Buchalter’s Aviation Finance and Leasing practice delivers sophisticated, business‑focused counsel to lenders, borrowers, lessors, and operators in connection with aircraft acquisition, financing, leasing, and related credit transactions. Our team is particularly well suited for aviation finance transactions that require a strong regulatory understanding, market insight, and efficient execution without unnecessary complexity.
We regularly advise commercial banks, finance companies, and other credit providers on aircraft financings, including single‑lender and syndicated credit facilities. Our experience spans acquisition financings for new and used aircraft, portfolio and fleet financings, refinancing transactions, and debt structures designed to support growth‑oriented aviation platforms. We also represent borrowers and participant lenders in aircraft credit facilities, for whom the alignment of credit terms with business realities are critical.
Aircraft acquisition financing is a core focus of our practice. We counsel clients on financings involving commercial aircraft, business jets, and helicopters, providing integrated advice on loan documentation, security packages, perfection, and enforcement considerations. Our lawyers routinely structure transactions to align collateral and credit risk with our clients’ objectives, while addressing the regulatory and operational considerations unique to aviation assets.
We advise on cross‑border aviation financings, including transactions structured through offshore trust and special‑purpose entities commonly used in commercial aircraft ownership and leasing. We assist our clients with jurisdictional coordination, registration and perfection, and enforcement issues arising under the Cape Town Convention, while coordinating with local counsel across multiple legal regimes. We also advise clients on export credit agency–supported transactions, including matters involving U.S. and non‑U.S. ECAs, where careful coordination of delivery mechanics, credit documentation, and regulatory compliance is essential to successful execution.
Leasing transactions are another cornerstone of our aviation practice. We represent lessors and lessees in operating and finance leases, and sale‑leaseback transactions. Our work includes drafting and negotiating lease agreements, purchase and sale documentation, and related guarantees and support agreements, with careful attention to maintenance, insurance, and delivery and return conditions. We also advise our clients on lease novations and assignments as fleets mature.
What distinguishes Buchalter is our ability to combine aviation‑specific knowledge with deep experience in commercial lending. We collaborate seamlessly with the firm’s tax, restructuring, and regulatory teams to deliver practical, cost‑effective solutions that reflect both market standards and our clients’ strategic priorities.
Representative Matters
Fleet, Leasing, and Capital Markets Transactions
- Represented the security trustee for a consortium of foreign banks and government export credit agencies in a $2.6 billion term loan financing for the acquisition of 64 new Airbus aircraft by a commercial aircraft leasing company.
- Advised a commercial aircraft leasing company on the sale of 37 aircraft for more than $1.0 billion, facilitating the strategic phase‑out of a maturing fleet and redeployment of capital.
- Represented a commercial aircraft leasing company in a $600 million unsecured term loan to support working capital requirements and the acquisition of new and used commercial aircraft.
- Represented a foreign bank in the formation of a U.S. owner trust holding multiple aircraft, together with the related lease and debt financing arrangements.
Specialized and Asset‑Backed Aircraft Financings
- Represented a foreign bank in $95 million financing of multiple ex‑military aircraft for a leading global aerial firefighting operator, including Lockheed C‑130 Hercules aircraft and a Sikorsky S‑61 helicopter.
- Represented the secured lender in a $25 million credit facility for a commercial aircraft parts and services provider, including global consignment arrangements with major international air carriers and engine registrations in more than 70 countries under the Cape Town Convention.
Business, Corporate, and Private Aviation
- Represented a private-sale facilitator in connection with a the purchase and sale of a Gulfstream VII luxury aircraft for $90 million.
- Represented the borrower in a $9 million acquisition financing for a Gulfstream IV business aircraft.
- Advised a prominent entertainment industry client on the acquisition and dry lease of a Bombardier CL‑600 aircraft.
- Represented a publicly traded energy company in the acquisition of a new‑build Boeing Business Jet, including negotiation of custom interior completion and avionics installation agreements.
Complex Cross‑Border Acquisitions and Dispositions
- Negotiated and documented the acquisition of a Gulfstream IV by a foreign owner of a multinational enterprise from a U.S.‑based international financial institution.
- Negotiated and documented the acquisition of a Global Express aircraft from a major hospitality and gaming operator on behalf of a California‑based privately held corporation.
- Represented an aircraft‑holding subsidiary of a major financial institution in the acquisition of a new Hawker 800 and a used Gulfstream V, and in the disposition of multiple Gulfstream and Hawker aircraft across several transaction cycles.
- Represented a leading apparel industry client in the acquisition of a used Learjet.
