DORIC NIMROD AIR THREE LIMITED

Announcement of Half Yearly Financial Report 25 November 2013

Doric Nimrod Air Three Limited (the “Company”), a Guernsey-domiciled company, is pleased to present its Half-Yearly Financial Report in respect of the period from 1 April 2013 to 30 September 2013.

Company Facts

Listing	LSE and CISX
Ticker	DNA3
Share Price	109.0p (as at 30 September 2013)
	109.50 p (as at 21 November 2013)
Market Capitalisation	GBP 240 million (as at 30 September 2013)
Aircraft Registration Number	A6-EEK, A6-EEO, A6-EEM
Current/Future Anticipated Dividend	For the dividend payment in January 2014, the Company will target a dividend of 1.7185 pence per share.  After the acquisition of all four assets for a full quarter future dividends are expected to be 2.0625p per quarter per share until the aircraft leases terminate.
Dividend Payment Dates	April, July, October, January
Currency	GBP
Launch Date/Price	2 July 2013 / 100p
Incorporation	Guernsey
Asset Manager	Doric Lease Corp Management Ltd
Corp & Shareholder Advisor	Nimrod Capital LLP
Administrator	Anson Fund Managers Ltd
Auditor	Deloitte LLP
Market Makers	Shore Capital Ltd/ Winterflood Securities Ltd/Jefferies International Ltd/ Numis Securities Ltd
SEDOL, ISIN	B92LHN5, GG00B92LHN58
Year End	31-Mar
Stocks & Shares ISA	Eligible
Website	www.dnairthree.com

Company Overview

Doric Nimrod Air Three Limited (LSE Ticker:DNA3) (“DNA3” or the “Company”) is a Guernsey company incorporated on 29 March 2012.
Pursuant to the Company’s Prospectus dated 20 June 2013, the Company offered its shares for issue by means of a placing and on 1 July 2013, raised approximately £220 million by the issue of Redeemable Ordinary Preference Shares (the “Ordinary Shares”) at an issue price of £1 each. The Company’s Shares were admitted to the Official List of the Channel Islands Stock Exchange (“CISX”) and trading on the Specialist Fund Market of the London Stock Exchange (“SFM”) on 2 July 2013.
As at 21 November 2013, the last practicable date prior to the publication of this report, the Company’s total issued share capital consisted of 220,000,000 Shares and the shares were trading at 109.50 pence per share.
Investment Objectives and Policy
The Company’s investment objective is to obtain income returns and a capital return for its Shareholders by acquiring, leasing and then selling aircraft (each an “Asset” and together the “Assets”).  To pursue its investment objective, the Company will seek to use the net proceeds of placings and other equity capital raisings, together with debt facilities (or instruments), to initially acquire Airbus A380 aircraft which will be leased to one or more major airlines.  The Company aims to provide Shareholders with an attractive total return comprising income, from distributions through the period of the Company’s ownership of the Assets, and capital, upon the sale of the Assets.
DNA Alpha
The Company has one wholly-owned subsidiary, DNA Alpha Limited (“DNA Alpha”) which holds or will hold the Assets for the Company. Together the Company and DNA Alpha are known as the (“Group”).
The first Asset was acquired by DNA Alpha on 29 August 2013 for a purchase price of US$245 million.  Upon delivery, DNA Alpha entered into an operating lease with Emirates, pursuant to which the first Asset has been leased to Emirates for an expected initial term of 12 years, with fixed lease rentals for the duration.
The second Asset was acquired by DNA Alpha on 29 October 2013 for a purchase price of US$245 million.  Upon delivery, DNA Alpha entered into an operating lease with Emirates, pursuant to which the second Asset has been leased to Emirates for an expected initial term of 12 years, with fixed lease rentals for the duration.
The third Asset was acquired by DNA Alpha on 14 November 2013 for a purchase price of US$245 million.  Upon delivery, DNA Alpha entered into an operating lease with Emirates, pursuant to which the third Asset has been leased to Emirates for an expected initial term of 12 years, with fixed lease rentals for the duration.
