Final Results

RNS Number : 1536O

Dart Group PLC

24 June 2010

 



DART GROUP PLC

PRELIMINARY UNAUDITED RESULTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2010

 

Dart Group PLC (the 'Group'), the Aviation and Distribution Group, announces its preliminary results for the year ended 31 March 2010.  These results are presented under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT

I am pleased to report on the Group's trading for the year ended 31 March 2010 - a reasonably satisfactory year for the Group in what were challenging conditions for our Aviation business, Jet2.com.  It was, however, an encouraging year for our Distribution business, Fowler Welch-Coolchain.  Group turnover fell slightly to £434m (2009: £439m).  Group profitability was impacted by lower margins in Jet2.com, as a result of reduced customer demand.  Group profit before tax amounted to £22.2m (2009: £33.5m) with earnings per share of 11.1p (2009: 19.3p).  Underlying profit before tax, before specific IAS 39 fair value movements, was £19.1m (2009: £28.8m).  In consideration of the Group's current trading performance, the Board recommends a final dividend of 0.75p per share (2009: 0.71p).  If approved at the Group's Annual General Meeting to be held on 2 September 2010, this dividend will be payable on 15 October 2010 to shareholders on the Group's register at the close of business on 10 September 2010.  The associated ex-dividend date will be 8 September 2010.

Capital expenditure for the year ended 31 March 2010 was £32.1m (2009: £27.9m).  This expenditure related principally to long term maintenance spend on aircraft airframes and engines, together with the acquisition of a further Boeing 757-200 aircraft.  As at 31 March 2010, the Group's net cash position amounted to £52.2m (2009: £11.8m). Net cash flow from operating activities amounted to £73.2m (2009: £58.4m), driven principally by improved forward bookings in Jet2.com.

Aviation

Jet2.com, the Group's leisure airline, experienced weaker customer demand for its passenger services, especially during off-peak and winter months, with flights to skiing destinations being particularly affected.  However, early action was taken to reduce capacity and frequency in order to control potential losses.  At the same time we continued to develop our services to year round 'far sun' destinations, including additional flights to Cyprus, Egypt and the Canary Islands, although this was, of course, in the face of increased capacity from other operators.  New destinations added to the Jet2.com network in 2009 were Dalaman, Dubrovnik, Newquay, Tel Aviv and Split, with capacity closely tailored to anticipated demand.  Overall 2009/10 seat capacity was 7% below that of the previous year.

Jet2.com is supported by 5 key income streams:-

·     Seat only sales via the Jet2.com web site, with the unique proposition of 'great flight times', '22kg baggage allowance', 'allocated seating', and 'loyalty points for free flights';

·     Jet2holidays.com - the Group's expanding Tour Operator, offering 'great value packages that you can trust', using Jet2.com's flights and over 600 directly contracted hotels.  Over 64,000 packages were sold in the year and this is planned to grow substantially going forward;

·     The sale of allocations of seats on our flights to other tour operators, together with sales to the travel trade, thereby spreading commercial risk, especially for new routes;

·     750 whole-aircraft charters in the year for a wide range of customers including tour operators, other airlines, sports teams, pilgrims, government & national agencies, corporate customers, orchestras and cruise lines, to over 130 destinations in Europe, the United States, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia; and

·     Our long-term contract with Royal Mail for whom we operate eight Boeing 737-300 'Quick Change' aircraft on night services, carrying primarily First Class mail.  We have flown services for Royal Mail since 1978 and very much value our relationship.

During the year we carried over 3.1 million scheduled and charter passengers.

A key element in support of our planned future development is our in-house IT capability.  Our software development team has built our Jet2.com and Jet2holidays.com reservations systems from scratch, working closely with our commercial and operational teams to deliver to exacting specifications. Our Web and IT team of over 40 employees (encompassing site design, database management, software development, operational support and quality assurance) create and enhance internet based solutions that help us to deliver our great leisure products.  We are continually developing and improving these IT business systems to meet our customers' needs in a fast changing market.

