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Finance & Leasing

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Providing market leading legal advice on aircraft acquisition, financing and leasing

Our dedicated global aircraft finance and leasing practice has experience with transactions involving all types of aircraft financing structures.

We offer a first-class service and specialist insight. We are recognised for our in-depth legal expertise and commercial awareness, and are known for our high-quality, partner-driven and cost-effective service.

Our finance and leasing team acts for airlines, lessors, financial institutions and investors on commercial and business aircraft finance, leasing and sale and purchase transactions worldwide.

Our commercial aircraft finance clients include established names as well as new and emerging market entrants. We have knowledge of all types of commercial aviation finance, lease and sale and purchase transactions. Our extensive experience includes acting on numerous multi-billion dollar new aircraft orders, thousands of aircraft and engine operating lease and leveraged operating lease finance transactions, tax-structured financings, insurance and guarantee-backed financings, pre-delivery payment financings and advising on commercial dispute, enforcement and workout situations.

We have advised business aircraft financiers and owners in relation to over 400 business aircraft transactions, involving every type of aircraft including helicopters.

 

Awards

  • Airline Economics Lease Deal of the Year 2018
  • Airline Economics Aviation 100 European Supported Finance Deal of the Year 2020
  • Global Transport Finance 2018 Aircraft Tax Lease of the Year
  • Airline Economics Aviation 100 Middle East & Africa Editor’s Deal of the Year 2018
  • AirFinance Journal Operating Lease Deal of the Year 2018
  • AirFinance Journal Legal Transaction of the Year 2019

Our Finance & Leasing Work

  • All
  • Africa
  • Asia Pacific
  • Middle East
  • North America
  • UK & Europe

  • Aircraft engine financing

    Acting for a leading US Bank in relation to the financing of multiple aircraft engines.

    Hong Kong

    Aircraft lease finance, trading and leasing matters

    Acted for a leading Asia Pacific Airline in relation to various commercial aircraft lease finance, trading and leasing matters.

    Hong Kong

    Finance restructuring

    Acted for a leading International Lessor (Asia) in relation to multiple aircraft finance restructurings.

    Hong Kong

    Lease defaults and repossession

    Acted for a leading International Lessor (Asia) in relation to the lease defaults and repossession of two (2) A320 family aircraft.

    Hong Kong

    Lease financing

    Acted for an Asia Pacific Bank in relation to the lease financing of two (2) B737 aircraft for a Chinese lessor.

    Hong Kong

    Lease financing

    Acted for an Asia Pacific Bank in relation to the lease financing of one (1) B-777 for a Chinese Lessor.

    Hong Kong

    Purchase and leaseback

    Acted for a leading Lessor (Asia / Ireland) in relation to the purchase and finance leaseback of three (3) A320 aircraft.

    Hong Kong

    Secured debt financing

    Acted for a leading Lessor (Asia / Ireland) in relation to its secured debt financing of one A320.

    Hong Kong

    Unsecured aircraft warehouse credit facilities

    Acted for a leading International Lessor (Asia) in relation to two (2) unsecured aircraft warehouse credit facilities.

    Hong Kong

    Delivery financing of 12 Airbus A320 family aircraft

    Acting for Air Arabia in relation to the delivery financing for 6 Airbus A320 aircraft and the leasing of 6 Airbus A321neo aircraft.

    United Arab Emirates

  • Royal Air Maroc: award-winning aircraft financing

    Acting on the AFIC-supported French tax lease financing of one Boeing 737-8 aircraft and one Boeing 787-9 aircraft with BNP Paribas.  This transaction won the following awards: Global Transport Finance 2018 Aircraft Tax Lease of the Year and Airline Economics Aviation 100 Middle East & Africa Editor’s Deal of the Year 2018.

    Morocco

    Royal Air Maroc: AFIC-support French tax lease financing

    Acting on the AFIC-supported French tax lease financing of two Boeing 787-9 aircraft with BNP Paribas.

    Morocco

  • Aircraft lease finance, trading and leasing matters

    Acted for a leading Asia Pacific Airline in relation to various commercial aircraft lease finance, trading and leasing matters.

    Hong Kong

    Finance restructuring

    Acted for a leading International Lessor (Asia) in relation to multiple aircraft finance restructurings.

    Hong Kong

    Lease financing

    Acted for an Asia Pacific Bank in relation to the lease financing of two (2) B737 aircraft for a Chinese lessor.

    Hong Kong

    Lease financing

    Acted for an Asia Pacific Bank in relation to the lease financing of one (1) B-777 for a Chinese Lessor.

    Hong Kong

    Aircraft engine financing

    Acting for a leading US Bank in relation to the financing of multiple aircraft engines.

    Hong Kong

    Unsecured aircraft warehouse credit facilities

    Acted for a leading International Lessor (Asia) in relation to two (2) unsecured aircraft warehouse credit facilities.