The fourth Asset is anticipated to be purchased by the end  of 2013 by DNA Alpha for a purchase price of US$245 million.  Upon delivery, DNA Alpha will enter into an operating lease with Emirates, pursuant to which the fourth Asset has been leased to Emirates for an expected initial term of 12 years, with fixed lease rentals for the duration.
DNA Alpha acquired the Assets, using a combination of a portion of the proceeds of the issue of the Shares by the Company together with the proceeds of the sale of Equipment Notes issued by DNA Alpha (the “Equipment Notes”) and the initial rent payment pursuant to the relevant operating lease. The Equipment Notes were acquired by two separate pass through trusts using the proceeds of their issue of enhanced equipment trust certificates (the “Certificates”) as detailed within the Offering Circular issued by DNA Alpha dated 10 July 2013. The Certificates, with an aggregate face amount of approximately $630 million, were admitted to the official list of the Irish Stock Exchange and to trading on the Main Securities market thereof on 12 July 2013.
Distribution Policy
The Company aims to provide shareholders of the Company (“Shareholders”) with an attractive total return comprising income, from distributions through the period of the Company’s ownership of the Assets, and capital, upon the sale of the Assets.
For the dividend payment in January 2014, the Company will target a distribution to investors of 1.7185 pence per Ordinary Share per quarter. Once the first Asset, the second Asset, the third Asset and the fourth Asset have been acquired and leased for an entire quarter, the Company will target a distribution to investors of 2.0625 pence per Ordinary Share per quarter (amounting to a yearly distribution of 8.25 per cent. based on the initial placing price of 100 pence per Ordinary Share).
There can be no guarantee that dividends will be paid to Shareholders and, if dividends are paid, as to the timing and amount of any such dividend. There can also be no guarantee that the Company will, at all times, satisfy the solvency test required to be satisfied pursuant to section 304 of the Companies (Guernsey) Law 2008 (the “Guernsey Law”) enabling the Directors to effect the payment of dividends.
Performance Overview
All payments by Emirates have to date been made in accordance with the terms of the respective Lease.
Subsequent to the period under review and in accordance with the Distribution Policy specified in its prospectus, DNA3 declared a first interim dividend of 0.1715 pence per Ordinary Share. Future dividend payments are anticipated to continue to be declared and paid on a quarterly cycle on the basis specified by the Company’s Distribution Policy and subject to compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Doric Nimrod Air Three Limited
CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT
I am pleased to present Shareholders with the Company’s first half yearly financial report covering the period from incorporation until 30 September 2013.
Admission of 220,000,000 shares of the Company to trading on the Specialist Fund Market of the London Stock Exchange and listing on the Channel Islands Stock Exchange took place on 2 July 2013, with an issue price of 100 pence each.  The Company’s investment objective is to obtain income returns and a capital return for its Shareholders by acquiring, leasing and then selling aircraft.  The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the placing and of the issue in July 2013 of two tranches of enhanced equipment trust certificates with an aggregate face value of $630 million, to fund the purchase of four Airbus A380-861 aircraft.  The Company acquired the first aircraft on 29 August 2013, through its wholly subsidiary DNA Alpha Limited and subsequent to the end of the period covered by the Report, on 29 October a second aircraft was acquired and the third aircraft was acquired on 14 November. Allaircraft were acquired for the sum of US$245 million each.  Upon delivery this subsidiary entered into aircraft operating leases with Emirates Airlines.  The aircraft have been leased to Emirates for an initial term of twelve years with fixed lease rentals for the duration.  The debt portion of the funding will fully amortise over the twelve years of the lease, leaving the aircraft unencumbered at the conclusion of the lease.  All payments thus far by Emirates have been made in accordance with the term of the lease.