We use several leading-edge analytical tools to understand our customers' browsing and purchasing habits and these, together with focus groups and website usability testing, give us detailed insights into how we can better deliver products that are attractive to our customers. An example of this is our growing loyalty scheme, 'myJet2'.  We have over 250,000 loyalty scheme members who earn points for their purchases, redeemable against flights.

Our in-house IT capabilities also greatly benefit the growth of our ancillary retail revenues, which include checked-in bags with a sector-leading weight allowance of 22kg, seat selection including extra leg room, pre-booked meals, great value in-flight service, foreign exchange and commissions on car hire.  Together, these ancillary products brought in £21 per passenger in the financial year to 31 March 2010.

Our challenge is to differentiate the Company in the seat-only market.  We believe our in-house IT, our caring and friendly service and our unique selling propositions go a good way to achieving this. With the contribution of passengers from Jet2holidays alongside our other income streams, we feel optimistic that, provided we are flexible, continue to innovate and to offer really great value fares, our Aviation business will prosper.

Distribution

It gives me great pleasure to report on the considerable progress made by our logistics business, Fowler Welch-Coolchain in the year.  The Company specialises in the distribution of chilled and ambient foods and other consumer products on behalf of leading supermarkets and their suppliers.

Following the financial year end, in May 2010, after a long search, the Company completed the freehold purchase of a 500,000 sq.ft., 50,000+ pallet capacity, ambient distribution centre located adjacent to the motorway network in Heywood, Greater Manchester.  This acquisition doubles the Company's distribution footprint.  Known as 'The Hub' and formerly used by major retailers, this facility is fully racked and ready to go - setting the scene for Fowler Welch-Coolchain to greatly expand its storage & distribution offering in the North West.  The Company's existing North West distribution business, which is based at Stockport, Cheshire, is vacating its existing leasehold premises and will be fully operational from the Hub before Christmas 2010.   It is also planned to offer temperature-controlled storage and distribution from The Hub following the installation of cold stores in the near future. 

IT plays an important role in the success of Fowler Welch-Coolchain and it is pleasing to report on the successful implementation of the Company's Manhattan warehouse management software, which is delivering measurable efficiencies and will imminently also be implemented at the Hub.

Fowler Welch Coolchain's Distribution business is benefitting from a number of new business wins, together with increased support from existing customers.  We are delighted to be distributing the full range of products sold by Tesco Express convenience stores in the North East from our distribution centre in Washington, Tyne and Wear.  Other new customers for this distribution centre include Cumbrian Seafoods, who have awarded Fowler Welch-Coolchain their pick-to-order warehousing and onward distribution requirements.  The quality of service and growth in business at this site is really encouraging and rewarding, following our initial freehold investment four years ago and a substantial upgrade of facilities and services over the past 18 months.  Our distribution business in Kent and our South coast operations at Portsmouth and Southampton all out-performed expectations in the year, through new business wins and increased volumes from existing customers.

During the year, considerable internal warehouse development has taken place at our Spalding distribution centre which is the Company's head office, allowing us to expand here also.  Together with new operations for Tesco out of Avonmouth, the start of distribution operations in the Midlands for Mars, the growth of our European operations on behalf of American Airlines and others, and the development of our recently acquired container business, Bawdsey Haulage Limited in Felixstowe,  the commercial outlook at Fowler Welch-Coolchain, whilst hugely price competitive, looks encouraging.

Our Staff

Our businesses must maintain their reputation for value for money and customer service.  Low costs and flexibility have to be our drivers.  This can only be achieved by focus on these key ingredients by each of us throughout the Group.  I very much appreciate the support we receive in this respect - for we rely on customer demand to fuel our future growth.

Outlook

We hope to grow both our businesses in the year ahead, despite the continuing challenging economic climate.  Fowler Welch-Coolchain has good business development opportunities throughout its operations - and particularly, of course, in the North West.

Given the right conditions, we will also invest in our leisure airline, with continued emphasis on leisure destinations, supported by seat-only and package holiday sales.  In the current trading environment, both businesses have started the year reasonably satisfactorily, despite the disruption caused by the volcanic ash.  With increasing demand for our Distribution services and a carefully tailored airline flying programme, we are reasonably well placed to deliver improved financial performance in this financial year.

