2015 Remuneration Directors Report; 

2015 Annual Incentive Plans pay-outs; and 

Remuneration strategy for 2017. 

SAFETY COMMITTEE 

Name 

Willie Walsh 
Antonio Vázquez  
Marc Bolland 
Kieran Poynter 

% of executive directors 
% of proprietary directors  
% of external independent directors  
% of other non-executive directors 

Position 

Chairman 
Member 
Member 
Member 

Type 

Executive 
Independent 
Independent 
Independent 

25 
– 
75 
– 

Explain the functions attributed to this committee, describe the procedures and rules governing its organization and operation, 
and summarize the most important steps taken during the year. 

a) 

Rules of organisation and operation 

The Safety Committee shall be made up of no less than three and no more than five directors appointed by 
the Board, with the dedication, capacity and experience necessary to carry out its function.  

The Board shall designate a Safety Committee Chairman from among the directors of the Safety Committee. 
The Secretary or his or her nominee shall act as secretary to the Safety Committee. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
187

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

b) 

Functions 

The main functions of the Safety Committee include: 

A. 

B. 

To receive material safety information about the Company and all the Company subsidiaries and any 
franchise, codeshare or wet-lease provider used by any member of the Group; 

To exercise a high level overview of the safety activities and resources of the Company and all the 
Company subsidiaries and inform the Board as appropriate (recognising that responsibility for safety 
matters relating to each subsidiary falls to that subsidiary through its own resources); and 

C. 

To follow up on any safety related measures as determined by the Board of Directors. 

c) 

Steps taken during the year:  

The Committee’s key topics discussed during the year were: 

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

the relevant safety events which occurred during the relevant period; 

regulatory developments and initiatives from industry associations; and  

the regular safety review reports of British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus.  

C.2.2  Complete the following table on the number of female directors on the various board committees at the end of 

the last four years. 

(cid:3)
(cid:3)
(cid:3)
Executive Committee 
Audit Committee 
Nomination and Remuneration Committee 
Nominations Committee 
Remuneration Committee 
Safety Committee 

C.2.3  Section eliminated. 

C.2.4  Section eliminated. 

Number of female directors 

Year t 

Year t-1 

Year t-2 

Year t-3 

Number 
– 
1 
– 
2 
3 
0 

%   
–   
20   
–   
40   
60   
0   

Number 
– 
0 
– 
1 
3 
0 

%   
–   
0   
–   
25   
75   
0   

Number 
– 
0 
– 
1  
3 
0 

%   
–   
0   
–   
25   
75   
0   

Number 
– 
0 
– 
1 
2 
0 

% 
– 
0 
– 
25 
66.67 
0 

C.2.5 

Indicate, as appropriate, whether there are any regulations governing the board committees. If so, indicate where 
they can be consulted, and whether any amendments have been made during the year. Also, indicate whether an 
annual report on the activities of each committee has been prepared voluntarily. 

The Board committees are governed by the provisions of the Bylaws and the Board Regulations (article 29 of the Board 
Regulations for the Audit and Compliance Committee, article 30 for the Nominations Committee, article 31 for the 
Remuneration Committee and article 32 for the Safety Committee). Where no specific provision is made, the Board committees 
shall be governed, by analogy and where applicable, by the provisions applicable to the Board of the Company. 

The Bylaws and the Board Regulations are available on the Company’s website: www.iairgroup.com. 

AUDIT AND COMPLIANCE COMMITTEE 

The Audit and Compliance Committee prepares an annual report on its activities, which is available on the Company’s website 
within the Annual Report and Accounts. 

NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE 

The Nominations Committee prepares an annual report on its activities, which is available on the Company’s website within the 
Annual Report and Accounts. 

REMUNERATION COMMITTEE 

The Remuneration Committee prepares an annual report on its activities, which is available on the Company’s website within the 
Annual Report and Accounts. 

SAFETY COMMITTEE 

The Safety Committee prepares an annual report on its activities, which is available on the Company’s website within the Annual 
Report and Accounts. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
188

Spanish corporate governance report continued

C.2.6  Section eliminated. 

D. 

D.1 

RELATED-PARTY AND INTRAGROUP TRANSACTIONS 

Explain, if applicable, the procedures for approving related-party or intragroup transactions.  

Competent body 

In accordance with article 3.4 of the Board Regulations, the Board of Directors has the exclusive authority to approve transactions 
that the Company or companies in its Group entered into with directors, or shareholders that have a significant holding or that are 
represented by the Board of Directors or with any persons related to them.  

Procedures for reporting on the approval related-party transactions 

The performance by the Company or the companies in the Group of any transaction with directors, with shareholders that have a 
shareholding equal to or greater than that legally considered significant from time to time or who have proposed the nomination 
of any Company directors, or with their respective related parties, shall be subject to authorisation from the Board of Directors, 
following a report by the Audit and Compliance Committee. 

The Audit and Compliance Committee has, among other powers, the obligation to report on related transactions or on 
transactions that entail or may entail a conflict of interest. The Audit and Compliance Committee ensures that transactions 
between the Company or the companies forming part of the Group with the directors, the shareholders referred to in the 
preceding paragraph or their respective related persons are carried out under arm’s length conditions and with due observance of 
the principle of equal treatment of shareholders.  

Where the transactions fall within the ordinary course of business and are customary or recurring in nature, it is sufficient with the 
prior general authorisation of the line of operations and its general terms and conditions by the Board, following a report by the 
Audit and Compliance Committee. 

However, no authorisation of the Board of Directors is required for those transactions that simultaneously satisfy the following 
three conditions: (i) that they are performed by virtue of contracts with standard conditions that are applied en masse to a high 
number of customers; (ii) that they are performed at prices or rates generally established by the party acting as supplier of the 
good or service in question; and (iii) that the amount does not exceed one per cent of the annual consolidated income of the 
Group. 

The authorisation must be endorsed by the Shareholders’ Meeting in the cases established in law and, in particular, where it 
concerns a transaction with a director valued at more than 10 per cent of corporate assets. 

In addition to this, and prior to the Audit and Compliance Committee consideration, shareholder related party transactions are also 
reviewed by the IAG Management Committee and are reported to the IAG Head of Group Audit and Risk Management. 

D.2 

List any relevant transactions, by virtue of their amount or importance, between the company or its group of 
companies and the company’s significant shareholders.  

Name or corporate name  
of significant shareholder 

BlackRock Inc. 

BlackRock Inc. 

Qatar Airways  
(Q.C.S.C.) 
Qatar Airways  
(Q.C.S.C.) 

Name or corporate name of the 
company or its group company 

Nature of the 
relationship 

Type of  
transaction 

Amount (in thousands 
of euros) 

BlackRock Investment 
Management (UK) Ltd. 
BlackRock Investment 
Management (UK) Ltd. 
Qatar Airways (Q.C.S.C.) 

Commercial 

Interest received 

2,330 

Commercial 

Other 

189,436 

Commercial 

Services rendered 

Qatar Airways (Q.C.S.C.) 

Commercial  Reception of services 

38,689 

59,978 

D.3 

List any relevant transactions, by virtue of their amount or importance, between the company or its group of 
companies and the company’s managers or directors.  

Name or corporate name  
of director or senior manger 

– 
(cid:3)

Name or corporate 
name of related party 

– 

Connection 

Relationship 

Amount (in thousands 
of euros) 

– 

– 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
189

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

D.4 

List any relevant transactions undertaken by the company with other companies in its group that are not 
eliminated in the process of drawing up the consolidated financial statements and whose subject matter and 
terms set them apart from the company’s ordinary trading activities. 

In any case, list any intragroup transactions carried out with entities in countries or territories considered to be tax havens.  

Corporate name of the group company 

(cid:177)(cid:3)

D.5 

Indicate the amount involved in other related-party transactions.  

51,395 thousand of euros.  

Brief description of the 
transaction 

Amount (in thousands 
of euros) 

– 

– 

D.6 

List the mechanisms established to detect, determine and resolve any possible conflicts of interest between the 
company and/or its group, and its directors, management or significant shareholders. 

The Board of Directors has the exclusive authority to consider those matters deriving from the duty of loyalty in accordance 
with the provisions of the law, including actual or potential conflicts of interest involving directors.  

As established in article 20 of the Board Regulations, directors shall adopt the required measures to avoid becoming subject to 
conflicts of interest in accordance with the provisions of the law. 

Directors must notify the Board, through the Chairman or the Secretary or Deputy Secretary, of any conflict of interest to which 
they may be subject. 

In case of conflict, the affected director will not participate in the deliberation and voting on any such matters and shall be 
excluded from the number of members in attendance for the purposes of calculating the quorum and voting majorities. In 
particular, any director affected by proposals for appointment, reelection or dismissal shall refrain from taking part in the 
discussions and voting in respect of such matters. 

In a conflict of interest situation, independent directors and other directors who are not affected by the potential conflict of 
interest need to ensure that the Company’s interests prevail in such situations, provided that this does not result in any unlawful 
damage to any shareholder or third party affected thereby. 

The Company provides information, as required by the law, on any conflict of interest to which the directors have been subject 
during the year. 

In addition, in accordance with article 33.4 of the Board Regulations, all public requests for delegation of voting powers made in 
favour of any director shall disclose, where applicable, the existence of a conflict of interest, and shall provide detailed reasons 
for the direction in which the representative shall vote in the event that no instructions are given by the shareholder, subject 
always to the provisions of applicable law. 

The existing procedures regarding related party transactions have been described in section D.1. 

Is more than one group company listed in Spain? 

D.7 

No  

Identify the listed subsidiaries in Spain 

Listed subsidiaries 

– 

Indicate whether they have provided detailed disclosure on the type of activity they engage in, and any business dealings 
between them, as well as between the subsidiary and other group companies;  

No  

Business dealings between the parent and listed subsidiary, as well as between the subsidiary and other group companies 

– 

Indicate the mechanisms in place to resolve possible conflicts of interest between the listed subsidiary and other  
group companies.  

Mechanisms to resolve possible conflicts of interest 

– 
(cid:3)

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
190

Spanish corporate governance report continued

E. 

E.1 

RISK CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS  

Describe the company’s risk management system, including tax risks.  

The Group has an Enterprise Risk Management Policy approved by the IAG Board of Directors. This Policy establishes a 
common framework within the Group to manage and control the financial and non-financial risks the Group is exposed to, 
establishing the risk level that is considered acceptable. 

The IAG Board has ultimate responsibility for risk management and internal control, including the determination of the nature 
and extent of the principal risks it is willing to take to achieve its strategic objectives. 

The Audit and Compliance Committee reviews all enterprise risk management matters on behalf of the Board. This includes a 
six monthly IAG risk map review containing a robust assessment of the principal risks facing the Group and how these risks are 
managed or mitigated to reduce their incidence or their impact. The Audit and Compliance Committee also carries out deep 
dives on selected risks as and when requested. During such reviews the requirement for any changes to the Board’s risk 
appetite is considered. The Audit and Compliance Committee also monitors and reviews the risk management framework, 
satisfying itself that it is functioning effectively and that corrective action is being taken where necessary. 

Within this common framework, Enterprise Risk Management is led by the Management Committee of IAG supported by the 
Aer Lingus, Avios, British Airways, IAG Cargo, Iberia and Vueling Management Committees. 

Enterprise risk management  

There is a comprehensive risk management process and methodology ensuring a robust assessment of the principal risks facing 
the Group. All the operating companies have well established enterprise risk management systems that ensure that: 

a. 

b. 

c. 

d. 

e. 

f.  

Each risk is owned by a Senior Manager who is ultimately responsible for its management; 

All operating companies’ risks are discussed with the IAG risk management team.  

A central record is kept of all risks, their owners and mitigating actions in all of the operating companies.  

A risk map representing the likelihood and potential impact of each risk is reviewed at least every six months by the 
respective management committees; 

There are defined procedures for updating risks and the mitigating actions in place to manage those risks; and 

There is active participation from both the Senior Managers managing the risks and the management committees. 

Risks are classified by their source in: 

a. 

b. 

c. 

d. 

Strategic: risks arising from the competitive and regulatory environment, major projects and strategic decisions; 

Business and operational: risks encompassing emergencies, information technology operations, major project 
implementation and airline operations; 

Financial: risks including liquidity and financing; 

Compliance and regulatory: risks associated with compliance with laws and regulation.(cid:3)(cid:3)

Enterprise risk management in the Company 

At the Group level, material risks from the airlines, together with Group wide risks, are maintained in a Group risk map.  
The IAG Management Committee reviews the Group risk map twice a year in advance of reviews by the Audit and Compliance 
Committee. The IAG Board also discusses risks at a number of meetings, including a specific annual review of the Group’s risk 
map and risk appetite as well as in the context of discussions around strategy and the business plan. 

Tax risk 

Tax risk is explicitly included within the Group’s Enterprise Risk Management Policy. Tax risk is owned by the IAG Head of Tax 
and is reported, as part of the overall risk review, to the IAG Management Committee and Audit and Compliance Committee 
twice a year. Tax risk is mitigated by an IAG Tax Policy which considers engagement between the tax department and the 
business; compliance with tax obligations; tax planning; reputation; and transparency. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

191

E.2 

Identify the bodies responsible for preparing and implementing the risk management system, including tax risks. 

The IAG Board has ultimate responsibility for risk management and internal control, including for the determination of the 
nature and extent of the principal risks it is willing to take to achieve its strategic objectives. 

The IAG Audit and Compliance Committee reviews all Enterprise Risk Management matters on behalf of the IAG Board. 

The management committees of Aer Lingus, Avios, British Airways, IAG Cargo, Iberia and Vueling review their respective risk maps.  

The Group Treasury Committee manages fuel and foreign exchange risk within the Financial Risk Management Policy approved 
by the IAG Board. The IAG Tax Department manages tax risk. 

E.3 

Indicate the main risks, including tax risks, which may prevent the company from achieving its targets.  