The Company hopes to acquire [two] more aircraft in the fourth quarter of 2013.  The Company declared a first interim dividend of 0.1715 pence per share on 1 October 2013.  However once the four assets have been acquired and leased, the Company will target a distribution to Shareholders of 2.0625 pence per share per quarter (amounting to a yearly distribution of 8.25%) based on the initial placing price of 100 pence per share.
The Company will have the ability to acquire further additional aircraft if, in the view of the Board, the acquisition of such additional aircraft would not have an adverse material effect on the Company’s target income distributions.   As with the acquisition of the three aircraft already planned, the acquisition of additional aircraft would be financed by way of a Placing and debt.
The lessee has performed well over the period and recently announced an order for 50 additional Airbus A380 aircraft at the opening of the Dubai Airshow 2013.  Despite the turmoil in the global economy, passenger air traffic remained robust.  Emirates continues to report strong performance.  This was greatly aided by the airline’s ability to adjust flight schedules swiftly, and redeploy aircraft about the network, thus optimising revenue.  The airline operates with a remarkably high passenger seat factor whilst at the same time increasing seat capacity.
The lease payments received by the Company from Emirates cover repayment of the debt as well as income to pay dividends to shareholders.  Emirates bears all costs
(including maintenance, repair and insurance) relating to the aircraft during the lifetime of the lease. The Company’s Asset Manager, Doric Leasing Corp  Management Ltd., continues to monitor the lease and reports regularly to the Board. Nimrod Capital LLP, the Company’s Placing and Corporate and Shareholder Advisory Agent, continues to liaise between the Board and Shareholders, which includes distribution of quarterly fact sheets and the interim management statements.
Foreign exchange has influenced the financial statements as, under the requirements of  International Financial Reporting Standards, the items in the Statement of Financial Position are translated into Sterling from US Dollars at varying foreign exchange rates, either the year end rate or historic transaction rate, which will inevitably produce foreign exchange differences (losses for the period ended 30 September 2013).  In reality those lease rentals received in US Dollars are used to pay the loan repayments due, also in US Dollars. Both US Dollars lease rentals and loan repayments are fixed and are for similar sums and similar timings. The matching of lease rentals to settle loan repayments therefore mitigates risks caused by foreign exchange fluctuations.
In addition to this the rental income is spread evenly over the term of each of the leases, rather than the rentals being accounted for as actually received into the Company’s bank account. Furthermore, interest on borrowings is recognised using the effective interest rate method, resulting in higher charges in earlier periods when the outstanding principal balances are greater.  The loan repayments are, in reality, constant over much of the lease term, reducing in the final two years.
On behalf of the Board I would like to thank all Shareholders for their continued support of the Company.
Charles Wilkinson
Chairman
Doric Nimrod Air Three Limited
ASSET MANAGERS REPORT
On the invitation of the Directors of the Company, this commentary has been provided by Doric Lease Corp Management Ltd as Asset Manager of the Company in respect of the Period and is provided without any warranty as to its accuracy and without any liability incurred on the part of the Company or Doric Lease Corp Management Ltd.  The commentary is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice.  Potential investors in the Company should seek their own independent financial advice and may not rely on this communication in evaluating the merits of investing in the Company.  The commentary is provided as a source of information for shareholders of the Company but is not attributable to the Company.
1. The Assets
On 29 August 2013, the Company received its first Airbus A380 aircraft, bearing manufacturer’s serial number (MSN) 132. Another three aircraft are due for delivery by the end of the calendar year.
The first A380 owned by the Company recently visited London Heathrow, New York and Sydney. As the aircraft joined the Emirates fleet only recently, no utilization information is currently available.
Maintenance Status
Emirates maintains its A380 aircraft fleet based on a maintenance programme according to which minor maintenance checks are performed every 1,500 flight hours, and more significant maintenance checks (C checks) at the earlier of 24 months or 12,000 flight hour intervals. Emirates will bear all costs (including maintenance, repair and insurance) relating to the aircraft during the lifetimeof the leases.