Philip Meeson

Chairman

24 June 2010

BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL REVIEW

The Group is comprised of two principal operating businesses, Aviation and Distribution, which trade in separate market segments.

2009/10 performance

The Group's financial performance for the year to 31 March 2010 is reported in line with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), as adopted by the EU, which were effective at 31 March 2010.

Underlying Group profit before tax decreased from £28.8m to £19.1m in the year to 31 March 2010, reflecting a more challenging trading environment, in particular for the Group's Aviation operations. Overall turnover fell by 1%, with growth in Distribution revenues offset by a reduction in Jet2.com, whose seat capacity was managed down in the light of reduced consumer demand in both Summer and Winter. Underlying EBITDA of £53.0m (2009: £65.9m) is down 20% on last year reflecting lower margins in the Aviation operations.

The Group's effective tax rate for the year of 30% (2009: 19%) was substantially in line with the corporation tax rate, last year's lower rate being driven by the recognition of deferred tax assets from tax losses arising in prior years.

In recognition of a reasonably satisfactory year in challenging trading conditions and current trading performance, the Group recommends, subject to shareholder approval, a final dividend of 0.75p for the year ended 31 March 2010 (2009: 0.71p).

The Group generated cash inflows of over £40m in the year, resulting in a positive net cash position as at 31 March 2010 of £52.2m (2009: £11.8m). The Group's improved cash generation was principally driven by the Aviation division which saw an increase in forward bookings in the latter part of the year. Capital expenditure, which increased by approximately £4m in the year, included the acquisition of a further 757-200 aircraft in January 2010, to operate from Jet2.com's new base at East Midlands airport.

The Group's balance sheet continued to strengthen, driven by both profit performance in the year and cash generation from advance bookings.  The resultant increase in shareholders' equity and the improved cash position are the principal changes in the balance sheet from the previous year end. The growth in trade payables is principally driven by deferred income growth, reflecting stronger forward booking performance for the forthcoming Summer relative to the previous year.

Segmental performance

Aviation

The Aviation division comprises the Group's scheduled leisure airline, tour operations and associated commercial activities, trading under the Jet2.com and Jet2holidays.com brands. The Company operates 24 Boeing 737-300 aircraft, including eight 'Quick Change' aircraft, and ten Boeing 757-200 aircraft, from its home base of Leeds Bradford International Airport, and Belfast, Blackpool, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Manchester and Newcastle airports.

During 2009/10, Jet2.com continued its careful development of the scheduled airline network, increasing the number of routes to Eastern Mediterranean destinations, whilst managing down winter capacity and reducing some frequencies, tailoring capacity to market demand. Overall scheduled airline seat capacity was reduced for both Summer 2009 and for Winter 2009/10. This careful route and capacity management resulted in load factors being increased to 80% (2008/9: 78%), albeit partly at the expense of yields. Load factor performance was supported by the ongoing development of the airline's yield management system and by the sale of seat allocations to third party tour operators, particularly on newer routes.

Retail revenues continue to be a very important source of income for the scheduled airline business, allowing low fares to be maintained.  Retail revenue per passenger increased from £14.93 to £21.12 in 2009/10, these being generated from a number of sources including hold baggage charges, online seat assignment, extra leg room seats, and commissions on car hire. Customers are also able to pre-order hot food. The business is devoting considerable resource to developing its in-house reservation system to both improve the booking experience for customers and optimise retail revenues.  During the year the Jet2.com reservation system has also been enhanced to offer our customers dynamic currency conversion, online redemption for 'myJet2' loyalty scheme members as well as discounted pricing on bundles of optional purchases such as food and extra leg room. The trade portal continues to be enhanced to provide the travel trade with easy access to Jet2.com scheduled flights in recognition of the importance of the dynamic packaging segment of customer demand.

Jet2.com's passenger and freight activities continue to be an important element of the overall Aviation operation. The passenger charter activity provides flights for many different end users, including tour operators, specialist holiday providers and in support of promotional, sporting and other events, and enables the business to improve utilisation of aircraft outside peak periods. The Royal Mail contract, under which night mail flights are undertaken every weekday from six UK airports, continues to be serviced well, with industry leading punctuality, to enable the Royal Mail to meet its service obligations. Total charter revenues reduced by 27% in the year reflecting a weaker market for passenger charter business, after a very strong year in 2008/9, although the business continues to enjoy a strong reputation with its customers, exemplified by being voted Passenger Airline of the Year by the Baltic Air Charter Association.

