Illustration 9B: Refurbishment Costs – Legislative Requirement :

An airline is required by law to overhaul its aircraft once every three years.

Present obligation as a result of a past obligating event – There is no present obligation.

Conclusion – No provision is recognised (see paragraphs 14 and 16-18).

The costs of overhauling aircraft are not recognised as a provision for the same reasons as the cost of replacing the lining is not recognised as a provision in illustration 9A. Even a legal requirement to overhaul does not make the costs of overhaul a liability, because no obligation exists to overhaul the aircraft independently of the enterprise’s future actions – the enterprise could avoid the future expenditure by its future actions, for example by selling the aircraft.