The main risks classified by their source are listed below: 

Strategic 

a.(cid:3)

b.(cid:3)

c.(cid:3)

d.(cid:3)

e.(cid:3)

f.(cid:3)

Airports 

Brand reputation 

Competition 

Consolidation and deregulation 

Digital disruption 

Government intervention 

Business and operational 

a.(cid:3)

b.(cid:3)

c.(cid:3)

d.(cid:3)

e.(cid:3)

f.(cid:3)

g.(cid:3)

h.(cid:3)

Cyber attack 

Economic conditions 

Employee relations 

Event causing significant network disruption  

Failure of a critical IT system 

Landing fees and security charges 

Pandemic 

Safety/security incident 

Financial 

a.(cid:3)

b.(cid:3)

c.(cid:3)

Debt funding 

Financial risk  

Tax 

Compliance and regulatory 

a.(cid:3)

b.(cid:3)

Group governance structure 

Non-compliance with competition, anti-bribery and corruption law 

E.4 

Identify whether the company has a risk tolerance level, including tax risks.  

IAG has developed 19 risk appetite statements. These statements inform the business, either qualitatively or quantitatively, on 
the Board’s appetite for certain risks. Each risk appetite statement formalised how performance is monitored either on a Group 
wide basis or within major projects.. Risk tolerance is also considered, but not necessarily quantified, in assessing the risk of new 
projects when presented to the IAG Board for approval. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
192

Spanish corporate governance report continued

E.5 

Identify any risks, including tax risks, which have occurred during the year.  

Risk that occurred during the fiscal year 

Circumstances giving rise thereto 

Performance of control systems 

UK referendum on EU membership 

The vote to leave in June 2016 resulted in 
increased volatility in fuel and foreign 
exchange rates. 

Network disruption  

In 2016 the Group was impacted by air 
traffic controller strikes resulting in 
disruption to our operations with delays 
and cancellations and increased costs 
under EU261/04 directive. 

The IAG Board and the Management 
Committee review the financial outlook and 
business performance of the Group 
through the financial planning process and 
regular reforecasts. 
Management have reviewed their business 
continuity plans. The impact of the 
industrial action in Vueling resulted in 
additional depth being built into the 
management team to increase resilience 
against any similar strike action or external 
network disruption. 

E.6 

Explain the response and monitoring plans for the main risks, including tax risks, the company is exposed to.  

Main risk  

Airports 

Brand reputation 

Competition 

Consolidation and 
deregulation 

Digital disruption 

Response and Monitoring Plans 

The Group’s airlines participate in the slot trading market at Heathrow airport; acquiring slots at reasonable 
prices when available. 
The Group continues to promote an efficient, cost-effective, ready to use and fit for purpose infrastructure 
development at the Heathrow airport. 
The Group enters into long-term contracts with fuel suppliers to secure fuel supply at a reasonable cost.  
Short-term fuel shortages are addressed by contingency plans. 
Plans to address capacity issues are reviewed by the IAG Management Committee. 
Supplier performance risks are mitigated by active supplier management and contingency plans. 
Each of our brands is supported by the Group Business Plan, where capital expenditure is reviewed 
and approved by the Board. 
The Group allocates substantial resources to safety, operational integrity and new aircraft to maintain 
its market position.  
We are also investing in a number of products and facilities to improve our customer experience. 
The IAG Management Committee devotes one weekly meeting per month to strategic issues. The 
Board discusses strategy throughout the year and dedicates two days per year to review the Group’s 
strategic plans. The Group strategy team supports the Management Committee by identifying where 
resources can be devoted to exploit profitable opportunities. The airline’s revenue management 
departments and systems optimise market share and yield through pricing and inventory 
management activity. 
The Group’s strong global market positioning, leadership in strategic markets, alliances, joint 
businesses, cost competitiveness and diverse customer base continue to address competition risk.  
The Group is continually reviewing its product offerings and responds through initiatives to improve 
the customer experience. IAG plans to set up a next generation longhaul operation in Barcelona. 
The Group maintains rigorous cost control and targeted product investment to remain competitive. 
The Group has the flexibility to react to market opportunities arising from weakened competitors. 
Vueling and Iberia Express give us additional flexibility in this regard as they can deploy capacity at 
short notice across Europe. 
The IAG Management Committee regularly reviews the commercial performance of joint business 
agreements. In 2016, the IAG Management Committee continued to review the joint business 
arrangements with American Airlines with respect to the inclusion of Aer Lingus. 
The IAG Management Committee regularly reviews our franchisee performance and risks. 
Maintaining a leading presence in oneworld and ensuring the alliance attracts and retains the right 
members is key to ongoing development of the network. 
The Group’s focus on the customer experience, together with our own exploitation of digital 
technology, reduces the impact digital disruptors can have. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
193

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Main risk  

Response and Monitoring Plans 

Government intervention  The Group’s government affairs department monitors government initiatives, represents our point of 

Cyber attack 

Economic conditions 

Employee relations 

Event causing significant 
network disruption 

Failure of a critical IT  
system 
Landing fees and security 
charges 

Pandemic 
Safety/security incident 

Debt funding 

view and forecasts likely changes to laws and regulations. 
The Group’s ability to comply with and influence changes to regulations is key to maintaining 
operational and financial performance. The Group continues to monitor and discuss the negative 
impacts of government policy such as the imposition of Air Passenger Duty (APD). 
A Group Cyber Security Governance Board reviews the Group IT security strategy, cyber risk initiatives 
and considers advice from industry experts. The IAG Management Committee regularly reviews cyber 
risk and supports Group wide initiatives to enhance defences and response plans. 
Whilst ensuring that we are up to date with industry standards and address identified weaknesses, the 
fast moving nature of this risk means that we will always retain a level of vulnerability.  
The IAG Board and the Management Committee review the financial outlook and business 
performance of the Group through the financial planning process and regular reforecasts. These 
reviews are used to drive the Group’s financial performance through the management of capacity and 
the deployment of that capacity in geographic markets, together with cost control, including 
management of capital expenditure and the reduction of operational and financial leverage. 
External economic outlook, fuel prices, and exchange rates are carefully considered when developing 
strategy and plans and are regularly reviewed by the Board and IAG Management Committee as part 
of the monitoring of financial and business performance. 
Human resource departments within the operating companies engage in collective bargaining with 
the many trade unions representing our staff. 
Management has business continuity plans to mitigate this risk to the extent feasible. 
In 2016 the Group was impacted by air traffic controller strikes resulting in disruption to our operations with 
delays and cancellations and increased costs under Regulation EU261/04.  
The impact of the industrial action in Europe on Vueling resulted in additional depth being built into the 
management team to increase resilience against any similar strike action or external network disruption. 
System controls, disaster recovery and business continuity arrangements exist to mitigate the risk of a 
critical system failure. 
The Group engages in regulatory reviews of supplier pricing, such as the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s 
periodical review of charges at Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Also, the Group is active both at an EU 
policy-level and in consultations with airports covered by the EU Airport Charges Directive. 
Management has business continuity plans to mitigate this risk to the extent feasible. 
The corresponding safety committees of each of the airlines of the Group satisfy themselves that they have 
appropriate resources and procedures, which include compliance with Air Operator Certificate 
requirements. Their incident centres respond in a structured way in the event of a safety or security incident.
The IAG Management Committee regularly reviews the Group’s financial position and  
financing strategy. 
The Group continues to have good access to a range of financing solutions. In 2016, British Airways, 
Iberia and Vueling all raised secured debt from a broad range of financial institutions. The Group’s high 
cash balances and committed financing facilities mitigate the risk of short-term interruptions to the 
aircraft financing market. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
194

Spanish corporate governance report continued

Main risk  

Financial risk 

Tax 

Group governance 
structure 
Non-compliance by an 
individual or group of 
individuals with 
Competition, Anti-Bribery 
and Corruption Law  

Response and Monitoring Plans 

Fuel price risk is partially hedged through the purchase of oil derivatives in forward markets which  
can generate a profit or a loss. The objective of the hedging programme is to increase the 
predictability of cash flows and profitability. The IAG Management Committee regularly reviews  
its fuel and currency positions. The results of these are discussed with management and the 
appropriate hedging action taken. 
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 in each individual currency and 
actively managing the surplus or shortfall through treasury hedging operations. 
When there are delays in the repatriation of cash coupled with the risk of devaluation, risk is mitigated 
by the review of commercial policy for the route. This may involve capacity reductions and 
rebalancing the point of sale away from the local market towards the airline’s home market and 
renegotiating supplier contracts to allow payment in local currencies. 
The impact of rising interest rates is mitigated through structuring selected new debt and lease deals 
at fixed rate throughout their term. 
The Group seeks to comply with the law, act with integrity in all tax matters and maintain an open 
relationship with regulators. The Group complies with the tax policy approved by the IAG Board. 
Tax risk is managed by the IAG tax department and reviewed by the IAG Management Committee. 
The governance structure continued to work well in 2016. We will continue to engage with the 
relevant regulatory bodies as appropriate regarding the Group structure. 
The Group has comprehensive policies designed to ensure compliance together with mandatory 
training programmes in place to educate employees in these matters. 

F. 

INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING (ICFR)  

Describe the mechanisms which comprise the internal control over financial reporting (ICFR) risk control and management system 
at the company.  

F.1 

The entity’s control environment 

F.1.1 

The bodies and/or functions responsible for: (i) the existence and regular updating of a suitable, effective ICFR; 
(ii) its implementation; and (iii) its monitoring. 

The IAG Board Regulations determine that the Board of Directors is responsible for control policy and periodic monitoring of 
internal information and control systems. 

This control policy and monitoring is designed to produce reasonable, but not absolute, assurance regarding the safeguarding of 
assets against unauthorised use or disposition and the maintenance of proper accounting records and the reliability of financial 
information used throughout the business or for publication. These controls are designed to manage rather than eliminate the risk 
of failure to achieve business objectives due to circumstances which may reasonably be foreseen and can only provide reasonable 
but not absolute assurance against material misstatement, errors, losses or fraud. 

Board of Directors 

The Board of Directors is ultimately responsible for the supervision of the existence and effectiveness of Internal Control over 
Financial Reporting (“ICFR”). The Board of Directors has delegated the responsibility for the development of effective controls to 
the Chief Executive and the supervision of the effectiveness of these controls to the Audit and Compliance Committee. The Chief 
Executive has issued an ICFR policy which requires the IAG Finance Committee to oversee ICFR throughout the Group and 
delegates responsibility to the relevant Group Operating Company Chief Financial Officers. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
195

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Audit and Compliance Committee 

The duties of the Audit and Compliance Committee are set out in section C.2.1 of this report. These duties include among others:  

a. 

b. 

c. 

Review significant reporting judgements contained in the financial statements of the Group;  

Monitor the functioning of the internal financial control manuals and procedures adopted by the Company, to verify 
compliance with them and review the designation and replacement of the persons responsible for them; and 

Supervise the effectiveness of the internal control of the Company, the internal auditing, and the risk management 
systems, and to discuss with the auditors or audit firm any significant weaknesses in the internal control systems 
detected in the course of the audit. 

Audit and Compliance Committee members are appointed based on their knowledge and experience of accounting, auditing, 
and risk management matters. They regularly receive updates on developments and regulatory changes in these areas. The 
Audit and Compliance Committee also receives regular updates on the Group’s ICFR status. 

Finance Committee 

The IAG Finance Committee sits quarterly and is chaired by the IAG Chief Financial Officer and comprises the IAG Head of Group 
Financial Reporting, and the Aer Lingus, Avios, British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, and IAG Cargo Chief Financial Officers. The 
Committee supports senior management and the Audit and Compliance Committee by carrying out the following duties related to 
ICFR: 

a. 

b. 

c. 

d. 

Maintain and approve the IAG ICFR policy including delegation of ICFR process ownership to subsidiary chief financial 
officers and, where appropriate, to process owners; 

Review complex or judgemental accounting issues in the quarterly reports, emerging accounting issues, preparation for 
implementation of new accounting standards and issues raised by the external auditors;  

Own the Group Accounting Policies and approve any changes thereto; and 

Coordinate and monitor ICFR framework implementation and maintenance.  

F.1.2 

The existence or otherwise of the following components, especially in connection with the financial  
reporting process: 

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

The departments and/or mechanisms in charge of: (i) the design and review of the organisational structure; (ii) defining 
clear lines of responsibility and authority, with an appropriate distribution of tasks and functions; and (iii) deploying 
procedures so this structure is communicated effectively throughout the company. 

Code of conduct, approving body, dissemination and instruction, principles and values covered (stating whether it makes 
specific reference to record keeping and financial reporting), body in charge of investigating breaches and proposing 
corrective or disciplinary action. 

‘Whistle-blowing’ channel, for the reporting to the Audit Committee of any irregularities of a financial or accounting nature, 
as well as breaches of the code of conduct and malpractice within the organisation, stating whether reports made through 
this channel are confidential. 

Training and refresher courses for personnel involved in preparing and reviewing financial information or evaluating ICFR, 
which address, at least, accounting rules, auditing, internal control and risk management. 

The Board is responsible for designating the Company’s Chief Executive, approval of the appointment or removal of individuals 
to or from the boards of directors of the principal subsidiaries of the Group and the appointment of their chairmen and chief 
executives. The Board is also responsible for decisions concerning the appointment and removal of the Company’s senior 
executives. Significant changes to the organisation structure are reviewed and approved by the IAG Management Committee. 

The authorised structure, including job descriptions defining staff responsibilities, is ultimately controlled by the Chief Executive and 
delegated to the chief executive officers of Aer Lingus, Avios, British Airways, Iberia, and Vueling. The authorised structure of the 
Company, Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and Vueling is updated and reviewed on an ad hoc basis. In British Airways, Iberia and 
Vueling it is published on the respective intranet of each company. In Aer Lingus it is available from the Company Secretary.  

The “Way of Business” Group instruction sets out standards of conduct expected of staff and the support that will be available 
to the staff from the IAG Management Committee in maintaining the expected level of conduct. The document is approved by 
the Board and disseminated by the Management Committee. The Group instruction, “Way of Business”, is cascaded down into 
Aer Lingus, Avios, British Airways, Iberia and Vueling through local policies available on the intranet of each company. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
196

Spanish corporate governance report continued

Minor breaches of the Codes of Conduct are investigated by line managers, and disciplinary action is in accordance with the 
employment policies and standards applicable to the individual. Major breaches are investigated by the responsible business 
area within each operating company. 

Under the IAG ICFR policy the IAG Chief Executive delegates responsibility for ICFR to the IAG Chief Financial Officer with a 
requirement that the chief financial officers of material subsidiaries fully support the IAG Chief Financial Officer. Chief financial 
officers are expected to delegate responsibility for ICFR for defined processes to named senior managers within their own 
organisations. The Group Accounting Manual provides guidance on financial reporting. 