In 2007, the business launched Jet2holidays.com as another route to market for the distribution of airline seats.  This element of the Aviation division has grown significantly and delivered over 64,000 holidays, all on Jet2.com flights in the year.  Holidays are packaged dynamically by linking flights with accommodation and a range of airport transfer options. In order to improve the product range, pricing and the quality of the offering to our customers, increasingly accommodation is being contracted directly rather than via bed bank operators. The Jet2holidays.com website is constantly being enhanced to improve the quality of both the customer and the trade booking experience. The call centre, direct web bookings and bookings through online and offline trade sites are all important elements of the distribution mix.

The Group added an additional, leased, Boeing 737 aircraft to the fleet in June 2009 to enable the expansion of Manchester based operations, and provide additional charter availability.  In January 2010, the purchase of an additional 757 aircraft was completed. This aircraft will predominantly be used for scheduled flying on Eastern Mediterranean routes from the new East Midlands base. Two additional 737 aircraft have also been acquired on a lease basis to support the Summer 2010 flying programme from Manchester, with a number of new routes being added. 

We continue to benefit from the long term agreement with Pratt & Whitney for the fixed price maintenance of the CFM56-3 series engines, which power our Boeing 737-300 aircraft.  Pratt & Whitney have also started to manufacture and supply a range of parts for these engines at attractive pricing under their Global Material Solutions Programme. The agreement with Pratt & Whitney delivers increased engine efficiency, cost certainty and price reductions for the business. 

Jet2.com continued to improve fuel efficiency during the year, with a multi-phase programme aimed at reducing both fuel burn and associated emissions. The Company has a significant checklist of actions, which include efficient aircraft loading, route optimisation, and lower aircraft flying speeds, made possible by the introduction of a newly implemented flight planning system, supplemented by on-going engineering activity. Two further Boeing 757 aircraft were fitted with fuel efficient winglets this winter.

Jet2.com'sfinancial performance was impacted by weaker demand for both scheduled flying and passenger charter operations, coupled with further investment in Jet2holidays.com.  Total Aviation revenues fell by 5%, despite the growth in holiday sales, without which year on year revenues would have been 7% down.  Cost growth was contained to less than 2%, despite the impact of the weakness of sterling.

Distribution

The Group's Distribution business, Fowler Welch-Coolchain, is one of the UK's leading logistics providers serving UK retailers, importers and manufacturers. Focusing on food and drink, the business operates from twelve strategically located distribution centres and offers a range of logistics solutions including storage, case pick-to-order and national distribution of both temperature-controlled and ambient products.

The entire share capital of Bawdsey Haulage Limited, a container logistics business based in Felixstowe, was acquired in September 2009 for a relatively small sum.  This acquisition has enabled growth with existing customers and also new clients.  We now offer port-based distribution services from Southampton, Tilbury, Thamesport, Sheerness, Teesport and Liverpool, in addition to our comprehensive services from Britain's premier port of Felixstowe. This acquisition positions the business as an end-to-end logistics service provider of temperature-controlled, ambient and break bulk/full load container services.

In May 2010, the business completed the purchase of a 500,000 sq. ft. freehold distribution centre on 22 acres of land in Heywood, Greater Manchester.  The acquisition of these premises, which are know as 'The Hub', increases our stockholding capacity within our ambient business from circa 17,000 to 50,000 pallets with further space available to be temperature-controlled, thus providing a chilled distribution facility in the North West for existing and new clients. 

The Company has built its reputation around a flexible service offering that meets the strict time-sensitive and multi-temperature supply chain requirements of UK retailers. On a daily basis, the Company collects local suppliers' products, which are then consolidated with product picked from stock holding in the Company's strategically based warehouses before delivery.  This activity has increased in the year to approximately 1.5 million cases of various fast moving consumer goods handled on a weekly basis.