Hairline Cracks
In late 2011, hairline cracks within the wing structure of some A380s in service were detected. In order to fix this issue Airbus developed a wing rib feet modification programme. With respect to MSN 132 the modification had already been embodied during the final assembly, therefore no inspection is required once the aircraft is in service.
2. Market Overview
Between January and July of the current year, passenger demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs), expanded by 4.8% compared to the same period in the previous year. The industry remains on a growth path, which started in the fourth quarter of 2012. In recent months the development of passenger markets were positively influenced by the economic recovery of the Eurozone, where an 18-month-long recession came to an end. At the same time, economic growth in China has slowed with noticeable impact on air traffic. During the course of the year, airlines have increased their capacities carefully and available seat kilometres
(ASKs) showed a smaller growth rate than the revenue passenger kilometres. Overall, the passenger load factor during the first seven months of this year was 79.5% on average. This is an increase of 0.6%-points compared to the same period the year before. According to the latest traffic forecast released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in September 2013, RPKs are expected to grow by 5.0% this year and 5.8% in 2014.
Regional growth patterns continue to be uneven. Between January and July 2013 Middle East airlines increased their RPKs by 10.9% compared to the previous year’s period. The slowest growth was again observed in North America with an increase in RPKs of 2.0% compared to the same period in the previous year. Growth in Latin America further lost ground and is in the meantime the third slowest growing region worldwide just ahead of Europe.
After freight-tonne-kilometres (FTKs) had contracted in February and March 2013, air freight markets have started to show signs of renewed growth with slightly improving air freight volumes during the last few months. Between January and July 2013 FTKs increased by 0.2% compared to the same period the year before. Global business confidence has slightly improved and a pickup in export orders has been noticed. It remains to be seen if these developments are sustainable since the signs of improving macroeconomic conditions – in particular in the US and Europe – need to translate into growing demand for Asian manufactured products shipped by aircraft to these regions. In Asia Pacific, which is pivotal for the further development of air freight demand, FTKs have still been shrinking.
Expenses for jet fuel are expected to remain on a high level during 2013 with an average price of USD 126.4 per barrel, a slight relief compared to the previous forecast in June 2013 of USD 127.4 per barrel. The share of fuel costs would amount to 31% of airlines’ total operating costs. A decade ago, the share was 14% and has more than doubled since then.
IATA released its latest industry outlook in September 2013 according to which global industry profits are expected to reach USD 11.7 billion this year. This is slightly lower than IATA’s June 2013 estimate of USD 12.7 billion after air transport markets and airline profits improves slower than expected during the last few months. For 2014 IATA expects net profits of USD 16.4 billion, based on a global gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 2.7%. GDP is highly correlated with the profit development in the industry.
Source: IATA
3. Lessee – Emirates Key Financials and Outlook
As previously reported, Emirates announced its 25th consecutive year of profit and company-wide growth for the financial year ending 31 March 2013.
Revenue reached a record high of USD 19.9 billion, up by 17% compared to the previous financial year, and continues to be well balanced with no region contributing more than 30%. East Asia and Australasia remained the highest revenue contributing region with USD 5.7 billion, up 15% from 2011/2012. Europe (up 18% to USD 5.5 billion) and the Americas (up 24% to USD 2.3 billion) saw the most significant growth, reflecting new destinations as well as increased frequency and capacity to these regions.
The airline posted a net profit of USD 622 million, representing an increase of 52% over last year’s results. Although Emirates’ fuel bill increased by 15% to reach USD 7.6 billion, total operating costs showed a smaller increase (+16%) than revenue (+17%) in the financial year 2012/2013.
As of 31 March 2013 the balance sheet total amounted to USD 25.8 billion, an increase of 23% from the previous year. Total equity increased by 7.3% to USD 6.3 billion with an equity ratio of 24.3%. The current ratio was 1.12; therefore the airline would be able to meet its current liabilities by liquidating all of its current assets. Significant items on the liabilities side of the balance sheet included finance leases in the amount of USD 7.4 billion and revenues received in advance from passenger and freight sales (USD 2.9 billion). As of 31 March 2013 the carrier’s cash balance reached USD 6.7 billion.
