Sale and purchase of aircraft

Experience

• Advising a leading international operating lessor on the acquisition and disposal of more than 120 new and used aircraft, including one portfolio comprising 37 aircraft.
   
• Advising a leading international operating lessor on sale and leaseback transactions with multiple different airlines, including Delta, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways and Air Baltic.  
   
• Advising a leading international operating lessor on the passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion of ten Airbus A330 aircraft and subsequent leasing of the aircraft to a prominent American operator.
   
• Advising a Japanese operating lessor on the acquisition of a number of Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft.  
   
• Advising Gulf Air on the on the sale and leaseback with DAE of five new Boeing 787 aircraft, a deal which won Airfinance Journal Operating Lease Deal of the Year.
   
• Advised Falcon Aviation a leading private business aircraft operator in the UAE, on their 22 Aircraft fleet acquisition including fixed and rotary wing aircraft in a transaction worth over US$350 million.
   
• Advising Jazeera Airways on fleet requirements, including purchase of Airbus A320 aircraft and the related financing of pre-delivery payments under a Shari'ah-compliant Murabaha structure.
   
• Advised a lessor fully owned by a major PRC financial institution in the acquisition of two Boeing 737-800 aircraft on leased to a leading PRC airline from a world-renowned lessor based in the US. 
   
• Advised a PRC lessor in connection with its establishment of an offshore leasing platform and the acquisition of seven aircraft from a leading Irish lessor through a joint venture company set up between the client and the Irish lessor.
   
• Advised a Philippine listed company in the acquisition of a Gulfstream G650ER aircraft. Simon and his team also assisted the client in setting up the US trustee ownership structure. The transaction was challenging since the client intended to put the jet into immediate use, and we succeeded in closing the deal within less than two months.
   
• Advising and acting for Avation PLC on the purchase and refinancing of one Airbus A320 aircraft, on lease to a national flag carrier.
   
• Advising and acting for Vietjet on the negotiation of its aircraft purchase agreements.
   
• Advising and acting for Transportation Partners in relation to the sale and leaseback in respect of one used Boeing 737 aircraft.
   
• Advising and acting for Cebu Pacific on separate instances in relation to the sale and leaseback of seven Airbus A320-214 and three Airbus A320-271N aircraft as part of its exercise to develop and complement its re-fleeting programme.
   
• Advising and acting for Cebu Pacific in relation to ownership transfer of one Airbus A320-214 and one Airbus A330neo aircraft.
   
• Advising an international operating lessor on the purchase of two Airbus A320neo aircraft on lease to a Mexican airline.
   
• Advising an Asian airline on sale-and-leaseback transactions involving new Airbus and ATR aircraft with a variety of lessors.
   
• Advising airlines on lease novations with a variety of lessors.
   
• Advised a UK-based airline in respect of the sale of six Embraer E170 aircraft to a US Lessor for onward lease to an American carrier.
   
• Advised a flag carrier airline in respect of the sale of two Airbus A318 aircraft to a US-based commercial aircraft trading company.
   
• Advised a South American airline in relation to the sale and leaseback in respect of ten new A320 Aircraft and two Airbus A340-300 Aircraft. 
   
• Advised a South American airline in relation to the purchase agreement in respect of 20 Airbus A320neo Family Aircraft with Airbus.
   
• Advised a US leasing company in respect of an aircraft and share sale agreement in respect of one Boeing 737-900ER Aircraft on lease to an Indonesia airline and one Airbus A321-211 Aircraft on lease to a Vietnamese airline and the shares in the respective lessor entities.
   
• Advised a US investment fund in respect of the sale of two Airbus A320 Aircraft to a major German airline and the termination of leasing arrangements between the lessor and an Austrian airline.
   
• Advised a US leasing company in respect of the acquisition from a JV of one Boeing 737-900ER aircraft on lease to an Indonesian airline and related financing and subsequent transfer of the Aircraft to become subject of an ABS financing structure.
   
• Advising a leading asset manager on the purchase of Airbus and Boeing aircraft on lease to multiple airlines.
   
• Acting for a lessor on the sale of nine Boeing 737 aircraft on lease to a US airline and involving owner trust structures.
   
• Advised a lessor on the sale of two used off lease Boeing aircraft.
   
• Advised a lessor on the acquisition of various aircraft under sale-leaseback structures.
   
• Advised various lessors and a major Indian carrier on various lease novations.
   

Orderbooks

• Advised The Helicopter Company established by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund– as the first and only helicopter services provider licensed to operate commercial flights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - on its purchase agreements with: (i) Airbus Helicopters of 26 new helicopters, including 20 of the newly launched five bladed H145 and 6 ACH160 models, and (ii) Leonardo of 16 new helicopters, including 16 AW139 intermediate twin engine aircraft, with the possibility of 6 additional aircraft in the future.

Expertise