Distribution revenue increased by 9% in the year, with growth experienced across the network as a whole, through a combination of continued organic growth, substantial new business wins and the Bawdsey Haulage acquisition.

The increase in volumes near Manchester required an investment in operational capacity, with the addition of a short term satellite site for the ambient business to cover seasonal volume peaks, and extra space being secured for our Portsmouth operations in May 2009 to facilitate a new business win.  Fleet size also increased during the year following the Bawdsey Haulage acquisition and the start of distribution operations in the Midlands for Mars, in addition to an overall expansion of our own fleet as a result of increased business and service level requirements.

The actions taken in the previous financial year to improve operating efficiency, supplemented by further optimisation of the national network and continued focus on reduction in empty mileage, enabled Fowler Welch-Coolchain to improve its profit margin significantly from 3.6% to 6.0%. This improved performance was achieved despite the business driven capacity increases and the effects of the exceptionally severe winter on fuel efficiency.

Within the year, the Company completed the implementation of Manhattan, a globally recognised warehouse management system into its chilled warehousing operations.  This generated operational efficiencies through labour savings and allows real-time online visibility of stock levels and management information. The system will be implemented into the ambient operation at 'The Hub' during the first half of the current financial year.

Over the last year, the Distribution business continued to make progress in reducing the environmental impact of its operations and thereby further reduced its carbon footprint. By maximising our network, further reduction in empty mileage and enhanced trailer fill, the net carbon impact per unit of product delivered reduced. A key driver in this improvement was the introduction of a further 15 double deck trailers during the year. Whilst this has a detrimental impact on fuel efficiency, the overall carbon impact is reduced by virtue of the 50% increase in trailer fill which this equipment delivers. An enhanced telematics system was deployed during the year and when fully operational will deliver enhanced vehicle operating visibility and will enable a further reduction in empty running to be achieved.

Ongoing driver training continues across all sites, encompassing regular defensive driver assessments that in turn deliver fuel efficiency improvements. Our fleet replacement programme for both tractor and trailer units continues to evaluate the marketplace to ensure the optimum fuel efficient equipment is procured, further improving the business' carbon footprint.

Given the global economic climate experienced over the last 12 months, and the ongoing challenges facing the distribution industry as a whole, the food and drink sector has again proved resilient in this downturn.

Fowler Welch-Coolchain remains well positioned in its marketplace to exploit further opportunities as a result of ongoing consolidation within its sector.

The additional warehousing capacity secured and the Company's growing reputation as a quality, low cost end-to-end service provider, offering national as well as regional solutions, will enable the business to continue to grow organically through existing and new customer relationships.

For further information contact:

Dart Group PLC	Tel:	0113 238 7444
Philip Meeson Group Chairman and Chief Executive	Mobile:	07785 258666
Andrew Merrick Group Finance Director	Mobile:	07788 565358
Andy Pedrette Smith & Williamson Corporate Finance Limited	Tel:	020 7131 4000

For further media enquiries: Contact the Press Office on 0113 243 1355

or email [e-mail] 

Consolidated Group Income Statement

for the year ended 31 March 2010

	Unaudited Year ended 31 March 2010			Audited Year ended 31 March 2009
	Results before specific IAS 39 fair value movements	Specific fair value movements (1)	Results for the year	Results before specific IAS 39 fair value movements	Specific fair value movements (1)	Results for the year
	£m	£m	£m	£m	£m	£m
Revenue	434.5	-	434.5	439.3	-	439.3
Net operating expenses	(415.1)	3.1	(412.0)	(404.1)	4.7	(399.4)
Operating profit	19.4	3.1	22.5	35.2	4.7	39.9
Finance income	1.9	-	1.9	0.9	-	0.9
Finance costs	(2.4)	-	(2.4)	(7.3)	-	(7.3)
Net financing costs	(0.5)	-	(0.5)	(6.4)	-	(6.4)
Profit on disposal of property, plant and equipment	0.2	-	0.2	-	-	-
Profit before taxation	19.1	3.1	22.2	28.8	4.7	33.5
Taxation	(5.6)	(1.0)	(6.6)	(5.1)	(1.3)	(6.4)
Profit for the year (all attributable to equity shareholders of the parent)	13.5	2.1	15.6	23.7	3.4	27.1

Earnings per share  ⁽²⁾

- basic	9.54p		11.06p	16.87p		19.27p
- diluted	9.17p		10.62p	16.46p		18.80p

Notes

(1)   In order to assist the reader to understand the underlying business performance, the Group discloses separately within the income statement specific IAS 39 fair value movements.