The Company established a Spanish Criminal Code Framework Steering Group in 2015 to ensure each significant Spanish legal 
entity has in place an effective Criminal Risk Prevention Model, in response to the reform of the Organic Law 10/1995. Several key 
activities were completed as part of the implementation of the Criminal Risk Prevention Model including the identification and risk 
assessment of activities, processes, sub-processes and controls, gap analysis and the creation or adjustment of manuals, 
procedures and controls. The Iberia, Iberia Express and Vueling Criminal Risk Prevention Models were approved by their respective 
boards in 2016, and each entity has in place a Compliance Committee responsible for the implementation, oversight, monitoring 
and verification of the six elements of the Criminal Risk Prevention Model.  

There are whistle-blowing channels provided by Safecall and Ethicspoint available throughout the Group, where concerns can 
be raised on a confidential basis. The IAG Audit and Compliance Committee reviews the effectiveness of whistle-blowing 
channels on an annual basis. This annual review considers the volume of reports by category; timeliness of follow-up; 
responsibility for follow-up; and, any issues raised of significance to the financial statements. The annual review is coordinated 
by the Head of Group Audit.  

All IAG staff have an individual development plan which identifies their technical and/or professional skills training requirements. 
Achievement of this training plan is monitored twice a year. Basic finance training is delivered through eLearning modules or 
classroom based, depending on the Operating Company. Specific training on airline finance basics and interpreting the 
Company accounts is available.  

IAG and British Airways offer study leave, financial support and appropriate work experience to staff studying for accounting 
qualifications, including the Institute of Chartered Accountants, in England and Wales, the Chartered Institute of Management 
Accountants, and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.  

Company finance staff received an average of two days training in 2016. Members of the IAG Internal Audit team have received 
on average one day of ICFR training.  

F.2 

Risk assessment in financial reporting 

Report at least: 

F.2.1 

The main characteristics of the risk identification process, including risks of error or fraud, stating whether: 

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

•(cid:3)

The process exists and is documented. 

The process covers all financial reporting objectives (existence and occurrence; completeness; valuation; 
presentation, disclosure and comparability; and rights and obligations), is updated and with what frequency. 

A specific process is in place to define the scope of consolidation, with reference to the possible existence of 
complex corporate structures, special purpose vehicles, holding companies.  

The process addresses other types of risk (operational, technological, financial, legal, tax, reputational, 
environmental, etc.) insofar as they may affect the financial statements. 

Which of the company’s governing bodies is responsible for overseeing the process. 

The Group’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) process assesses and identifies key risks and controls. The key risks are 
categorised into strategic, business and operational, financial, compliance and regulatory, and tax. Therefore, part of the ERM 
process is the identification of financial risks. In compiling these risks and mitigating actions, a close relationship is established 
between the ERM team and the finance functions. This involves the finance function feeding into the ERM process, and 
reviewing the output of the process to ensure that the impact of emerging risks is properly captured within the Financial 
Statements. 

The process for addressing all risks covered by the ERM system is explained in detail in section E. The process addresses other 
types of risk that may affect the reporting information. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
197

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

The financial risk assessment is the responsibility of the IAG Finance Committee and is updated and documented annually. The 
assessment provides management with a mechanism for the identification of risks and associated controls relevant to the 
preparation of the financial report. The risk assessment has two main elements, both of which are reviewed annually by the IAG 
Finance Committee: 

a. 

b. 

A high level assessment of key risks to the financial statements focusing on judgemental areas and those susceptible 
to error; and 

Identification of the key underlying business processes through a quantitative and qualitative risk assessment of the 
financial statements of material subsidiaries. The results of this process are set out in section E.3 and include all financial 
reporting objectives.  

The Internal Control team, which reports to IAG Group Head of Financial Integration, reviews financial process and control 
documentation across the Group, and supports process owners to ensure they have designed effective controls.  

The risk assessment process identifies the key underlying business processes, and covers financial reporting objectives. The risk 
assessment process is updated and documented on an annual basis. The Group Instructions include an Anti-Fraud Policy which 
is cascaded to the operating companies. 

Fraud risk at the Company level is most significant in individual projects, generally acquisitions and disposals. This fraud risk is 
managed through the individual projects which are staffed with senior professionals from appropriate departments, including 
finance, and third party advisors from leading law firms. As the Company, is a holding company with no commercial 
transactions outside individual projects, the risk of a significant fraud in the day to day transactions of the Company is reduced. 

A consolidation system is used at the Company and changes are determined based on developments in the corporate 
structure during the year. The Company, Aer Lingus, Avios, British Airways, Iberia and Vueling maintain consolidation hierarchies 
in their respective consolidation systems. These hierarchies are subject to access and change controls to ensure their continued 
integrity. Transactions or Group developments that require new Group companies to be formed or acquired are considered at 
the IAG Finance Committee, so that the hierarchies can be updated. 

The scope of the consolidation is addressed in two ways. Firstly the establishment of any Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) will 
be approved by the IAG Audit and Compliance Committee. This committee will confirm the requirement for the SPV, its 
governance and how it will be accounted for. Secondly, the determination of which entities will be consolidated is considered at 
the Company, Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia group levels. The consolidation hierarchy is reviewed when changes in 
ownership structure arise, and new entities are incorporated/acquired. Any changes to the consolidation scope are presented 
and discussed at the Finance Committee and Audit and Compliance Committee meetings. 

The Board of Directors has ultimate responsibility for risk management and internal control, including determination of the 
nature and extent of the principal risks it is willing to take to achieve its strategic objectives. 

F.3 

Control activities 

Indicate the existence of at least the following components, and specify their main characteristics: 

F.3.1 

Procedures for reviewing and authorising the financial information and description of ICFR to be disclosed to the 
markets, stating who is responsible in each case and documentation and flow charts of activities and controls 
(including those addressing the risk of fraud) for each type of transaction that may materially affect the financial 
statements, including procedures for the closing of accounts and for the separate review of critical judgements, 
estimates, evaluations and projections. 

The IAG Management Committee reviews the financial performance of the Group on a monthly basis. This review examines the 
previous month’s performance, the forecast for the following quarter and the forecast for the full year against the finance plan 
and the prior year. Movements in key performance indicators such as unit revenue and unit cost statistics are analysed together 
with the impact of foreign exchange and fuel commodity costs. The analysis is carried out on the Group’s main operating 
companies, Aer Lingus, Avios, British Airways, Iberia, and Vueling. Consistency of these management accounts with the 
published quarterly Group accounts leads to a high degree of confidence in the integrity of the published accounts.  

The quarterly consolidation process is managed to a pre-agreed timetable and includes reviews and sign offs at key stages in 
the process. Within each operating company, the finance and accounting departments consolidate, review and approve the 
financial information. The consolidated financial information is reviewed by the Chief Financial Officer of each operating 
company, prior to submission to IAG. These reviews will ensure that all material business risks have been properly recorded in 
the financial statements, confirm the accounting treatment of judgemental areas and ensure the proper application of new 
accounting standards and guidance notes.  

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
198

Spanish corporate governance report continued

The Company consolidation process involves a critical review of Aer Lingus, Avios, British Airways, Iberia and Vueling group 
submissions. For specialist areas, such as treasury, consolidated information is reviewed by subject specialists to identify 
anomalies, inconsistencies with management accounting information, and any inconsistent interpretation of instructions within 
the Group. The final accounts are reviewed by the Group Head of Reporting together with the Chief Financial Officer. A peer 
review is also carried out by an experienced finance manager that has not been involved in the latter stages of the 
consolidation(cid:3)process. 

Critical judgements, estimates, evaluations and projections are, as far as possible reviewed in advance of the year-end close process. 
Where appropriate, management obtains the support of internal or external specialists to conclude on any of these matters.  

The scope of ICFR in the Group has been based on the material subsidiaries being Aer Lingus, Avios, British Airways, Iberia and 
Vueling. The scope of ICFR also includes the Company for Entity Level Controls and the Financial Statement Consolidation 
Process. The Group ICFR model contains a Finance Risk & Control Matrix that includes entity level controls, IT general controls 
and 19 main business processes considered relevant to the preparation of the financial statements. The controls and processes 
are listed below. 

a.  

Cargo Sales 

b. 

c. 

d. 

e. 

f. 

g. 

h. 

i. 

j. 

k. 

l. 

Payroll 

Passenger Sales – Ticket Sales 

Passenger Sales – Travel 

Passenger Sales – Billing/Interline Billing 

Fixed Assets – Aircraft 

Fixed Assets – Ground Assets 

Fixed Assets – Engines and Engine Parts 

Fixed & Current Asset Inventory – Engineering 

Debtors & Invoicing 

Fuel 

Buying Goods and Services 

m. 

User charges 

n. 

o. 

p. 

q. 

r. 

s. 

Avios 

Treasury 

Financial Statement Closing Process 

Alliance Partner Arrangements 

Tax 

Other Revenue 

The design, implementation and maintenance of appropriate systems of ICFR is primarily the responsibility of management with 
process ownership identified and communicated to the operating companies via the IAG ICFR Policy. Business process owners 
with the support of the Internal Control team, are also responsible for the documentation of processes and sub processes.  

ICFR controls including 587 key controls have been defined across the 19 business processes and IT general controls in order to 
provide reasonable assurance as to the reliability of the financial information disclosed to the markets. Such controls can only 
provide reasonable and not absolute assurance against material misstatement, errors, losses or fraud. As a result of differences 
in business processes across the material subsidiaries not all controls are required in all material subsidiaries.  

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

199

F.3.2 

Internal control policies and procedures for IT systems (including secure access, control of changes, system 
operation, continuity and segregation of duties) giving support to key company processes regarding the 
preparation and publication of financial information. 

The Company has established the Baseline Information Security Standard which applies to all operating companies within the 
Group. IAG GBS Group IT Security is responsible for leading, managing and coordinating the dissemination and implementation 
of information security practice within IAG. Information is protected based on its value, confidentiality, criticality to the 
company, and the risk of loss or compromise.  

The Standard requires that all personnel working for the Group shall be organised in such a way as to minimise the risk of 
unauthorised changes to information, error, theft or fraud. No personnel shall be allowed to both instigate an action and to 
approve that action. 

IAG Global Business Services (GBS) manage and support IT systems for British Airways and Iberia. IT systems used by Vueling, 
Avios and Aer Lingus are managed by those operating companies in accordance with the IAG Information Security Standard 
which is grouped under the following areas: 

Physical Security 

Risk Management 

Segregation of Duties 

Password Management 

Organisation of Information Security 

Access Control and Privilege Management 

Information Security Awareness and Training 

a.(cid:3)
b.(cid:3)
c.(cid:3)
d.(cid:3)
e.(cid:3)
f.(cid:3)
g.(cid:3)
h.(cid:3)
i.(cid:3)
j.(cid:3)
k.(cid:3)
l.(cid:3)
m.(cid:3)
The Group IT General Controls (ITGCs) are aligned with the IAG Information Security Standard. There are 21 key and 16 non-key 
ITGCs supporting the financial reporting processes. 

System Developments and Change Management 

Security Patching and Virus Protection 

Systems and Security Operations 

Network and Infrastructure 

Logging and Monitoring 

Compliance 

All systems used by the Group including those related to financial reporting must comply with the IAG Information Security 
Standard as it provides clear direction concerning expectations for internal controls that are required to cover the inherent risks 
over the following four IT system management areas: 

a.(cid:3)

IT environment 

I.(cid:3)

II.(cid:3)

III.(cid:3)

The IT organisational structure and description of responsibilities 

IT systems architecture and infrastructure 

Environmental protection against physical damage, loss, theft, or abuse of IT systems and equipment 

b.(cid:3)

Secure access 

I.(cid:3)

II.(cid:3)

III.(cid:3)

IV.(cid:3)

V.(cid:3)

VI.(cid:3)

VII.(cid:3)

VIII.(cid:3)

Access to system is managed via clear segregation of duties  

Application owners are responsible to keep their systems free of unauthorised and inappropriate  
users and access 

Users will only have access to data and functionality required to carry out the tasks assigned to  
them by the Group 

Logical access controls include procedures for adding, changing and deleting users 

Restriction of privileged access rights to application support teams 

Requirement to have personalised credentials for each user accessing the application 

Password settings are configured appropriate to prevent unauthorized access to systems 

Physical access control including restricting access to computer facilities to authorised individuals 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
200

Spanish corporate governance report continued

c.(cid:3)

System Development and Change Management 

I.(cid:3)

II.(cid:3)

III.(cid:3)

IV.(cid:3)

Control of changes 

Approval and authorisation of changes 

Testing of changes 

Release management 

d.(cid:3)

Systems Operations 

I.(cid:3)

II.(cid:3)

III.(cid:3)

IV.(cid:3)

V.(cid:3)

Management of back-up files 

Incident and problem management 

Management of data interfaces and exchange 

Management of external partners and third parties 

Disaster contingency and recovery plans for IT systems 

F.3.3 

Internal control policies and procedures for overseeing the management of outsourced activities, and of the 
appraisal, calculation or valuation services commissioned from independent experts, when these may materially 
affect the financial statements. 

For all outsourced processes, Service Level Agreements (SLA) are defined, agreed and signed in the contract with the vendor. 
As part of the Global Business Service Project British Airways, Iberia, Avios and Cargo have outsourced financial process 
support to Accenture. Finance staff maintain a quarterly or half yearly review of outsourced accounts and reconciliations as well 
as ongoing monitoring of the operational status of outsourced processes.  

When the Group outsources relevant processes for the preparation of financial information to an independent expert, it ensures 
the professional’s technical and legal competence. The Group has identified five processes outsourced to independent experts 
relevant to financial reporting.  

a. 

b. 

c. 

d. 

e. 

f. 

British Airways outsources the derivation of pension scheme valuation and accounting, the proposed accounting 
treatment is subject to review and challenge by an in-house qualified accountant and pension risk management expert; 

Iberia values the obligations to employees and restructuring plan costs by actuarial studies made by  
independent experts; 

Vueling outsources the valuation of financial instruments and the effectiveness testing of derivatives;  

The Group outsources the valuation of assets and liabilities as a part of business combinations; 

IAG outsources the calculation of the fair values of share based payment plans; and 

Aer Lingus outsources the valuation of pension scheme assets and liabilities. 

