Aviation

Our Aviation Group works closely with lawyers from our Corporate and M&A, Banking and Finance, Capital Markets, Tax, Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency, Financial Regulation, Employment and Litigation and Dispute Resolution practices to deliver a product that adds value to all elements of our clients operations. Our reputation is based on proven professional skills, a thorough understanding of client requirements, sound judgment and a practical approach to resolving commercial problems in an efficient way.

We have extensive experience in offering advice to a multitude of domestic and international aircraft lessors, lenders, airlines, investors and insurers, and our team is uniquely well qualified to advise across all areas of the industry including

• Establishment of aircraft leasing platforms in Ireland and advices on day to day operations
• Operating and finance leases including Japanese operating leases
• Assets sales and novations
• Aircraft portfolio sales and purchases
• Domestic and international tax
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Financing transactions including warehouse financings, ABS transactions, intercompany funding, security arrangements, Export Credit Agency-supported financing, Islamic financing and secondary debt trading
• Capital market products including EETCs, asset backed securitisations, secured term loans, E-notes and other debt and equity issuances
• Enforcement of security, repossession and insolvency
• Restructuring of portfolios
• Cape Town Convention advices and registrations
• Local registration of aircraft
• Regulatory matters including airport charges, ground handling, ownership of airlines and licensing of aircraft
• Sanctions and export controls

Our Aviation Disputes team is part of our market-leading Litigation, Disputes and Investigations practice. We act for a wide range of industry participants in dealing with aviation regulation and enforcement, aircraft repossession, deregistration, and freezing orders (for claimants and defendants), aircraft leasing disputes, aviation competition matters, and other commercial disputes in the industry. We also provide strategic advice on risk management, insurance and regulatory issues.

Relevant Experience

• Advised the Waypoint Leasing Steering Committee on all Irish law matters across corporate, finance, security, tax and aviation in connection with a Chapter 11 process for an Irish helicopter leasing platform
• Advising Air France in the sale of Cityjet to Intro Aviation
• Advising various Chinese aircraft leasing companies on their Irish leasing platforms, including advising on the initial set up, corporate structure and ongoing aircraft leasing transactions, including ICBC; CCB; BoComm Leasing; China Merchant Bank; Ping An; Skyco; China Construction Bank
• Advising client on its helicopter acquisitions and successful aviation litigation involving Italian lessee
• Advising various lenders to aviation platforms including Deutsche Bank; Nord LP; BNP
• Acting for Japan Bank for International Co-Operation in relation to acquisition facilities advanced to Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation for the acquisition of RBS Aerospace
• Acted for financiers of the recent financing (bond and debt) of the Aercap acquisition of ILFC
• Advising Industrial & Commercial Bank of China on various transactions, and most recently Project Ivy, a bond issue to fund its leasing operations