Emirates continued with its growth plan and during the financial year 2012/2013 saw the largest increase in capacity in the airline’s history, receiving 34 wide-body aircraft, including ten Airbus A380s and four freighters. As of 31 August 2013 Emirates has 204 aircraft in operation, with firm orders for another 190 aircraft, including 54 A380s, 61 Boeing 777-300ER and 50 Airbus A350-900 XWB. The airline operates the world’s largest fleets of Airbus A380s and Boeing 777-300ER.
As of September 2013 Emirates operates flights to 135 destinations in 77 countries on six continents. New routes launched so far this year include Warsaw, Algiers, Tokyo Haneda and Stockholm. Until the end of the calendar year, Emirates plans to add another four destinations: Clark International Airport (Philippines), Conakry (Guinea), Sialkot (Pakistan) and Kabul (Afghanistan). At the beginning of 2014 Kiev (Ukraine) and Taipei (Taiwan) will join the global network of the Dubai-based carrier.
In September 2013 Emirates Group released its third Environment Report for the financial year 2012/13 ending on 31 March 2013 according to which the fuel consumption per one hundred passenger kilometres decreased by one percent to 4.07 litres. This is nearly 16% below the IATA industry average forecasted for 2012 and the result of the relatively young fleet that Emirates is operating. The airline’s average fleet age is six years, half of the IATA average. Since fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions are closely correlated, Emirates fleet of modern and fuel efficient aircraft, like the Airbus A380, has emitted nearly 17% less carbon dioxide per passenger kilometre than the IATA average. Emirates fleet’s CO2 emissions per one hundred passenger kilometres decreased by one percent to 100.6 grams compared to the business year before. For its efforts to reduce noise impact on surrounding communities, Emirates was awarded with the “Fly Quiet” Award at San Francisco Airport (SFO) in 2013 for the second time in a row, after its Flight Operations Performance team had tested different take-off and climb routes, the usage of longer runways and favorable pathways to take advantage of headwinds. Just four years ago, Emirates’ noise footprint was ranked second to last among airlines serving SFO.
Source: Emirates
4. Aircraft – A380
Emirates has a fleet of 36 A380s which currently serve 20 destinations worldwide: Amsterdam, Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Kuala Lumpur, London Heathrow, Manchester, Melbourne, Moscow, Munich, New York JFK, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Toronto.
On 1 August 2013 Emirates celebrated the fifth anniversary of the first A380 joining its fleet. Since the inaugural flight to New York that day, more than 18 million passengers flew aboard an Emirates A380 on 20,000 round trips travelling 265 million kilometres. The airline is using its flagship on short haul as well as long haul routes: The longest non-stop route within the network is Dubai to New York, covering 11,023 kilometres during a flight of thirteen and a half hours. Between Hong Kong and Bangkok Emirates is operating the shortest A380 route with a distance of 1,900 kilometres and an estimated flying time of roughly two and a half hours. According to Tim Clark, the airline’s President, “Emirates has changed the face of air travel with this remarkable aircraft”.
Over the next few months, Emirates plans to extend its A380 route network to Brisbane (1 October 2013), Los Angeles (2 December), Mauritius (16 December 2013), Zurich (1 January 2014) and Barcelona (1 February 2014).
At the end of August 2013, the global A380 fleet consisted of 108 planes in service with another 153 still on order with new and existing operators. The currently ten operators are Emirates (36 A380 aircraft), Singapore Airlines (19), Qantas (12), Deutsche Lufthansa (10), Air France (8), Korean Airways (7), China Southern Airlines (5), Malaysia Airlines (6), Thai Airways (4) and British Airways (1). The British flag carrier commenced its commercial A380 service between London and Los Angeles on 24 September 2013. Qatar Airways will become the eleventh airline to join the club of A380 operators when it takes delivery of this aircraft in 2014.