F.4 

Information and communication 

Indicate the existence of at least the following components, and specify their main characteristics: 

F.4.1  A specific function in charge of defining and maintaining accounting policies (accounting policies area or 

department) and settling doubts or disputes over their interpretation, which is in regular communication with 
the team in charge of operations, and a manual of accounting policies regularly updated and communicated to 
all the company’s operating units. 

Company accounting policies are maintained by the Group Reporting department, which updates and issues the Group 
Accounting Policy Manual. 

On a quarterly basis, if applicable, new accounting standards and their impact are presented in the Audit and  
Compliance Committee. 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
201

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

F.4.2  Mechanisms in standard format for the capture and preparation of financial information, which are applied and 

used in all units within the entity or group, and support its main financial statements and accompanying notes as 
well as disclosures concerning ICFR. 

The Group Financial Reporting Department issues reporting instructions at each quarter end. 

These instructions establish a timetable for key closing activities such as agreeing intragroup balances, submitting the main 
accounting results and detailed disclosures. Assumptions to be used for accounting tests such as Weighted Average Cost of 
Capital and percentage sensitivities on derivative transactions are determined centrally and included in the instructions. The 
format of information to be submitted and the entities expected to submit the information is determined within the 
consolidation system which includes validation tests for completeness and internal consistency. 

Disclosures relating to ICFR are validated by senior accounting professionals identified by the Chief Financial Officers of IAG, 
Aer Lingus, Avios, British Airways, Iberia, and Vueling. 

F.5 

Monitoring of the system operation 

Indicate the existence of at least the following components, describing their main characteristics: 

F.5.1 

The ICFR monitoring activities undertaken by the Audit Committee and an internal audit function whose 
competencies include supporting the Audit Committee in its role of monitoring the internal control system, 
including ICFR. Describe the scope of the ICFR assessment conducted in the year and the procedure for the 
person in charge to communicate its findings. State also whether the company has an action plan specifying 
corrective measures for any flaws detected, and whether it has taken stock of their potential impact on its 
financial information 

The IAG Audit and Compliance Committee reviews all disclosures relating to ICFR and validates the Group’s approach  
to complying with the CNMV’s ICFR recommendations. In this respect the Audit and Compliance Committee has been  
careful to achieve an appropriate balance between the CNMV’s ICFR recommendations and the UK Corporate Governance 
Code approach. 

The Group’s ICFR includes the Company, Aer Lingus, Avios, British Airways, Iberia, and Vueling and covers processes performed 
by IAG GBS and IAG Cargo on behalf of the operating companies. The Audit and Compliance Committee is supported by the 
Internal Audit department.  

The Internal Audit Department adopts a risk based approach to planning which incorporates financial risk factors.  
The results of audits are discussed at the Aer Lingus, Avios, British Airways, Iberia and Vueling Boards of Directors or 
Management Committees, and the IAG Audit and Compliance Committee. The implementation of actions to address 
weaknesses identified by Internal Audit are tracked and follow up audits carried out whenever the overall rating of the original 
audit was judged to be “deficient” or “seriously deficient” or a “material weakness” in an internal control over financial reporting. 

ICFR 2016 Scope 

Entity Level Controls, ITGC’s, and 19 business processes have been identified as having a major impact on financial reporting for 
2016. There are nine processes in scope for Aer Lingus, one process in scope for Avios, 18 processes in scope for British 
Airways, 15 processes in scope for Iberia, five processes in scope for Vueling.  

Across the entities and business processes identified, the 587 key controls are broken down into 482 business process key 
controls and 105 key IT general controls. 

All in scope processes and key ITGCs have been tested. No material weaknesses were detected. A total of 12 substantial 
weaknesses and 133 weaknesses were detected. Action plans were put in place with process owners to address each of these 
internal control weaknesses and will be tracked by Internal Audit. 

F.5.2  A discussion procedure whereby the auditor (pursuant to TAS), the internal audit function and other experts can 
report any significant internal control weaknesses encountered during their review of the financial statements or 
other assignments, to the company’s senior management and its Audit Committee or Board of Directors. State 
also whether the entity has an action plan to correct or mitigate the weaknesses found. 

The Company’s external auditors attend the Audit and Compliance Committee meetings and report on significant control 
weaknesses identified during their work. No significant control weaknesses were identified by the external auditors in 2016.  

The Head of Group Audit attends the Audit and Compliance Committee meetings and submits his report directly to the 
Committee. The Head of Group Audit reports functionally to the Chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee. The 
implementation of Internal Audit recommendations is tracked by the Audit and Compliance Committee. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
202

Spanish corporate governance report continued

F.6 

Other relevant information  

None.  

F.7 

External auditor review 

State whether: 

F.7.1 

The ICFR information supplied to the market has been reviewed by the external auditor, in which case the 
corresponding report should be attached. Otherwise, explain the reasons for the absence of this review. 

The ICFR information supplied to the market has been reviewed by the external auditors, and their auditor report is at the end 
of this Annual Corporate Governance Report. 

G. 

DEGREE OF COMPLIANCE WITH CORPORATE GOVERNANCE RECOMMENDATIONS 

Indicate the degree of the company’s compliance with the recommendations of the Good Governance Code of 
Listed(cid:3)Companies. 

Should the company not comply with any of the recommendations or comply only in part, include a detailed explanation of the 
reasons so that shareholders, investors and the market in general have enough information to assess the company’s behaviour. 
General explanations are not acceptable. 

1. 

The Bylaws of listed companies should not place an upper limit on the votes that can be cast by a single shareholder, 
or impose other obstacles to the takeover of the company by means of share purchases on the market. 

Explain 

IAG considers that it does not comply with this recommendation because of the restrictions included in the Bylaws of the 
Company in relation to the ownership of shares. This is a partial non-compliance because these restrictions derive directly from 
the ownership and control restrictions set out in the applicable law or in the bilateral air transport treaties signed by Spain and 
the United Kingdom and are not simply determined discretionarily by the Company. 

2. 

When a dominant and subsidiary company are both listed, they should provide detailed disclosure on: 

a) 

b) 

Not applicable 

The type of activity they engage in and any business dealings between them, as well as between the listed 
subsidiary and other group companies; 

The mechanisms in place to resolve possible conflicts of interest. 

3. 

During the annual general meeting the chairman of the board should verbally inform shareholders in sufficient detail of 
the most relevant aspects of the company’s corporate governance, supplementing the written information circulated in 
the annual corporate governance report. In particular:  

a) 

b) 

Complies 

Changes taking place since the previous annual general meeting. 

The specific reasons for the company not following a given Good Governance Code recommendation, and any 
alternative procedures followed in its stead. 

4. 

The company should draw up and implement a policy of communication and contacts with shareholders, institutional 
investors and proxy advisors that complies in full with market abuse regulations and accords equitable treatment to 
shareholders in the same position. 

This policy should be disclosed on the company’s website, complete with details of how it has been put into practice 
and the identities of the relevant interlocutors or those charged with its implementation. 

Complies 

5. 

The board of directors should not make a proposal to the general meeting for the delegation of powers to issue shares 
or convertible securities without pre-emptive subscription rights for an amount exceeding 20 per cent of capital at the 
time of such delegation. 

When a board approves the issuance of shares or convertible securities without pre-emptive subscription rights, the 
company should immediately post a report on its website explaining the exclusion as envisaged in company legislation. 

Complies 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
203

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

6. 

Listed companies drawing up the following reports on a voluntary or compulsory basis should publish them on their 
website well in advance of the annual general meeting, even if their distribution is not obligatory: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

Complies 

Report on auditor independence. 

Reviews of the operation of the audit committee and the nomination and remuneration committee. 

Audit committee report on third-party transactions. 

Report on corporate social responsibility policy. 

7. 

The company should broadcast its general meetings live on the corporate website. 

Complies 

8. 

The audit committee should strive to ensure that the board of directors can present the company’s accounts to the 
general meeting without limitations or qualifications in the auditor’s report. In the exceptional case that qualifications 
exist, both the chairman of the audit committee and the auditors should give a clear account to shareholders of their 
scope and content. 

Complies 

9. 

The company should disclose its conditions and procedures for admitting share ownership, the right to attend 
general meetings and the exercise or delegation of voting rights, and display them permanently on its website.  

Such conditions and procedures should encourage shareholders to attend and exercise their rights and be applied in a 
non(cid:827)discriminatory manner. 

Complies 

10. 

When an accredited shareholder exercises the right to supplement the agenda or submit new proposals prior to the 
general meeting, the company should: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

Immediately circulate the supplementary items and new proposals. 

Disclose the model of attendance card or proxy appointment or remote voting form duly modified so that new 
agenda items and alternative proposals can be voted on in the same terms as those submitted by the board 
of(cid:3)directors. 
Put all these items or alternative proposals to the vote applying the same voting rules as for those submitted 
by the board of directors, with particular regard to presumptions or deductions about the direction of votes. 

After the general meeting, disclose the breakdown of votes on such supplementary items or 
alternative(cid:3)proposals. 

Not applicable 

11. 

In the event that a company plans to pay for attendance at the general meeting, it should first establish a general, long-
term policy in this respect. 

Not applicable 

12. 

The Board of Directors should perform its duties with unity of purpose and independent judgement, according the 
same treatment to all shareholders in the same position. It should be guided at all times by the company’s best interest, 
understood as the creation of a profitable business that promotes its sustainable success over time, while maximising 
its economic value.  

In pursuing the corporate interest, it should not only abide by laws and regulations and conduct itself according to 
principles of good faith, ethics and respect for commonly accepted customs and good practices, but also strive to 
reconcile its own interests with the legitimate interests of its employees, suppliers, clients and other stakeholders, as 
well as with the impact of its activities on the broader community and the natural environment. 

Complies 

13. 

The board of directors should have an optimal size to promote its efficient functioning and maximise participation. The 
recommended range is accordingly between five and fifteen members. 

Complies 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
204

Spanish corporate governance report continued

14. 

The board of directors should approve a director selection policy that: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

Is concrete and verifiable; 

Ensures that appointment or reelection proposals are based on a prior analysis of the board’s needs; and 

Favours a diversity of knowledge, experience and gender. 

The results of the prior analysis of board needs should be written up in the nomination committee’s explanatory report, to be 
published when the general meeting is convened that will ratify the appointment and re-election of each director. 

The director selection policy should pursue the goal of having at least 30% of total board places occupied by women directors 
before the year 2020.  

The nomination committee should run an annual check on compliance with the director selection policy and set out its findings 
in the annual corporate governance report. 

Complies 

15. 

Proprietary and independent directors should constitute an ample majority on the board of directors, while the number 
of executive directors should be the minimum practical bearing in mind the complexity of the corporate group and the 
ownership interests they control. 

Complies 

16. 

The percentage of proprietary directors out of all non-executive directors should be no greater than the proportion 
between the ownership stake of the shareholders they represent and the remainder of the company’s capital. 

This criterion can be relaxed: 

a) 

b) 

Complies 

In large cap companies where few or no equity stakes attain the legal threshold for significant shareholdings. 

In companies with a plurality of shareholders represented on the board but not otherwise related. 

17. 

Independent directors should be at least half of all board members. 

However, when the company does not have a large market capitalisation, or when a large cap company has  
shareholders individually or concertedly controlling over 30 percent of capital, independent directors should occupy,  
at least, a third of board places. 

Complies 

18. 

Companies should disclose the following director particulars on their websites and keep them regularly updated: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

Complies 

Background and professional experience. 

Directorships held in other companies, listed or otherwise, and other paid activities they engage in, of 
whatever nature. 

Statement of the director class to which they belong, in the case of proprietary directors indicating the 
shareholder they represent or have links with. 

Dates of their first appointment as a board member and subsequent re-elections. 

Shares held in the company, and any options on the same. 

19. 

Following verification by the nomination committee, the annual corporate governance report should disclose the 
reasons for the appointment of proprietary directors at the urging of shareholders controlling less than 3 percent of 
capital; and explain any rejection of a formal request for a board place from shareholders whose equity stake is equal to 
or greater than that of others applying successfully for a proprietary directorship.  

Not applicable 

20. 

Proprietary directors should resign when the shareholders they represent dispose of their ownership interest in its 
entirety. If such shareholders reduce their stakes, thereby losing some of their entitlement to proprietary directors, the 
latters’ number should be reduced accordingly. 

Complies 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
205

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

21. 

The board of directors should not propose the removal of independent directors before the expiry of their tenure as 
mandated by the bylaws, except where they find just cause, based on a proposal from the nomination committee. In 
particular, just cause will be presumed when directors take up new posts or responsibilities that prevent them 
allocating sufficient time to the work of a board member, or are in breach of their fiduciary duties or come under one of 
the disqualifying grounds for classification as independent enumerated in the applicable legislation. 

The removal of independent directors may also be proposed when a takeover bid, merger or similar corporate transaction alters 
the company’s capital structure, provided the changes in board membership ensue from the proportionality criterion set out in 
recommendation 16. 

Complies 

22. 

Companies should establish rules obliging directors to disclose any circumstance that might harm the organisation’s 
name or reputation, tendering their resignation as the case may be, and, in particular, to inform the board of any 
criminal charges brought against them and the progress of any subsequent trial.  

The moment a director is indicted or tried for any of the offences stated in company legislation, the board of directors should 
open an investigation and, in light of the particular circumstances, decide whether or not he or she should be called on to 
resign. The board should give a reasoned account of all such determinations in the annual corporate governance report. 

Complies 

23. 

Directors should express their clear opposition when they feel a proposal submitted for the board’s approval might 
damage the corporate interest. In particular, independents and other directors not subject to potential conflicts of 
interest should strenuously challenge any decision that could harm the interests of shareholders lacking board 
representation. 

When the board makes material or reiterated decisions about which a director has expressed serious reservations,  
then he or she must draw the pertinent conclusions. Directors resigning for such causes should set out their reasons  
in the letter referred to in the next recommendation. 

The terms of this recommendation also apply to the secretary of the board, even if he or she is not a director. 

Complies 

24. 

Directors who give up their place before their tenure expires, through resignation or otherwise, should state their 
reasons in a letter to be sent to all members of the board. Whether or not such resignation is disclosed as a material 
event, the motivating factors should be explained in the annual corporate governance report. 