    Hong Kong

    Lease defaults and repossession

    Acted for a leading International Lessor (Asia) in relation to the lease defaults and repossession of two (2) A320 family aircraft.

    Hong Kong

    Purchase and leaseback

    Acted for a leading Lessor (Asia / Ireland) in relation to the purchase and finance leaseback of three (3) A320 aircraft.

    Hong Kong

    Secured debt financing

    Acted for a leading Lessor (Asia / Ireland) in relation to its secured debt financing of one A320.

    Hong Kong

    Australian Airlines acquiring an aircraft on an operating lease

    Acting for the lenders financing the acquisition of an A34-300 on operating lease.

    Australia

  • Delivery financing of 12 Airbus A320 family aircraft

    Acting for Air Arabia in relation to the delivery financing for 6 Airbus A320 aircraft and the leasing of 6 Airbus A321neo aircraft.

    United Arab Emirates

    Royal Jordanian: commercial aircraft financing

    Representing Royal Jordanian Airlines in the financing and delivery of 2 Boeing B787-8 aircraft with DVB Bank.

    Jordan

    Qatar aircraft leasing

    Provided Qatari law advice to a leading lessor in connection with financing and leasing of aircraft and engines.

    Qatar

    Leasing and delivery for Saudi low-cost carrier

    Acting for a Saudi based low cost carrier in connection with the leasing and deliveries of A320 and A330 aircraft.

    Saudi Arabia

    Middle East carrier

    Advising a Middle Eastern carrier in connection with a potential claim made by one of its lessors and otherwise in connection with the leasing agreements entered into with the same lessor.

    United Arab Emirates

    UAE operator

    Advising a UAE operator in connection with leasing helicopters to Nigeria and Malaysia.

    United Arab Emirates

    Luxury air operator

    Advising a UAE luxury air services operator in connection with the restructuring of existing leasing arrangements of two Boeing Business Jets.

    United Arab Emirates

    Engine lease transaction

    Advising ELFC in connection with engine lease transactions to several UAE airlines.

    United Arab Emirates

  • Virgin America aircraft acquisition

    Acting for the lenders, financing the acquisition of two A319-100s by way of operating lease.

    United States

  • Wizz Air: Establishment of Wizz UK

    Assisting Wizz Air in establishing Wizz UK and leasing the first A320 aircraft into the new UK airline.

    Hungary

    Wizz Air: Japanese Operating Lease financing

    Acting for Wizz on the JOLCO financing of two Airbus A321 NEO aircraft arranged by SMBC.

    Hungary

    Wizz Air: French Tax structured financing

    Acting for Wizz on the structured financing under a French tax lease structure of three Airbus A320 NEO family aircraft arranged by BNP Paribas.

    Hungary

    airBaltic: trusted advisor for sale and leaseback transactions

    Acting for airBaltic on the sale and leaseback of several Airbus A220-300 (formerly the Bombardier CS300) aircraft with lessors including Avation, ACG, CMB Leasing, FPG Amentum and Chorus.

    Latvia

    airBaltic: award-winning sale and leaseback

    Acting for airBaltic on the sale and leaseback of two Airbus A220-300 aircraft with Avation.  This transaction won AirFinance Journal's Operating Lease Deal of the Year in 2018 due to its innovative Euro rent structure.

    Latvia

    airBaltic: purchase agreement for up to 50 aircraft

    Advising airBaltic on the financing and leasing arrangements for airBaltic's fleet of Airbus A220-300 aircraft.  This included the first export credit-supported financing for the aircraft type with Export Development Canada.

    Latvia

    Major international bank: long-term and trusted advisor for business jet financings

    Acting on the loan and lease financing of countless business jets and helicopters in various transactions and jurisdictions.

    Switzerland

    Turkish Airlines: Japanese Operating Lease financing

    Acting for Turkish Airlines on the on the JOLCO financing of three Airbus A321 NEO aircraft arranged by SMBC.

    Turkey

    Turkish Airlines: Award-winning financing using put option structure

    Acting for Turkish Airlines on the CACIB-arranged French tax lease financing of one Boeing 777 freighter aircraft with ICBC put option.

    Turkey

    Turkish Airlines: Trusted counsel for financing and leasing transactions

    Acting for Turkish Airlines in numerous financing transactions, including: the French tax-optimised leasing and financing of countless Airbus and Boeing aircraft; the finance leasing of several Boeing aircraft with a leading Chinese bank and the sale and leaseback of numerous Airbus and Boeing aircraft, in each case with market leading banks and lessors.

    Turkey

Our Finance & Leasing team

Mark Bisset
Mark Bisset

Partner

Stuart Miller
Stuart Miller

Partner

Roger Whipp
Roger Whipp

Partner

Nicholas Harding
Nicholas Harding

Partner

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