(2)   Earnings per share is calculated in accordance with IAS 33, 'Earnings per Share'.

Consolidated Group Statement of Comprehensive Income

for the year ended 31 March 2010

	Year ended  31 March 2010	Year ended  31 March 2009
	Unaudited £m	Audited £m
Profit for the period	15.6	27.1
Exchange differences on translating foreign operations	-	(0.2)
Movement in cashflow hedge reserve	10.7	(11.8)
Taxation on components of other comprehensive income	(3.0)	3.7
Other comprehensive income & expense for the period, net of taxation	7.7	(8.3)
Total comprehensive income for the period all attributable to owners of the parent	23.3	18.8

Consolidated Group Balance Sheet

at 31 March 2010

	Unaudited 2010	Audited 2009
	£m	£m
Non-current assets
Goodwill	7.0	6.8
Property, plant and equipment	191.4	190.5
Derivative financial instruments	2.9	2.4
Deferred Tax Assets	-	-
	201.3	199.7
Current assets
Inventories	0.3	0.4
Trade and other receivables	66.8	45.1
Derivative financial instruments	18.8	32.7
Cash and cash equivalents	52.2	11.8
	138.1	90.0
Total assets	339.4	289.7
Current liabilities
Trade and other payables	181.9	139.9
Borrowings	0.3	-
Derivative financial instruments	9.4	30.8
	191.6	170.7
Non-current liabilities
Other non current liabilities	6.6	6.4
Borrowings	0.3	-
Derivative financial instruments	0.3	0.2
Deferred tax liabilities	25.1	19.0
	32.3	25.6
Total liabilities	223.9	196.3
Net assets	115.5	93.4
Shareholders' equity
Share capital	1.8	1.8
Share premium	9.3	9.3
Cash flow hedging reserve	9.6	1.9
Retained earnings	94.8	80.4
Total Shareholders' equity	115.5	93.4

 

Consolidated Group Cash Flow Statement

for the year ended 31 March 2010

	Unaudited 2010	Audited 2009
	£m	£m
Cash flows from operating activities
Profit for the year before taxation	22.2	33.5
Adjustments for:
Finance income	(1.9)	(0.9)
Finance costs	2.4	7.3
Profit on disposal of property, plant and equipment	(0.2)	-
Depreciation	33.0	30.7
Equity settled share based payments	0.3	0.2
Net financial derivative close out costs	6.0	-
Specific fair value adjustments	(2.8)	(4.7)
Operating cash flows before movements in working capital	59.0	66.1
Decrease / (increase) in inventories	0.1	(0.1)
Increase in trade and other receivables	(21.9)	(5.3)
Increase in trade and other payables	40.0	7.3
Financial derivative close out costs	-	(6.5)
Cash generated from operations	77.3	61.5
Interest received	-	0.1
Interest paid	(2.4)	(2.8)
Income taxes paid	(1.7)	(0.4)
Net cash from operating activities	73.2	58.4
Cash flows from investing activities
Purchase of property, plant and equipment	(32.1)	(27.9)
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment	0.3	0.1
Business acquisitions (net of cash and overdrafts)	(0.5)	-
Net cash used in investing activities	(32.3)	(27.8)
Cash flows from financing activities
Repayment of borrowings	(0.4)	(22.0)
Transaction costs paid	-	(0.9)
Equity dividends paid	(1.5)	-
Net cash used in financing activities	(1.9)	(22.9)
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes	1.4	0.1
Net increase in cash in the year	40.4	7.8
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year	11.8	4.0
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year	52.2	11.8

  