Complies 

25. 

The nomination committee should ensure that non-executive directors have sufficient time available to discharge  
their responsibilities effectively.  

The board of directors regulations should lay down the maximum number of company boards on which directors  
can serve.  

Complies 

26. 

The board should meet with the necessary frequency to properly perform its functions, eight times a year at least, in 
accordance with a calendar and agendas set at the start of the year, to which each director may propose the addition  
of initially unscheduled items. 

Complies 

27. 

Director absences should be kept to a strict minimum and quantified in the annual corporate governance report.  
In the event of absence, directors should delegate their powers of representation with the appropriate instructions. 

Complies 

28. 

When directors or the secretary express concerns about some proposal or, in the case of directors, about the 
company’s performance, and such concerns are not resolved at the meeting, they should be recorded in the minute 
book if the person expressing them so requests. 

Complies 

29. 

The company should provide suitable channels for directors to obtain the advice they need to carry out their duties, 
extending if necessary to external assistance at the company’s expense. 

Complies 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
206

Spanish corporate governance report continued

30. 

Regardless of the knowledge directors must possess to carry out their duties, they should also be offered refresher 
programmes when circumstances so advise. 

Complies 

31. 

The agendas of board meetings should clearly indicate on which points directors must arrive at a decision, so they can 
study the matter beforehand or gather together the material they need. 

For reasons of urgency, the chairman may wish to present decisions or resolutions for board approval that were not on the 
meeting agenda. In such exceptional circumstances, their inclusion will require the express prior consent, duly minuted, of the 
majority of directors present. 

Complies 

32. 

Directors should be regularly informed of movements in share ownership and of the views of major shareholders, 
investors and rating agencies on the company and its group. 

Complies 

33. 

The chairman, as the person charged with the efficient functioning of the board of directors, in addition to the functions 
assigned by law and the company’s bylaws, should prepare and submit to the board a schedule of meeting dates and 
agendas; organise and coordinate regular evaluations of the board and, where appropriate, the company’s chief 
executive officer; exercise leadership of the board and be accountable for its proper functioning; ensure that sufficient 
time is given to the discussion of strategic issues, and approve and review refresher courses for each director, when 
circumstances so advise. 

Complies 

34. 

When a lead independent director has been appointed, the bylaws or board of directors regulations should grant him 
or her the following powers over and above those conferred by law: chair the board of directors in the absence of the 
chairman or vice chairmen give voice to the concerns of non-executive directors; maintain contacts with investors and 
shareholders to hear their views and develop a balanced understanding of their concerns, especially those to do with 
the company’s corporate governance; and coordinate the chairman’s succession plan. 

Not applicable 

35. 

The board secretary should strive to ensure that the board’s actions and decisions are informed by the governance 
recommendations of the Good Governance Code of relevance to the company. 

Complies 

36. 

The board in full should conduct an annual evaluation, adopting, where necessary, an action plan to correct weakness 
detected in: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

The quality and efficiency of the board’s operation. 

The performance and membership of its committees. 

The diversity of board membership and competences. 

The performance of the chairman of the board of directors and the company’s chief executive. 

The performance and contribution of individual directors, with particular attention to the chairmen  
of board(cid:3)committees. 

The evaluation of board committees should start from the reports they send the board of directors, while that of the board itself 
should start from the report of the nomination committee. 

Every three years, the board of directors should engage an external facilitator to aid in the evaluation process. This facilitator’s 
independence should be verified by the nomination committee. 

Any business dealings that the facilitator or members of its corporate group maintain with the company or members of  
its corporate group should be detailed in the annual corporate governance report. 

The process followed and areas evaluated should be detailed in the annual corporate governance report. 

Complies 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
207

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

37. 

When an executive committee exists, its membership mix by director class should resemble that of the board.  
The secretary of the board should also act as secretary to the executive committee. 

Not applicable 

38. 

The board should be kept fully informed of the business transacted and decisions made by the executive committee.  
To this end, all board members should receive a copy of the committee’s minutes. 

Not applicable 

39. 

All members of the audit committee, particularly its chairman, should be appointed with regard to their knowledge and 
experience in accounting, auditing and risk management matters. A majority of committee places should be held by 
independent directors. 

Complies 

40. 

Listed companies should have a unit in charge of the internal audit function, under the supervision of the audit 
committee, to monitor the effectiveness of reporting and control systems. This unit should report functionally to the 
board’s non-executive chairman or the chairman of the audit committee.  

Complies 

41. 

The head of the unit handling the internal audit function should present an annual work programme to the audit 
committee, inform it directly of any incidents arising during its implementation and submit an activities report at the 
end of each year. 

Complies 

42. 

The audit committee should have the following functions over and above those legally assigned: 

1. 

With respect to internal control and reporting systems: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

Monitor the preparation and the integrity of the financial information prepared on the company and, 
where appropriate, the group, checking for compliance with legal provisions, the accurate demarcation 
of the consolidation perimeter, and the correct application of accounting principles. 

Monitor the independence of the unit handling the internal audit function; propose the selection, 
appointment, re-election and removal of the head of the internal audit service; propose the service’s 
budget; approve its priorities and work programmes, ensuring that it focuses primarily on the main 
risks the company is exposed to; receive regular report-backs on its activities; and verify that senior 
management are acting on the findings and recommendations of its reports. 

Establish and supervise a mechanism whereby staff can report, confidentially and, if appropriate and 
feasible, anonymously, any significant irregularities that they detect in the course of their duties, in 
particular financial or accounting irregularities. 

2. 

With regard to the external auditor: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

Investigate the issues giving rise to the resignation of the external auditor, should this come about. 

Ensure that the remuneration of the external auditor does not compromise its quality or 
independence. 

Ensure that the company notifies any change of external auditor to the CNMV as a material event, 
accompanied by a statement of any disagreements arising with the outgoing auditor and the reasons 
for the(cid:3)same. 
Ensure that the external auditor has a yearly meeting with the board in full to inform it of the work 
undertaken and developments in the company’s risk and accounting positions. 

Ensure that the company and the external auditor adhere to current regulations on the provision of 
non-audit services, limits on the concentration of the auditor’s business and other requirements 
concerning auditor(cid:3)independence. 

Complies 

43. 

The audit committee should be empowered to meet with any company employee or manager, even ordering their 
appearance without the presence of another senior officer. 

Complies 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
208

Spanish corporate governance report continued

44. 

The audit committee should be informed of any fundamental changes or corporate transactions the company is 
planning, so the committee can analyse the operation and report to the board beforehand on its economic conditions 
and accounting impact and, when applicable, the exchange ratio proposed. 

Complies 

45. 

Risk control and management policy should identify at least:  

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

Complies 

The different types of financial and non-financial risk the company is exposed to (including operational, 
technological, financial, legal, social, environmental, political and reputational risks), with the inclusion under 
financial or economic risks of contingent liabilities and other offbalance-sheet risks. 

The determination of the risk level the company sees as acceptable. 

The measures in place to mitigate the impact of identified risk events should they occur. 

The internal control and reporting systems to be used to control and manage the above risks, including 
contingent liabilities and offbalance-sheet risks. 

46. 

Companies should establish a risk control and management function in the charge of one of the company’s internal 
department or units and under the direct supervision of the audit committee or some other dedicated board 
committee. This function should be expressly charged with the following responsibilities: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

Complies 

Ensure that risk control and management systems are functioning correctly and, specifically, that major risks 
the company is exposed to are correctly identified, managed and quantified. 

Participate actively in the preparation of risk strategies and in key decisions about their management. 

Ensure that risk control and management systems are mitigating risks effectively in the frame of the policy 
drawn up by the board of directors. 

47. 

Appointees to the nomination and remuneration committee – or of the nomination committee and remuneration 
committee, if separately constituted – should have the right balance of knowledge, skills and experience for the 
functions they are called on to discharge. The majority of their members should be independent directors. 

Complies 

48. 

Large cap companies should operate separately constituted nomination and remuneration committees. 

Complies 

49. 

The nomination committee should consult with the company’s chairman and chief executive, especially on matters 
relating to executive directors. 

When there are vacancies on the board, any director may approach the nomination committee to propose candidates that it 
might consider suitable. 

Complies 

50. 

The remuneration committee should operate independently and have the following functions in addition to those 
assigned by law: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

Propose to the board the standard conditions for senior officer contracts. 

Monitor compliance with the remuneration policy set by the company. 

Periodically review the remuneration policy for directors and senior officers, including share-based 
remuneration systems and their application, and ensure that their individual compensation is proportionate to 
the amounts paid to other directors and senior officers in the company. 

Ensure that conflicts of interest do not undermine the independence of any external advice the committee 
engages. 

Verify the information on director and senior officers’ pay contained in corporate documents, including the 
annual directors’ remuneration statement. 

Complies 
51. 

The remuneration committee should consult with the company’s chairman and chief executive, especially on matters 
relating to executive directors and senior officers. 

Complies 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
209

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

52. 

The terms of reference of supervision and control committees should be set out in the board of directors regulations 
and aligned with those governing legally mandatory board committees as specified in the preceding sets of 
recommendations. 

They should include at least the following terms: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

Committees should be formed exclusively by non-executive directors, with a majority of independents. 

They should be chaired by independent directors. 

The board should appoint the members of such committees with regard to the knowledge, skills and 
experience of its directors and each committee’s terms of reference; discuss their proposals and reports; and 
provide report-backs on their activities and work at the first board plenary following each committee meeting. 

They may engage external advice, when they feel it necessary for the discharge of their functions. 

Meeting proceedings should be minuted and a copy made available to all board members.  

Partially complies 

The Board of Directors of IAG, under its powers of self-organisation, considers it appropriate to have a Safety Committee in 
order to exercise a high level overview of each airline’s safety performance and of any important issues that may affect the 
industry, although responsibility for safety matters belongs to each of the Group’s airlines. This Committee is governed by the 
same principles as all Board Committees and has a clear majority of non-executive directors. 

However, the Committee’s composition is not compliant with the Code’s recommendation as an executive director, the Chief 
Executive, is a member of this Committee, being also its chairman. The Board believes this to be appropriate in the current 
circumstances for the following reasons: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

IAG is a holding, non-operational company, exercising a supervisory role within the Group. 

Consistent with the civil aviation regulatory framework, responsibility for safety matters remains with each 
operating airline. 

The technical nature of safety issues and the fact that each operating airline has its own particular 
characteristics makes it advisable that the Group’s top executive leads this Committee and coordinates the 
reporting of the different Group airlines. 

Furthermore, the remaining Committee members are independent directors of IAG, including the Chairman of the Board and 
the Chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee. 

Finally, it has to be taken into consideration that safety is a highly regulated area that is subject to strict reporting requirements 
to the local regulatory authorities of each airline and to regular external audit reviews. 

53. 

The task of supervising compliance with corporate governance rules, internal codes of conduct and corporate social 
responsibility policy should be assigned to one board committee or split between several, which could be the audit 
committee, the nomination committee, the corporate social responsibility committee, where one exists, or a 
dedicated(cid:3)committee established ad hoc by the board under its powers of self-organisation, with at the least the 
following(cid:3)functions: 
a) 

Monitor compliance with the company’s internal codes of conduct and corporate governance rules. 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

f) 

g) 

h) 

Oversee the communication and relations strategy with shareholders and investors, including small and 
medium-sized shareholders. 

Periodically evaluate the effectiveness of the company’s corporate governance system, to confirm that it is 
fulfilling its mission to promote the corporate interest and catering, as appropriate, to the legitimate interests of 
remaining stakeholders. 

Review the company’s corporate social responsibility policy, ensuring that it is geared to value creation. 

Monitor corporate social responsibility strategy and practices and assess compliance in their respect. 

Monitor and evaluate the company’s interaction with its stakeholder groups. 

Evaluate all aspects of the non-financial risks the company is exposed to, including operational, technological, 
legal, social, environmental, political and reputational risks. 

Coordinate non-financial and diversity reporting processes in accordance with applicable legislation and 
international benchmarks. 

Complies 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
210

Spanish corporate governance report continued

54. 

The corporate social responsibility policy should state the principles or commitments the company will voluntarily 
adhere to in its dealings with stakeholder groups, specifying at least: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

d) 

e) 

f) 

g) 

Complies 

The goals of its corporate social responsibility policy and the support instruments to be deployed. 

The corporate strategy with regard to sustainability, the environment and social issues. 

Concrete practices in matters relative to: shareholders, employees, clients, suppliers, social welfare issues, the 
environment, diversity, fiscal responsibility, respect for human rights and the prevention of illegal conducts. 

The methods or systems for monitoring the results of the practices referred to above, and identifying and 
managing related risks. 

The mechanisms for supervising non-financial risk, ethics and business conduct. 

Channels for stakeholder communication, participation and dialogue. 

Responsible communication practices that prevent the manipulation of information and protect the company’s 
honour and integrity. 

55. 

The company should report on corporate social responsibility developments in its directors’ report or in a separate 
document, using an internationally accepted methodology. 

Complies 

56. 

Director remuneration should be sufficient to attract individuals with the desired profile and compensate the 
commitment, abilities and responsibility that the post demands, but not so high as to compromise the independent 
judgement of non-executive directors. 

Complies 

57. 

Variable remuneration linked to the company and the director’s performance, the award of shares, options or any other 
right to acquire shares or to be remunerated on the basis of share price movements, and membership of long-term 
savings schemes such as pension plans should be confined to executive directors. 

The company may consider the share-based remuneration of non-executive directors provided they retain such shares until the 
end of their mandate. This condition, however, will not apply to shares that the director must dispose of to defray costs related 
to their acquisition. 

Complies 

58. 

In the case of variable awards, remuneration policies should include limits and technical safeguards to ensure they 
reflect the professional performance of the beneficiaries and not simply the general progress of the markets or the 
company’s sector, or circumstances of that kind. 

In particular, variable remuneration items should meet the following conditions: 

a) 

b) 

c) 

Be subject to predetermined and measurable performance criteria that factor the risk assumed to obtain a 
given outcome. 

Promote the long-term sustainability of the company and include non-financial criteria that are relevant for the 
company’s long-term value, such as compliance with its internal rules and procedures and its risk control and 
management policies. 