According to Airbus, the worldwide fleet accumulated over one million flight hours in more than 120,000 commercial flights. The number of passengers flying aboard an Airbus A380 to date is 44 million.
Source: Airbus, Ascend, Emirates
Doric Nimrod Air Three Limited
INTERIM MANAGEMENT REPORT
from 29 March 2013 to 30 September 2013 (the “Period”)
A description of important events that have incurred during the Period, their impact on the performance of the Company as shown in the financial statements and description on the principle risks and uncertainties of the remaining six months of the annual financial year is given within the Chairman’s Statement and the Notes to the Financial Statements contained on pages 18 to 38 and is incorporated here by reference.
There were no material related party transactions which took place in the period, other than those disclosed at Note 19 of the Notes to the Financial Statements.
Going Concern
The Company’s principal activities are set out within the Company Overview on page 2. The financial position of the Company is set out on pages 14 to 17 In addition, Note 16 to the financial statements includes the Company’s objectives, policies and processes for managing its capital; its financial risk management objectives and its exposures to credit risk and liquidity risk.  The Equipment Note payments have been fixed and the fixed rental income under the relevant operating lease means that the rent should be sufficient to repay the debt and provide surplus income to pay for the Company’s expenses and permit payment of dividends.
After making reasonable enquiries, and as described above the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company has adequate resources to continue in its operational existence for the foreseeable future.  Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing these interim financial statements.
Doric Nimrod Air Three Limited
STATEMENT OF DIRECTORS’ RESPONSIBILITIES IN RESPECT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Responsibility Statements
The Board of directors jointly and severally confirm that, to the best of their knowledge:
(a)        The financial statements, prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the Company; and
(b)        This Interim Management Report includes or incorporates by reference:
a.   An indication of important events that have occurred during the Period, and their impact on the financial statements;
b.   a description of the principal risks and uncertainties for the remaining six months of the financial year; and
c.   confirmation that there were no related party transactions in the Period that have materially affected the financial position or the performance of the Company during that period.
Charles Wilkinson
Chairman
Doric Nimrod Air Three Limited
DIRECTORS
Charles Edmund Wilkinson – Chairman (Age 70)
Charles Wilkinson is a solicitor who retired from Lawrence Graham LLP in March 2005. While at Lawrence Graham he specialised in corporate finance and commercial law, latterly concentrating on investment trust and fund work.
Charles is currently Chairman of the Board of Doric Nimrod Air One Limited and a director of Doric Nimrod Air Two Limited, Premier Energy and Water Trust PLC (a listed investment trust), and of Landore Resources Ltd, a Guernsey based mining exploration company.
Norbert Bannon – (Age 64)
Norbert Bannon is a director of the Irish and UK regulated subsidiaries of a major Canadian bank and is the Chairman of a £1 billion UK defined benefit pension scheme and also chairs one of the largest defined contribution pension schemes in Ireland. He is Chairman of Doric Nimrod Air Two Limited and the Audit Committee of Doric Nimrod Air One Limited. He is a director of and advisor to a number of other financial companies.
He has extensive experience in international finance having been CEO of banks in Singapore and New York.  He was Managing Director of Ireland’s largest venture capital company andwas Finance Director and Chief Risk Officer  of AIB Capital Markets plc. which he left in in 2002. He has worked as a consultant to a number of international companies.
He earned a degree in economics from Queen’s University, studied at Stanford Graduate School of Businessand is a Chartered Accountant.
Geoffrey Alan Hall (Age 65)
Geoffrey Hall has extensive experience in asset management, having previously been Chief Investment Officer of Allianz Insurance plc, a major UK general insurance company and an investment manager at HSBC Asset Management, County Investment Management, and British Railways Pension Funds. Geoffrey is also currently a director of Doric Nimrod Air One Limited and Doric Nimrod Air Two Limited.