Under the terms of IFRIC 12 “Service Concession Arrangements”, a concession operator may have two types of activities:
Revenue from each activity is recognised in accordance with IFRS 15.
In return for its activities, the operator receives remuneration from either of two actors:
Under this model, the right to receive toll payments (or any other form of remuneration), net of any investment grants received,is recognised in the concession operator’s balance sheet under “Concession intangible assets”. This right corresponds to the fair value of the asset under concession plus the borrowing costs capitalised during the construction phase. It is amortised over the term of the arrangement either on a straight-line basis or in a manner that reflects the pattern in which the economic benefit derived from theasset under concession is consumed by the entity, starting from the entry into service of the asset.
The intangible asset model applies to most infrastructure concessions, in particular the concessions of VINCI Autoroutes, most ofthe airports managed by VINCI Airports, certain bridges and tunnels operated by VINCI Highways, and Cobra IS’s main concessions.
Motorway concession companies generally use the straight-line method of amortisation for concession intangible assets. With respect to rights to operate airports under concession, the Group opted to amortise them from 1 July 2020 using the unit of production method, based on passenger numbers, having taken the view that the straight-line method no longer reflected the rate at which the economic benefits produced by the assets under concession were being consumed.
In the case of bifurcated models, the operator may be remunerated partly by users and partly by the grantor. The part of the investment that is covered by an unconditional contractual right to receive payments from the grantor (in the form of grants or rental) is recognised as a financial receivable up to the amount guaranteed. The unguaranteed balance, the amount of which is dependent on the extent of use of the infrastructure, is recognised under “Concession intangible assets”.
VINCI Airports fully owns certain airports, including London Gatwick and Edinburgh airports. Its rights to operate these airports are presented in Note H.17.1, “Other intangible assets”.