Be focused on achieving a balance between the delivery of short, medium and long-term objectives, such that 
performance-related pay rewards ongoing achievement, maintained over sufficient time to appreciate its 
contribution to long-term value creation. This will ensure that performance measurement is not based solely on 
one-off, occasional or extraordinary events. 

Partially complies 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
211

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

IAG Remuneration Policy complies with this recommendation as it is designed to ensure that variable rewards reflect the 
professional performance of the beneficiaries and includes appropriate limits and technical safeguards.(cid:3)The performance 
measures used include a balanced mix of financial measures as well as personal performance against individual objectives. 
Although IAG remuneration framework promotes long-term value creation and ensures, through individual performance, 
compliance with IAG’s mission and values, it does not include concrete non-financial criteria in the sense required by letter b) of 
this Recommendation 58. IAG is examining options to improve the focus on the long-term sustainability of the Company, 
including through the individual objectives and the introduction of more specific non-financial performance measures. In this 
regard, NPS will be included in as a non-financial performance measure in the 2017 annual incentive. 

59. 

A major part of variable remuneration components should be deferred for a long enough period to ensure that 
predetermined performance criteria have effectively been met. 

Complies 

60. 

Remuneration linked to company earnings should bear in mind any qualifications stated in the external auditor’s report 
that reduce their amount. 

Complies 

61. 

A major part of executive directors’ variable remuneration should be linked to the award of shares or financial 
instruments whose value is linked to the share price. 

Complies 

62. 

Following the award of shares, share options or other rights on shares derived from the remuneration system, directors 
should not be allowed to transfer a number of shares equivalent to twice their annual fixed remuneration, or to exercise 
the share options or other rights on shares for at least three years after their award. 

The above condition will not apply to any shares that the director must dispose of to defray costs related to their acquisition. 

Complies 

63. 

Contractual arrangements should include provisions that permit the company to reclaim variable components of 
remuneration when payment was out of step with the director’s actual performance or based on data subsequently 
found to be misstated. 

Complies 

64. 

Termination payments should not exceed a fixed amount equivalent to two years of the director’s total annual 
remuneration and should not be paid until the company confirms that he or she has met the predetermined 
performance criteria. 

Complies 

H. 

1. 

2. 

3. 

OTHER INFORMATION OF INTEREST 

If you consider that there is any material aspect or principle relating to the Corporate Governance practices 
followed by your company that has not been addressed in this report and which is necessary to provide a 
more comprehensive view of the corporate governance structure and practices at the company or group, 
explain briefly.  

You may include in this section any other information, clarification or observation related to the above 
sections of this report. 

Specifically indicate whether the company is subject to corporate governance legislation from a country other 
than Spain and, if so, include the compulsory information to be provided when different to that required by 
this report. 

Also state whether the company voluntarily subscribes to other international, sectorial or other ethical 
principles or standard practices. If applicable identify the Code and date of adoption. In particular, state 
whether the company has adhered to the Code of Good Tax Practices of July 20, 2010. 

This annual corporate governance report was adopted by the company’s Board of Directors at its meeting held on  
February 23, 2017. 

List whether any directors voted against or abstained from voting on the approval of this Report. 

No  

Name or corporate name of director that did not vote 
in favour of approving this report 
(cid:3)

Reasons (voted against, abstention, non-attendance) 
(cid:3)

(cid:3)

Explain the reasons 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
212

Spanish corporate governance report continued

A.1 

Additional information to Company’s share capital: 

During 2016 the Company received three conversion requests in respect of the IAG €390,000,000 1.75 per cent. convertible 
bonds due 2018 (‘Bonds’). On May 6, 2016 the Company exercised its option to redeem the remaining outstanding Bonds 
giving bondholders the option to exercise their right to convert their Bonds into ordinary shares in IAG. As a result of this, a 
total of 91,981,118 shares were issued. 

As a consequence of the foregoing, the total share capital of the Company on the date of this report is €1,066,494,371.50, 
divided into 2,132,988,743 ordinary shares with a nominal value of €0.50 each share. 

A.2 

Additional information to direct and indirect holders of significant ownership interests: 

On February 13, 2017 Deutsche Bank AG notified the Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) the acquisition of 
a shareholding of 3.061 per cent. 

A.3 

Additional information giving breakdown of voting rights  

a) 

Directors’ conditional awards 

During 2016, Willie Walsh and Enrique Dupuy de Lôme held awards over ordinary shares of the Company under the Company’s 
Performance Share Plan (“IAG PSP”). 

The value attributed to the Company’s ordinary shares on March 7, 2016 was 541 pence. 

Director 

Willie Walsh 

Total 
(cid:3)

Plan  Date of award 

IAG PSP 
2013 

IAG PSP 
2014 
– 

March 6, 
2013 

March 6, 
2014 
– 

Number of 
awards at 
January 1, 2016 

Awards vesting 
during the year 

Awards lapsed 
during the year 

Awards made 
during the year 

Number of 
awards at 
December 31, 
2016 

684,647 

684,647 

379,310 
1,063,957 

0 
684,647 

0 

0 
0 

0 

0 
0 

0 

379,310 
379,310 

Director 

Plan  Date of award 

Number of 
awards at 
January 1, 2016 

Awards vesting 
during the year 

Awards lapsed 
during the year 

Awards made 
during the year 

Number of 
awards at 
December 31, 
2016 

Enrique Dupuy de Lôme 

Total 
(cid:3)

b) 

Share options 

IAG PSP 
2013 
IAG PSP 
2014 
– 

March 6, 
2013 
March 6, 
2014 
– 

248,963 

248,963 

137,931 
386,894 

0 
248,963 

0 

0 
0 

0 

0 
0 

0 

137,931 
137,931 

The following directors held nil-cost options over ordinary shares of the Company granted under the IAG PSP. 

The value attributed to the Company’s ordinary shares on March 7, 2016 was 541 pence. 

Director 

Date of grant 

Willie Walsh 

May 28,  
2015 

March 7, 2016 

Total 

Number of 
options at 
January 1,  
2016 

309,091 

0 
0 

Options 
exercised 
during 
the year 

Options 
lapsed during 
the year 

Exercise 
price 

– 

- 
- 

0 

0 
0 

0 

0 
0 

Options 
granted 
during 
the year 

0 

314,233 
314,233 

Exercisable  
from 

Expiry date 

January 1, 
2020 
January 1, 
2021 

December 31, 
2024 
December 31, 
2025 

Number of 
options at 
December 31, 
2016 

309,091 

314,233 
623,324 

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
213

Director 

Date of grant 

Enrique 
Dupuy de 
Lôme 

May 28,  
2015 

March 7, 2016 

Total 
(cid:3)

Number of 
options at 
January 1,  
2016 

Options 
exercised 
during the 
year 

Options 
lapsed during 
the year 

Options 
granted 
during the 
year 

Exercise 
price 

112,364 

- 
112,364 

– 

- 
- 

0 

0 
0 

0 

0 
0 

0 

145,647 
145,647 

Exercisable  
from 

Expiry date 

January 1, 
2020 
January 1, 
2021 

December 31, 
2024 
December 31, 
2025 

Number of 
options at 
December 31, 
2016 

112,364 

145,647 
258,011 

c) 

Incentive Award Deferral Plan  

During 2016, Willie Walsh and Enrique Dupuy de Lôme owned awards over ordinary shares of the Company granted under the 
IADP (Incentive Award Deferral Plan) (“IAG IADP”).  

The value attributed to the Company’s ordinary shares in accordance with the plan rules on the date of the IAG IADP 2016 
award was 541 pence. 

Plan  Date of award 

Number of 
awards at 
January 1, 2016 

Awards 
released during 

the year  Date of vesting 

Awards lapsed 
during the year 

Awards made 
during the year 

Number of 
awards at 
December 31, 
2016 

IAG IADP 
2014 
IAG IADP 
2015 
IAG IADP 
2016 
– 

March, 6, 
2014 
May 28,  
2015 
March 7, 
2016 
– 

149,353 

151,111 

0 
300,464 

March 6, 
2017 
March 8, 
2018 
March 7, 
2019 
– 

0 

0 

0 
0 

0 

0 

0  
0 

0 

0 

149,353 

151,111 

125,693 
125,693 

125,693 
426,157 

Director 

Willie Walsh 

Total 
(cid:3)

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
214

Spanish corporate governance report continued

Director 

Enrique Dupuy 
de Lôme 

Plan  Date of award 

Number of 
awards at 
January 1, 2016 

Awards 
released during 

the year  Date of vesting 

Awards lapsed 
during the year 

Awards made 
during the year 

IAG IADP 
2013 

IAG IADP 
2014 

IAG IADP 

March 6, 
2013 

March 6, 
2014 

2015  May 28, 2015 
March 7, 
2016 

IAG IADP 
2016 

62,241 

62,241 

50,862 

50,252 

0 

0 

0 

0 

March 6, 
2016 

March 6, 
2017 

March 8, 
2018 
March 7, 
2019 

– 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

0 

44,665 

44,665 

Number of 
awards at 
December 31, 
2016 

0 

50,862 

50,252 

44,665 

145,779 

Total 

– 

– 

163,355 

62,241 

For the year to December 31, 2016, the €:£ exchange rate applied is 1.2347. 

C.1.3  Additional information to company management structure 

Pursuant to Spanish Companies Law, on January 21, 2016, Mr. Antonio Vázquez became an independent director since five years 
had elapsed since his removal as Executive Chairman of Iberia prior to the merger with British(cid:3)Airways.  

D.5 

Additional information to related party and intragroup transactions  

The Group’s related-party transactions included total sales to associate companies of 7,159 thousand of euros and total purchases 
from associate companies of 49,157 thousands of euros.  

Additional information as a result of the Company also being listed on the London Stock Exchange 

The Company is subject to the UK Listing Rules, including the requirement to explain whether it complies with the UK Corporate 
Governance Code published by the UK Financial Reporting Council as amended from time to time. 

During the year the Company considers it has complied with all the provisions of the UK 2014 Corporate Governance Code but for 
the following matter: The service contract for Mr. Antonio Vázquez does not comply with the recommendation that notice periods 
should be set at one year or less so as to limit any payment on exit. Details can be found in the Directors’ Remuneration Report. 

The Company believes that, notwithstanding this exception, it has a robust governance structure. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN RELATION TO THE CODE OF GOOD TAX PRACTICES  

Iberia, representing IAG, has joined the Code of Good Tax Practices approved by Spain’s Forum of Big Companies. 

(cid:3)

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

 
 
 
215

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
216

Group investments

Subsidiaries

Name and address
AERL Holding Limited
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
Aer Lingus 2009 DCS Trustee Limited
Dublin Airport, Dublin
Aer Lingus Beachey Limited
Penthouse Suite, Analyst House, Peel Road, Isle of Man, IM1 4LZ
Aer Lingus Group DAC*
Dublin Airport, Dublin
Aer Lingus Limited*
Dublin Airport, Dublin
Aer Lingus (NI) Limited
Aer Lingus Base, Belfast City Airport, Sydenham Bypass, Belfast, BT3 9JH
Aer Lingus (Ireland) Limited
Dublin Airport, Dublin
ALG Trustee Limited
Dublin Airport, Dublin
Avios Group (AGL) Limited*
Astral Towers, Betts Way, London Road, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 9XY
Avios South Africa Proprietary Limited
34 Whitley Road, Unit B, 3rd Floor, Melrose Arch, Melrose North, Johannesburg
BA and AA Holdings Limited*
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
BA Call Centre India Private Limited (callBA)
F-42, East of Kailash, New-Delhi, 110065
BA Cityflyer Limited*
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
BA European Limited
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
BA Healthcare Trust Limited
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
BA Number One Limited
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
BA Number Two Limited
13 Castle Street, St Helier, JE4 5UT
Bealine Plc
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
bmibaby Limited
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
Binter Finance B.V.
Prins Bernhardplein 200, Amsterdam, 1097 JB
BritAir Holdings Limited*
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
British Airways Plc*
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
British Airways (BA) Limited
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
British Airways 777 Leasing Limited*
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
British Airways Associated Companies Limited
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
British Airways Avionic Engineering Limited*
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
British Airways Capital Limited
Queensway House, Hilgrove Street, St Helier, JE1 1ES
British Airways E-Jets Leasing Limited*
Canon’s Court, 22 Victoria Street, Hamilton, HM 12
British Airways Employee Benefit Trustees (Jersey) Limited
Queensway House, Hilgrove Street, St Helier, JE1 1ES

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Principal activity

Country of 
Incorporation

Percentage of 
equity owned

England
Republic 
of Ireland

Isle of Man
Republic 
of Ireland
Republic 
of Ireland
Northern
Ireland
Republic 
of Ireland
Republic 
of Ireland

England
South
Africa

England

India

England

England

England

England

Jersey

England

England

Netherlands

England

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

England

100%1

England

England

England

England

100%

100%

100%

100%

Holding
company
Airline 
operations

Airline
marketing

Holding
company

Airline
operations

Holding 
company
Airline
operations

Aircraft
financing

Aircraft
maintenance

Jersey

100%

Aircraft
financing

Bermuda

100%

Jersey

100%

Name and address

British Airways Finance (Jersey) Limited Partnership
13 Castle Street, St Helier, JE4 5UT
British Airways Holdings B.V.
Atrium, Strawinskylaan 3105, Amsterdam, 1077 ZX
British Airways Holdings Limited*
13 Castle Street, St Helier, JE4 5UT
British Airways Holidays Limited*
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
British Airways Interior Engineering Limited*
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
British Airways Leasing Limited*
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
British Airways Maintenance Cardiff Limited*
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
British Airways Pension Trustees (No 2) Limited
Whitelocke House, 2-4 Lampton Road, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW3 1HU
British Midland Airways Limited
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
British Midland Limited
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
Compañía Explotación Aviones Cargueros Cargosur, S.A.
Calle Martínez Villergas 49, Madrid, 28027
Compañía Operadora de Corto Y Medio Radio Iberia Express, S.A.*
Calle Alcañiz 23, Madrid, 28006
Diamond Insurance Company Limited
1st Floor, Rose House, 51-59 Circular Road, Douglas, IM1 1RE
Dirnan Insurance Company Limited
Canon’s Court, 22 Victoria Street, Hamilton, Bermuda, HM 12
Flyline Tele Sales & Services GmbH
Hermann Koehl-Strasse 3, Bremen, 28199
Gatwick Ground Services Limited
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
IAG Cargo Limited*
Carrus Cargo Centre, PO Box 99, Sealand Road, London Heathrow Airport, 
Hounslow, TW6 2JS
IAG GBS Limited*
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB

