Aviation finance
‘This group is respected by peers for its high-quality practice, which handles the gamut of aviation finance matters. The team's specialisms include cross-border operating leases and export credit financing. It also works closely with a number of Europe-based export credit agencies.’
Chambers Asia, 2012
Our market leading international aviation finance practice provides a full business law service to clients in the aviation sector. We have a strong track record of working with our clients to develop new products, as well as managing the sale, purchase, leasing and financing of aviation assets.
Based in offices across Europe, Asia, Australia, Canada, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Central Asia, our global aviation finance and leasing team has a thorough grasp of the aviation sector and what drives it. This is combined with an understanding, gained over decades of involvement in the sector, of how aviation businesses work and enables us to have a market leading asset finance capability.
We act for a number of international lessors, airlines, financial institutions, export credit agencies and manufacturers on the full range of aviation finance issues.
We deliver:
- Experience as one of five practices appointed to the legal panel to advise the European ECAs on Airbus financing.
- The benefit of working with a multidisciplinary international legal practice; we can draw upon the expertise of our global specialists in corporate, aviation, tax, capital markets, litigation and dispute resolution, and other practice areas, to provide a full-service approach to every client.
Our areas of work include:
- Capital markets transactions (including Ex-IM bonds)
- Corporate jet and helicopter financing
- Export credit financings
- Finance and operating leases
- Islamic financing
- JOLCOs
- KG financings
- Pre-delivery payment financing
- Restructuring and insolvency
- Securitisations
- Structured debt financing
- Tax lease structures
Our recent work:
- Advising Cargolux Airlines International and its joint venture partners Deucalion (the investment fund of DVB Bank), KfW IPEX-Bank and Credit Agricole CIB on the establishment of a joint venture for the equity investment in, and purchase and leasing of, Boeing 747-8F aircraft, including the financing by US Ex-Im bank guaranteed debt as well as junior debt via a Luxembourg lease structure.
- Advising Deutsche Bank AG (London Branch) on the financing of two Airbus A380-800s and two Boeing 777-300ERs for Emirates.
- Advising JP Morgan Chase Bank N.A. on designing a shared security platform for a pool of aircraft engines to be used for multiple different type financings in connection with Rolls-Royce’s long term aircraft engine leasing business.
- Acting for HSBC on the financing of nineteen Eurocopter AS-30515 helicopters for Utair.
- Advising China Aircraft Leasing Company (CALC) on the purchase contract with Airbus for thirty six A320 family aircraft.
- Advised LOT Polish Airlines on the US Ex-Im backed financing of 5 new Boeing 787 Dreamliners, including capital markets flexibility for an ‘Eximbond’ refinancing.
Awards and accolades:
- Aviation Law Firm of the Year, 2012, Airline Economics
- Editor’s Deal of the Year Award, 2012 (Airbus A380 financing for Emirates), Airfinance Journal Awards
- African Deal of the Year Award, 2012 (Q400 leasing to South African Express), Airfinance Journal Awards
- Latin American Deal of the Year Award, 2012 (Airbus A321 financing for Brazilian Airline TAM), Airfinance Journal Awards
- Legal House of the Year, 2012, 2011, 2010, Jane’s Transport Finance
- Most Innovative Deal of the Year, 2011, Airfinance Journal Awards