Air Canada: Bond Ratings and Off-balance Sheet Operating Leases

An investor is considering investing in Air Canada bonds after reading an article on the attractiveness of the bonds. Trading at US$0.80 on the dollar, the bonds are yielding approximately 14 per cent. The investor must conduct some financial analysis on her own to assess whether the company's financial position has improved or deteriorated since a bond rating downgrade eight months ago. She must also evaluate how off-balance sheet operating leases would affect the analysis. The case illustrates how financial statement users can use lease disclosures to restate financial statements to fully reflect liability arising from operating leases.