IAG GBS Poland sp z.o.o.*
ul. Opolska 114, Krakow, 31 -323

IB Opco Holding, S.L.
Calle Martínez Villergas 49, Madrid, 28027
Iberia México, S.A.*
Ejército Nacional 436, 9th Floor, Colonia Chapultepec-Morales, Mexico City, 11570

Iberia Tecnología, S.A.*
Calle Martínez Villergas 49, Madrid, 28027
Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A. Operadora*
Calle Martínez Villergas 49, Madrid, 28027

Illiad Inc
Suite 1300, 1105 N Market Street, PO Box 8985, Wilmington, Delaware, 19899
Openskies SASU*
3 Rue le Corbusier, Rungis, 94150
Overseas Air Travel Limited
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
Remotereport Trading Limited
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

217

Principal activity

Country of 
Incorporation

Percentage of 
equity owned

Jersey

100%

Netherlands

100%

Holding
company
Package
holidays
Aircraft
maintenance
Aircraft
financing
Aircraft
maintenance

Airline
operations

Jersey

England

England

England

England

England

England

England

Spain

Spain

Isle of Man

Bermuda

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

Air freight
operations
IT, finance and
procurement
services
IT, finance and
procurement
services
Holding
company
Storage and
custody
services
Holding
company
Airline
operations and
maintenance

Airline
operations

Germany

100%

England

100%

England

100%

England

100%

Poland

100%

Spain

100%2

Mexico

Spain

100%

100%

Spain

100%2

USA

100%

France

England

England

100%

100%

100%

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
218

Group investments continued

Name and address

Santain Developments Limited
Dublin Airport, Dublin
Shinagh Limited
Dublin Airport, Dublin
Speedbird Insurance Company Limited*
Canon’s Court, 22 Victoria Street, Hamilton, HM 12
Teleflight Limited
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
The Plimsoll Line Limited*
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
Veloz Holdco, S.L.
Pla de l’Estany 5, Parque de Negocios Mas Blau II, El Prat de Llobregat, 
Barcelona, 08820
Vueling Airlines, S.A.*
Pla de l’Estany 5, Parque de Negocios Mas Blau II, El Prat de Llobregat, 
Barcelona, 08820
British Mediterranean Airways Limited
Waterside, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB
Compañía Auxiliar al Cargo Exprés, S.A.*
Centro de Carga Aérea, Parcela 2-5 Nave 6, Madrid, 28042

Iberia Desarrollo Barcelona, S.L.*
Torre Tarragona, Planta 15, Calle Tarragona 161, Barcelona, 08014

Auxiliar Logística Aeroportuaria, S.A.*
Centro de Carga Aérea, Parcela 2-5 Nave 6, Madrid, 28042

* Principal subsidiaries

Principal activity

Country of 
Incorporation

Percentage of 
equity owned

Republic 
of Ireland
Republic 
of Ireland

100%

100%

Insurance

Bermuda

100%

Holding
company

England

England

100%

100%

Airline
operations

Cargo
transport
Airport
infrastructure
development
Airport
logistics and
cargo terminal 
management

Spain

100%

Spain

England

Spain

99%

99%

75%

Spain

75%

Spain

75%

1 The Group holds 49.9% of the total number of voting rights and 99.65% of the total nominal share capital in British Airways Plc, such stake having almost 100% of the economic rights. 

The remaining nominal share capital and voting rights, representing 0.35% and 50.1% respectively, correspond to a trust established for the purposes of implementing the British 
Airways nationality structure.

2 The Group holds 49.9% of the total nominal share capital and the total number of voting rights in IB Opco Holding, S.L. (and thus, indirectly, in Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A. 
Operadora), such stake having almost 100% of the economic rights in these companies. The remaining shares, representing 50.1% of the total nominal share capital and the total 
number of voting rights belong to a Spanish company incorporated for the purposes of implementing the Iberia nationality structure.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Associates

Name and address
Handling Guinea Ecuatorial S.A.
Malabo Bioko Norte International Airport, Apartado de Correos 92, Malabo
Empresa Hispano Cubana de Mantenimiento de Aeronaves, Ibeca, S.A.
Avenida de Vantroi y Final, Aeropuerto de Jose Martí, Ciudad de la Habana
Empresa Logística de Carga Aérea, S.A.
Carretera de Wajay km 15, Aeropuerto de Jose Martí, Ciudad de la Habana
Multiservicios Aeroportuarios, S.A.
Avenida de Manoteras 46, 2nd Floor, 28050, Madrid
Dunwoody Airline Services (Holdings) Limited
Building 70, Argosy Road, East Midlands Airport, Castle Donnington, Derby, DE74 2SA
Sociedad Conjunta para la Emisión y Gestión de Medios de Pago EFC, S.A.
José Ortega y Gasset 22, 3rd Floor, 28006, Madrid
Serpista, S.A.
Cardenal Marcelo Spínola 10, 28016, Madrid
Air Miles España, S.A.
Avenida de Bruselas 20, Alcobendas, 28108, Madrid

Joint ventures

Name and address
Propius Holding Limited
PO Box 309, Ugland House, Grand Cayman, K41-1104

Available-for-sale financial assets

The Group’s principal available-for-sale financial assets are as follows:

219

Country of 
Incorporation

Percentage of 
equity owned

Equatorial
Guinea

Cuba

Cuba

Spain

England

51%

50%

50%

49%

40%

Spain

43.5%

Spain

Spain

39%

25%

Country of 
Incorporation

Percentage of 
equity owned

Cayman
Islands

33.3%

Name and address
Servicios de Instrucción de Vuelo, S.L.
Camino de la Muñoza 2, Madrid, 28042
The Airline Group Limited
Brettenham House South, 5th Floor, Lancaster Place, 
London, WC2N 7EN
Comair Limited
1 Marignane Drive, Bonaero Park, 1619, Johannesburg
Adquira España, S.A.
Plaza Cronos, 1 – 4th Floor, Madrid, 28037

Country of 
Incorporation

Percentage of 
equity owned

Currency

Shareholder’s 
funds (million)

Profit/(loss) 
before tax 
(million)

Spain

19.9%

Euro

45

2

England

16.68%

South Africa

11.5%

Pound
sterling
South African
rand

Spain

10.0%

Euro

287

1,330

7

32

294

1

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
220

Statement of directors’ responsibilities

LIABILITY STATEMENT OF DIRECTORS FOR THE PURPOSES ENVISAGED UNDER ARTICLE 
8.1.B OF SPANISH ROYAL DECREE 1362/2007 OF 19 OCTOBER (REAL DECRETO 1362/2007).

At a meeting held on February 23, 2017, the Directors of International Consolidated Airlines Group, S.A. (the “Company”) state that, 
to the best of their knowledge, the individual and consolidated financial statements for the year to December 31, 2016, prepared 
in accordance with the applicable set of accounting standards, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position 
and profit or loss of the Company and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole, and that the individual and 
consolidated management reports include a fair review of the development and performance of the business and the position of 
the Company and the undertakings included in the consolidation taken as a whole, together with the description of the principal 
risks and uncertainties that they face.

February 23, 2017

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

221

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
i
a
l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a

l

I

n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
Aircraft operating lease costs multiplied by 0.67
Earnings are based on results before exceptional items, after tax adjusted for earnings 
attributable to equity holders and interest on convertible bonds, divided by the weighted 
average number of ordinary shares, adjusted for the dilutive impact of the assumed 
conversion of the bonds and employee share schemes outstanding
Adjusted net debt, divided by adjusted net debt and adjusted equity
Net debt plus capitalised operating aircraft lease costs
The number of seats available for sale multiplied by the distance flown
The number of tonnes of capacity available for the carriage of load (passenger and cargo) 
multiplied by the distance flown
Hours of service for aircraft, measured from the time that the aircraft leaves the gate at the 
departure airport to the time that it arrives at the gate at the destination airport
Cargo revenue divided by CTK
The number of tonnes of cargo that generate revenue (freight and mail) carried multiplied 
by the distance flown
The number of times profit for the year covers the dividends paid and proposed
Operating profit before depreciation, amortisation and rental charges
Earnings are based on results after exceptional items, after tax adjusted for earnings 
attributable to equity holders and interest on convertible bonds, divided by the weighted 
average number of ordinary shares, adjusted for the dilutive impact of the assumed 
conversion of the bonds and employee share schemes outstanding.
EBITDA before exceptional items less cash tax, cash interest paid and received and cash 
capital expenditure net of proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment and 
intangible assets.
The number of times profit before taxation and net interest expense and interest income 
cover the net interest expense and interest income
Fleet net book value at the balance sheet date, excluding progress payments and 
adjusted for inflation, plus the net book value of the remaining property, plant and 
equipment plus annual aircraft operating lease costs multiplied by 8
Operating result less aircraft operating lease cost plus adjusted aircraft operating lease 
costs divided by revenue
Number of employees adjusted for part-time workers, overtime and contractors
January 21, 2011, the date British Airways and Iberia signed a merger agreement to create 
International Airlines Group
Current and long-term interest-bearing borrowings less other current interest bearing 
deposits and cash and cash equivalents
Gross book value divided by net book value
Metric based on survey responses to the “likelihood to recommend” question and is 
calculated by subtracting the percentage of customers who are ‘Detractors’ ( unlikely to 
recommend) from the percentage of customers who are ‘Promoters’ (likely to recommend)

222

Glossary

Adjusted aircraft operating leases
Adjusted earnings per share

Adjusted gearing
Adjusted net debt
Available seat kilometres (ASK)
Available tonne kilometres (ATK)

Block hours

Cargo revenue per CTK
Cargo tonne kilometres (CTK)

Dividend cover
EBITDAR
Earnings per share (EPS)

Equity free cash flow

Interest cover

Invested capital

Lease adjusted operating margin

Manpower equivalent
Merger effective date

Net debt

Net depreciation rate
Net promoter score (NPS)

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

223

Operating margin
Overall load factor
Passenger load factor
Punctuality

Regularity

Return on invested capital (RoIC)

Operating profit/(loss) as a percentage of total revenue
RTK expressed as a percentage of ATK
RPK expressed as a percentage of ASK
The industry’s standard, measured as the percentage of flights departing within 15 minutes 
of schedule
The percentage of flights completed to flights scheduled, excluding flights cancelled for 
commercial reasons
EBITDAR less adjusted aircraft operating lease costs, fleet depreciation charge adjusted 
for inflation, and the depreciation charge for other property, plant and equipment, divided 
by invested capital. It is expressed as a percentage
The number of passengers that generate revenue carried multiplied by the distance flown

Revenue passenger kilometres (RPK)
Passenger unit revenue per ASK (PASK) Passenger revenue divided by ASK
Passenger revenue divided by RPK
Passenger revenue per RPK (yield)
The revenue load in tonnes multiplied by the distance flown
Revenue tonne kilometres (RTK)
A one-way revenue flight
Sector
Total equity plus net debt
Total capital
Total group revenue divided by ASK
Total Group revenue per ASK (RASK)
Total operating expenditure excluding fuel divided by ASK
Total operating expenditure excluding 
fuel per ASK
Total operating expenditure per ASK 
(CASK)
Total traffic revenue per ATK

Total operating expenditure divided by ASK

Revenue from total traffic (passenger and cargo) divided by ATK

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a
l

I
n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
224

Alternative performance measures

The performance of the Group is assessed using a number of Alternative Performance Measures (APMs). The Group’s results are 
presented both before and after exceptional items. Exceptional items are those that in management’s view need to be separately 
disclosed by virtue of their size and incidence. Exceptional items are disclosed in note 5 of the consolidated financial statements. 
In addition, the Group’s results are described using certain measures that are not defined under IFRS and are therefore considered 
to be APMs. These measures have been used to identify the Group’s long-term planning goals on ‘Profitability’, ‘Efficient growth’ 
and ‘Balance sheet and cash flow’, and to monitor performance towards these goals. The definition of each APM presented in this 
report, together with a reconciliation to the nearest measure prepared in accordance with IFRS is presented below.

Operating profit and adjusted operating margin

Operating profit is the Group operating result before exceptional items.

Adjusted operating margin is operating profit adjusted for leases as a percentage of revenue. The lease adjustment reduces the 
fleet rental charge to 0.67 of the annual reported charge.

€ million

Operating profit before exceptional items
Aircraft operating lease costs
Aircraft operating lease costs multiplied by 0.67

Revenue

Adjusted operating margin

Adjusted earnings per share

2016

2,535
759
(509)
2,785

2015

2,335
659
(442)
2,552

22,567

22,858

12.3%

11.2%

Earnings are based on results before exceptional items after tax and adjusted for earnings attributable to equity holders and 
interest on convertible bonds, divided by the weighted average number of ordinary shares, adjusted for the dilutive impact of the 
assumed conversion of the bonds and employee share schemes outstanding.

€ million

Earnings attributable to equity holders of the parent
Exceptional items
Earnings attributable to equity holders of the parent before exceptional items
Interest expense on convertible bonds
Adjusted earnings

Weighted average number of shares used for diluted earnings per share
Weighted average number of shares used for basic earnings per share

Adjusted earnings per share (€ cents)
Basic earnings per share before exceptional items (€ cents)

EBITDAR

2016

1,931
38
1,969
26
1,995

2015

1,495
23
1,518
25
1,543

2,210,990
2,075,568

2,159,937
2,034,197

90.2
94.9

71.4
74.6

EBITDAR is calculated as operating profit before exceptional items, depreciation, amortisation and impairment and aircraft 
operating lease costs.

€ million

Operating profit before exceptional items
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment
Aircraft operating lease costs
EBITDAR

Return on Invested Capital

2016

2,535
1,287
759
4,581

2015

2,335
1,307
659
4,301

Return on Invested Capital (RoIC) is defined as EBITDAR, less adjusted aircraft operating lease costs, fleet depreciation charge 
adjusted for inflation, and the depreciation charge for other property, plant and equipment, divided by invested capital. It is 
expressed as a percentage.