Consolidated Group Statement of Changes in Equity (unaudited)

for the year ended 31 March 2010

		Share Capital		Share Premium		Cash Flow Hedging Reserve		Retained Earnings		Other Reserves		Total Reserves
		£m		£m		£m		£m		£m		£m
Balance at 1 April 2008		1.8		9.3		10.0		53.1		0.2		74.4
Total comprehensive income for the period		-		-		(8.1)		27.1		(0.2)		18.8
Share based payments		-		-		-		0.2		-		0.2
Balance at 31 March 2009		1.8		9.3		1.9		80.4		-		93.4
Total comprehensive income for the period		-		-		7.7		15.6		-		23.3
Share based payments		-		-		-		0.3		-		0.3
Dividends paid in the year		-		-		-		(1.5)		-		(1.5)
Balance at 31 March 2010		1.8		9.3		9.6		94.8		-		115.5

NOTES TO THE GROUP FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1.   General information

The Group's Financial Statements consolidate the Financial Statements of Dart Group PLC and its subsidiaries. The Group's Financial Statements have been prepared and approved by the Directors in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ('IFRSs') as adopted by the European Union ('Adopted IFRSs').

2.   Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention except for all derivative financial instruments that have been measured at fair value and disposal groups held for sale that have been measured at the lower of fair value less costs to sell and their carrying amounts prior to the decision to treat them as held for sale.

Whilst the financial information included in this preliminary announcement has been computed in accordance with IFRS as adopted by the European Union, this announcement does not itself contain sufficient information to comply with IFRS. The Company expects to publish full financial statements in July 2010.

In order to allow a better understanding of the financial information presented, and specifically the Group's underlying business performance, the Group presents its income statement in three columns such that it identifies: (i) results excluding specific IAS 39 fair value movements; (ii) the effect of specific IAS 39 fair value movements; and (iii) results for the year. For the purpose of clarity, in the explanation of the basis of preparation applied in these consolidated financial statements, we describe these columns as the 'left hand column', the 'middle column' and the 'right hand column' respectively.

The Group uses forward foreign currency contracts, currency option products and aviation fuel swaps to hedge exposure to foreign exchange rates and aviation fuel price volatility. Such derivative financial instruments are stated at fair value.

Ineffectiveness in qualifying cash flow hedges under IAS 39 can arise as a result of the difference between the contractual profile of a hedge and the profile of transactions defined as the hedged item. IAS 39 requires ineffectiveness in qualifying cash flow hedges to be recorded in the income statement, and therefore the Group records this ineffectiveness in the left hand column when it relates to a cash flow hedge.

IFRS compliant hedge documentation was not in place prior to 1 April 2007. Movements in the fair value of derivatives in existence at this time, along with subsequent fair value movements on these cash flow hedges that would have qualified for hedge accounting had the documentation requirement been met, are separately presented in the middle column to assist the readers understanding of underlying business performance and to provide a more meaningful presentation.  For the avoidance of doubt, references to underlying performance refer to the left hand column.

The right hand column presents the results for the year showing all gains and losses recorded in the Consolidated Group Income Statement.

The financial information in this announcement is presented in pounds sterling and all values are rounded to the nearest £100,000, except where indicated otherwise.

The accounting policies adopted are consistent with those described in the Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2009.

Going concern

The Directors have prepared financial forecasts for the Group, comprising operating profit, balance sheet and cash flows to 31 March 2013.

For the purposes of their assessment of the appropriateness of the preparation of the Group's accounts on a going concern basis, the Directors have considered the current cash position, the availability of bank facilities and forecasts of future trading. The Directors have assessed the underlying assumptions and principal areas of uncertainty within these forecasts, in particular those related to market and customer risks, cost management, working capital management and treasury risks. A number of these are subject to market uncertainty and impact financial covenants. Recognising the potential uncertainty, the Directors have considered a range of actions available to mitigate the impact of these potential risks should they crystallise and have also reviewed the key strategies which underpin the forecast and the Group's ability to implement them successfully.

On the basis of the current liquidity position, the forecasts and these considerations, the Directors have assessed future covenant compliance and headroom for the foreseeable future and concluded that it is appropriate for the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2010 to be prepared on a going concern basis.

3.   Earnings per share

Earnings per share is presented both before specific IAS 39 fair value movements and after specific IAS 39 fair value movements in order to allow a better understanding of the financial information presented, and specifically the Group's underlying business performance.

