VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES AND OTHER INVESTMENTS IN SIGNIFICANT AFFILIATES |
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Dec. 31, 2020 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES AND OTHER INVESTMENTS IN SIGNIFICANT AFFILIATES | VARIABLE INTEREST ENTITIES AND OTHER INVESTMENTS IN SIGNIFICANT AFFILIATES. A VIE is an entity that either (i) has insufficient equity to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support or (ii) has equity investors who lack the characteristics of a controlling financial interest. A VIE is consolidated by its primary beneficiary. The primary beneficiary has both the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity’s economic performance and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the entity that could potentially be significant to the VIE. If the Company determines that it has operating power and the obligation to absorb losses or receive benefits, it will consolidate the VIE as the primary beneficiary, and if not, the Company does not consolidate.
As of December 31, 2020 (Successor), the Company had interests in six VIEs, Bristow Aviation Holdings Limited (“Bristow Aviation”), Impigra Aviation Holdings Limited (“Impigra”), Bristow Helicopters (Nigeria) Limited (“BHNL”), Pan African Airlines (Nigeria) Limited (“PAAN”), YII 5668 Energy (“YII Energy”) and BNAS Holdings Company Limited (“BNAS”), of which the Company was the primary beneficiary, and had no interests in VIEs of which the Company was not the primary beneficiary. See Note 3 to the fiscal year 2020 condensed consolidated financial statements in the Financial Form 8-K for a description of these VIEs and other investments in significant affiliates, except for the VIE established in the current period.
BNAS — During the three months ended December 31, 2020, the Company created a new legal entity in Ireland in order to address the impact of Brexit on the Company’s ownership structure. BNAS Holdings Company Limited, with Bristow Helicopters Limited (“BHL”) as a 49% shareholder and a European Union (“EU”) national as the 51% shareholder. BHL provided a loan to BNAS Holdings Limited, which in turn acquired 100% of the share capital of Bristow Norway AS.
Bristow Aviation — The Company owns 49% of Bristow Aviation’s common stock and a significant amount of its subordinated debt. Bristow Aviation is incorporated in England and, through its subsidiaries, holds all the outstanding shares in BHL. As of December 31, 2020, the Company and Impigra owned 49% and 51%, respectively, of Bristow Aviation’s total outstanding ordinary shares. Bristow Aviation and its subsidiaries are exposed to similar operational risks as the Company and are therefore monitored and evaluated on a similar basis by management.
The following tables show summarized financial information for Bristow Aviation reflected on the Company’s condensed consolidated statements of operations and balance sheets (in thousands):
BHNL — The Company owns a joint venture, BHNL, that provides aviation services to customers in Nigeria, in which BHL owns a 48% interest. YII Energy, a Nigerian company 100% owned by Nigerian citizens, owns a 50% interest in BHNL and an employee trust fund owns the remaining 2% interest.
PAAN — The Company owns a 50.17% interest in a joint venture in Nigeria with local partners.
Other Significant Affiliates — Unconsolidated
Cougar — The Company owns a 25% voting interest and a 40% economic interest in Cougar, the largest offshore energy and SAR helicopter service provider in Canada. Cougar’s operations are primarily focused on serving the offshore oil and gas industry off Canada’s Atlantic coast and in the Arctic.
Upon evaluation of the investment in Cougar, the Company determined the investment to be other-than-temporarily impaired based on the change in facts and circumstances from the prior reporting period which included the loss of a significant customer contract and further deterioration of the future sentiment for the Eastern Canadian oil and gas market. As a result, the Company performed a fair valuation of its investment in Cougar, and based on a discounted cash flows model, concluded a fair value of $4.7 million. This compared to a carrying value of $56.6 million, resulting in a $51.9 million loss on impairment from our investment in Cougar, recorded during the three months ended December 31, 2020 (Successor).
PAS — The Company has a 25% interest in Petroleum Air Services (“PAS”), an Egyptian corporation that provides helicopter and fixed wing transportation to the offshore energy industry in Egypt. As of December 31 and March 31, 2020 (Successor), the investment in PAS was $33.0 million and is included on the consolidated balance sheets in investment in unconsolidated affiliates.
Líder — During the nine months ended December 31, 2020 (Successor), the Company recorded an $18.7 million non-cash impairment charge to its investment in Líder Táxi Aéreo S.A. (“Líder”), a previously unconsolidated affiliate in Brazil, upon evaluating its equity investment in the company. The Company initiated a partial dissolution process to exit its equity investment in Líder in July 2020. As a result of this process, the Company is no longer a shareholder of Líder as of August 2020.
The Company continues to evaluate its unconsolidated affiliates for indicators of other-than-temporary impairment in light of current market conditions. Changes in market conditions or contractual relationships in future periods could result in the identification of additional other-than-temporary impairment.
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