The lease adjustment reduces aircraft operating lease costs to 0.67 of the annual reported charge. The inflation adjustment is 
applied to the fleet depreciation charge and is calculated using a 1.5 per cent inflation rate over the average age of the fleet to 
allow for inflation and efficiencies of new fleet.

Invested capital is the fleet net book value at the balance sheet date, excluding progress payments and adjusted for inflation, 
plus the net book value of the remaining property, plant and equipment plus annual aircraft operating lease costs multiplied by 8. 
Intangible assets are excluded from the calculation.

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

In 2015, the definition of invested capital excluded all progress payments. 2015 comparatives have not been restated. 2015 
comparatives include annualised operating profit, rental charges and depreciation charges for Aer Lingus.

€ million

EBITDAR
Less: Aircraft operating lease costs multiplied by 0.67
Less: Depreciation charge for fleet assets multiplied by inflation adjustment
Less: Depreciation charge for other property, plant and equipment

Invested capital
Fleet book value excluding progress payments
Inflation adjustment(1)

Net book value of other property, plant and equipment
Aircraft operating lease costs multiplied by 8

2016

4,581
(509)
(1,231)
(153)
2,688

9,930
1.21
12,048
1,683
6,072
19,803

225

2015

4,463
(463)
(1,277)
(162)
2,561

11,090
1.16
12,883
1,798
5,520
20,201

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a
l

I
n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Return on Invested Capital

13.6%

12.7%

1 Calculated using a 1.5 per cent inflation rate over the average age of the fleet. Presented to two decimal places.

Adjusted net debt to EBITDAR

Adjusted net debt is calculated as long-term borrowings, less cash and cash equivalents and other current interest-bearing 
deposits, plus annual aircraft operating lease costs multiplied by 8. This is divided by EBITDAR to arrive at adjusted net debt to 
EBITDAR. 2015 has been adjusted to include annualised results for Aer Lingus.

€ million

Interest-bearing long-term borrowings
Cash and cash equivalents
Other current interest-bearing deposits
Net debt
Aircraft operating lease costs multiplied by 8
Adjusted net debt

EBITDAR

Adjusted net debt to EBITDAR

Adjusted gearing

2016

8,515
(3,337)
(3,091)
2,087
6,072
8,159

2015

8,630
(2,909)
(2,947)
2,774
5,736
8,510

4,581

4,463

1.8

1.9

Adjusted gearing is defined as adjusted net debt divided by adjusted net debt and adjusted equity and is expressed as a 
percentage. Adjusted equity is reported equity adjusted for the cumulative charge to reserves following the amendment to 
IAS 19 ‘Employee benefits’ accounting standard, up to €2,077 million, representing the adjustment to equity on adoption of the 
amendment to the standard.

€ million
Adjusted net debt

Equity
IAS 19 cumulative charge to reserves (post-tax)
Adjusted equity

Adjusted net debt plus adjusted equity

Adjusted gearing

2016

8,159

5,664
2,077
7,741

2015

8,510

5,534
1,794
7,328

15,900

15,838

51%

54%

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
226

Alternative performance measures continued

Equity free cash flow

Equity free cash flow is EBITDA less cash tax, cash interest paid and received and cash capital expenditure net of proceeds from 
sale of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets. EBITDA is calculated as operating profit before exceptional items, 
depreciation, amortisation and impairment.

€ million
Operating profit before exceptional items
Depreciation, amortisation and impairment
EBITDA

Interest paid
Interest received
Tax paid
Acquisition of property plant and equipment and intangible assets
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets
Equity free cash flow

2016

2,535
1,287
3,822

(185)
37
(318)
(3,038)
1,737
2,055

2015
2,335
1,307
3,642

(197)
48
(245)
(2,040)
273
1,481

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Sustainability indicators

Indicator
Total energy consumption from jet fuel,
gas and electricity
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions1 2 3 4

Direct (Scope 1)

Indirect (Scope 2)

Other indirect (Scope 3)

GHG emissions intensity 
(grammes of carbon dioxide per 
passenger kilometre)1 2 4
CO2 emissions intensity for flight 
operations only
Percentage of aircraft fleet that meet 
ICAO technology standard for noise5 6

Noise Chapter 4
Noise Chapter 1410

Percentage of aircraft fleet that meet 
ICAO CAEP technology standards for 
Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) emissions5 6

NOx CAEP 4
NOx CAEP 6
NOx CAEP 810

Water consumption at main sites10

Waste produced at main sites excluding 
suppliers7 10
Average age of aircraft fleet
Average manpower equivalent
Number of new permanent hires in 
calendar year
Average hours of training per year, 
per employee
Monetary value of significant fines 
for non-compliances with laws and 
regulations8 10 
Total customer and colleague direct and 
in-kind donations to charity9

Units

2016

201511

2014

2013

2012

227

(2016-
2015)

Megawatt
hours

Tonnes 
CO2e
Tonnes 
CO2e
Tonnes 
CO2e

gCO2/pkm

gCO2/pkm

108,386,850 101,051,244 96,712,371 91,062,826 89,350,479

7.3%

28,264,447

26,335,726 25,219,827 23,664,495

23,249,641

7.3%

123,345

115,304

113,833

118,036

132,610

7.0%

7,640,028

5,419,599

5,179,537

4,871,126

n/a

41.0%

94.3

93.7

96.0

95.4

98.2

97.5

100.4

101.2

(1.8%)

99.7

100.5

(1.8%)

%
%

99.0%
46.0%

99.0%
n/a

98.7%
n/a

93.1%
n/a

90.9%
n/a

-
n/a

i

S
t
r
a
t
e
g
c
R
e
p
o
r
t

C
o
r
p
o
r
a
t
e
G
o
v
e
r
n
a
n
c
e

i

F
n
a
n
c
a

i

l

%
%
%
Cubic 
metres

Tonnes
Years
Number

95.0%
67.0%
24.0%

93.0%
65.0%
n/a

91.7%
61.7%
n/a

89.7%
56.1%
n/a

87.5%
48.0%
n/a

2.0pts
2.0pts
n/a

500,868

543,028

501,219

n/a

n/a

(7.8%)

8,204
10.8
63,387

10,546
10.8
60,892

9,932
10.5
59,484

n/a
11.1
60,089

n/a
11.8
59,574

(22.2%)
-
4.1%

Number

4,286

5,216

3,670

2,647

4,389

(17.8%)

Hours

36.7

36.1

37.3

35.6

35.0

1.7%

S
t
a
t
e
m
e
n
t
s

A
d
d
i
t
i
o
n
a
l

I
n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

Euros

1,209,114

468,576

392,359

n/a

n/a

158%

Euros

9,318,294

11,457,171

13,515,678

15,058,811

20,139,797

(18.7%)

Notes
1 GHG indicators represent the most accurate figures available at date of publication. The IAG Investor CDP report available later in the year will contain the finalised data.
2 IAG has reported all GHG emissions sources required under the 2006 Companies Act (Strategic and Directors’ Reports) Regulations 2013. IAG uses the Greenhouse Gas Protocol 

Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (revised edition), applying an operational control boundary.

3 The GHG emissions are split into Scope 1 (direct, burning jet fuel and natural gas), Scope 2 (indirect, electricity), and Scope 3 (indirect, upstream fossil fuel production).
4 The emissions data was calculated by applying the UK Government’s GHG conversion factors for Company Reporting (2012 to 2016).
5 The International Civil Aviation Organization’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) establishes international standards for aircraft noise and engine emissions. 
Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) emissions are relevant to local air quality around airports. The ICAO CAEP 4 and 6 NOx standards were applicable for engines first manufactured after 
December 31, 2003 and December 31, 2007 respectively and the newer CAEP 8 standards apply from 2014. The ICAO CAEP Chapter 4 technology standard for aircraft noise applies 
to new aircraft certified on or after January 1, 2006 and Chapter 14 is applicable for new aircraft certified from January 1, 2017.

6 Noise and NOx indicators include the combined performance of all airlines in the Group. Historic values have been revised in line with this and therefore are different to those shown in 

previous reports.

7 Waste figures exclude Vueling.
8 Figures referring to monetary fines relate to British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus. In 2016 we included €828,000 fines related to disruptions suffered during the summer.
9 Figures referring to charity donations for 2013 and 2012 relate to British Airways and Iberia only. 2014 includes Vueling also and 2015 also includes Aer Lingus from August 18, 2015. 

Euro to pound sterling conversion rate full year average for 2016 of 1.2347.

10 These indicators are being disclosed for the first time in 2016, in these instances historic data is unavailable.
11 All figures for IAG 2015 include Aer Lingus from August 18, 2015. 

www.iairgroup.com

 
 
 
 
228

Operating and financial statistics

Total Group operations
Traffic and capacity
Available seat km (ASK) 
Revenue passenger km (RPK)
Cargo tonne km (CTK)
Passengers carried
Tonnes of cargo carried
Sectors
Block hours
Operations
Average manpower equivalent
Aircraft in service at year end
Aircraft utilisation – Longhaul (average hours 
per aircraft per day)
Aircraft utilisation – Shorthaul (average hours 
per aircraft per day)
Punctuality – within 15 minutes
Regularity
Financial
Passenger unit revenue per ASK (PASK)
Passenger revenue per RPK
Cargo revenue per CTK
Total revenue per ASK (RASK)
Average fuel price
Fuel cost per ASK
Operating profit before depreciation, 
amortisation and rentals (EBITDAR)
Total operating expenditure excluding fuel per 
ASK (CASK ex. fuel)
Operating margin
Lease adjusted operating margin
Total operating expenditure per ASK (CASK)
Dividend cover
Interest cover2
Net debt
Equity2
Adjusted gearing
Adjusted net debt to EBITDAR

2016

20151

2014

2013

2012

million
million
million
‘000
‘000

hours

298,431
243,474
5,454
100,675
849
26,508
64,269

272,702
221,996
5,293
88,333
874
660,438
1,867,905

251,931
202,562
5,453
77,334
897
599,624
1,712,506

230,573
186,304
5,653
67,224
928
538,644
1,573,900

219,172
176,102
6,080
54,600
 1,011 
453,100
1,419,601

63,387
548

60,862
529

59,484
459

60,089
431

59,574
377

13.5

8.8
77.2
99.3

6.68
8.18
18.74
7.56
133.38
1.63

13.5

9.1
80.2
99.4

7.46
9.16
20.67
8.38
175.86
2.23

13.5

8.8
80.9
99.5

7.08
8.80
18.19
8.01
300.16
2.38

13.3

8.4
79.2
99.0

7.05
8.73
18.98
8.10
314.15
2.58

13.6

8.2
77.2
99.0

7.01
8.73
20.02
8.27
320.33
2.78

hours

hours
%
%

€cents
€cents
€cents
€cents
($cents/US gallon)
€cents

€million

4,581

4,301

3,137

2,258

1,480

€cents
%
%
€cents
times
times
€million
€million
%
times

5.08
11.2
12.3
6.71
4.1
10.8
2,087
7,721
51
1.8

5.30
10.2
11.2
7.53
3.8
8.2
2,774
7,328
54
1.9

5.08
6.9
7.8
7.45
n/a
6.4
1,673
3,793
51
1.9

5.18
4.1
5.0
7.77
n/a
2.8
1,489
4,216
50
2.5

5.49
(0.1)
0.7 
8.28
n/a
(0.2)
1,889
2,978
51
3.6

1 Aer Lingus Group plc results have been consolidated from August 18, 2015.
2 Restated for amendment to IAS19 ‘Employee benefits’ accounting standard.
n/a: not available

INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES GROUP
Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Shareholder information

Registered office

International Consolidated Airlines Group, S.A 
El Caserío, Iberia Zona Industrial nº 2 (La Muñoza) 
Camino de La Muñoza, s/n, 28042 Madrid, Spain. 

Madrid Commercial Registrar 
tomo 27312, folio 11, hoja M-492129
C.I.F. A85845535

UK Branch registered address

International Airlines Group 
Waterside (HAA2),
PO Box 365, Speedbird way 
Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB

Registered in England & Wales: BR014868

Registrar

Computershare Investor Services PLC

For enquiries relating to shares held through the
Corporate Sponsored Nominee (UK share register):

Tel: +44 370 702 0110

Email: web.queries@computershare.co.uk

Online: www.investorcentre.co.uk/iag

IAG Investor relations team

UK: +44 20 8564 2900; or

Spain: +34 91 312 6440

Institutional investors: investor.relations@iairgroup.com

Private shareholders: shareholder.services@iairgroup.com

American Depositary Receipt program

IAG has a Sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt 
(ADR) facility that trades on the OTC market in the US 
(see www.otcmarkets.com). Deutsche Bank is the ADR 
depositary bank.

For shareholder enquiries, contact: 
Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas 
c/o American Stock Transfer & Trust Company
Peck Slip Station
P.O. Box 2050
New York, NY 10272-2050, USA

Email: DB@amstock.com

Toll free: +1 800 301 3517

International: +1 718 921 8137

Online: www.adr.db.com

Financial calendar

Financial year end: December 31, 2016
Q1 results: May 5, 2017
Half year results: July 28, 2017
Q3 results: October 27, 2017

Other key dates can be found on our website:
www.iairgroup.com

ShareGift

UK shareholders with a small number of shares may like to 
consider donating their shares to charity under ShareGift, 
administered by Orr Mackintosh Foundation. Details are 
available from the UK Registrar.

Certain statements included in this report are forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to 
differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. 

Forward-looking statements can typically be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as “expects”, “may”, “will”, 
“could”, “should”, “intends”, “plans”, “predicts”, “envisages” or “anticipates” and include, without limitation, any projections relating to 
results of operations and financial conditions of International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A. and its subsidiary undertakings from 
time to time (the ‘Group’), as well as plans and objectives for future operations, expected future revenues, financing plans, expected 
expenditures and divestments relating to the Group and discussions of the Group’s Business plan. All forward-looking statements in 
this report are based upon information known to the Group on the date of this report. The Group undertakes no obligation to publicly 
update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. 

It is not reasonably possible to itemise all of the many factors and specific events that could cause the forward-looking statements 
in this report to be incorrect or that could otherwise have a material adverse effect on the future operations or results of an airline 
operating in the global economy. Further information on the primary risks of the business and the risk management process of the 
Group is set out in the risk management and risk factors section of the report.

INTERNATIONAL 
AIRLINES
GROUP

Visit us online at
iairgroup.com