	Unaudited 2010	Audited 2009
	No.	No.
Basic weighted average number of shares in issue	141,117,098	141,065,694
Dilutive potential ordinary shares:
Employee share options	5,739,785	3,524,964
Diluted weighted average number of shares in issue	146,856,883	144,590,658

Basis of calculation - earnings (basic and diluted)	Unaudited 2010	Audited 2009
	£m	£m
Profit before specific IAS 39 fair value movements	13.5	23.7
Specific IAS 39 fair value movements	2.1	3.4
Profit after specific IAS 39 fair value movements for the purposes of calculating basic and diluted earnings	15.6	27.1

		Year to 31 March 2010			Year to 31 March 2009
		Before specific IAS 39 fair value movements	After specific IAS 39 fair value movements		Before specific IAS 39 fair value movements	After specific IAS 39 fair value movements
		Unaudited	Unaudited		Audited	Audited
Earnings per share - Total
- basic		9.54p	11.06p		16.87p	19.27p
- diluted		9.17p	10.62p		16.46p	18.80p

4.   Segmental Reporting

Business segments

Segment reporting is presented in respect of the Group's business segments which are also the primary reportable segments, as the Group's risk and rates of return are affected predominantly by the different services provided.

Unaudited Year ended 31 March 2010	Distribution	Aviation	Un-allocated	Total
	£m	£m	£m	£m
Revenue	122.5	312.0	-	434.5
Operating profit before specific fair value movements	7.4	12.0	-	19.4
Specific fair value movements	-	3.1	-	3.1
Operating profit after specific fair value movements	7.4	15.1	-	22.5
Profit on disposal of property, plant and equipment	-	0.2	-	0.2
Finance income	-	0.5	1.4	1.9
Finance costs	-	-	(2.4)	(2.4)
Profit/(loss) before taxation	7.4	15.8	(1.0)	22.2
Taxation	-	-	(6.6)	(6.6)
Profit/(loss) for the year after taxation	7.4	15.8	(7.6)	15.6

Audited Year ended 31 March 2009	Distribution	Aviation	Un-allocated	Total
	£m	£m	£m	£m
Revenue	112.9	326.4	-	439.3
Operating profit before specific fair value movements	4.1	31.1	-	35.2
Specific fair value movements	-	4.7	-	4.7
Operating profit after fair value movements	4.1	35.8	-	39.9
Profit on disposal of property, plant and equipment	-	-	-	-
Finance income	-	0.8	0.1	0.9
Finance costs	-	(2.8)	(4.5)	(7.3)
Profit/(loss) before taxation	4.1	33.8	(4.4)	33.5
Taxation	-	-	(6.4)	(6.4)
Profit/(loss) for the year after taxation	4.1	33.8	(10.8)	27.1

 

5.   Post Balance Sheet Events

Subsequent to the year-end, the Group's Aviation operations were impacted by the disruption to its flying programme caused by volcano Eyjafjallajoekull, which resulted in the cancellation of over 400 flights. The Group continues to process subsistence claims from its passengers who were unfortunately unable to return home as scheduled due to this situation, which was totally outside the airline's control. The overall impact on profit as a result of this disruption, including the costs of repatriating customers via a fleet of coaches, is estimated at £3m.

6.   The financial information set out above does not constitute the Company's consolidated statutory accounts for the periods ended 31 March 2010 or 31 March 2009.  Statutory accounts for the period ended 31 March 2009 have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies, and those for the period ended 31 March 2010 will be delivered following the Company's Annual General Meeting.  The auditors, KPMG Audit Plc, have reported on those accounts; their reports were unqualified and did not contain statements under section 498(2) or (3) of the Companies Act 2006 or equivalent preceding legislation. The statutory accounts for 2010 will be finalised on the basis of the financial information presented by the directors in this preliminary announcement and will be delivered to the registrar of companies in due course.

7.   The 2010 Annual Report and Accounts (together with the Auditor's Report) will be posted to shareholders no later than 5 August 2010.  The Annual General Meeting will be held on 2 September 2010.

 

END

 

 

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