A&L Goodbody LLP's team has an established presence in the aviation finance sector. Under the leadership of Marie O’Brien, the aviation and transport finance group acts as counsel to a client roster of financial institutions, aircraft lessors and private investors, and the practice continues to handle instructions from an increasing number of Chinese clients, especially Chinese lessors. Seamus Ó’Cróinín is chair of the firm, and is a respected practitioner in the sector, handling transactional matters in the arena to advise clients on a series of transactions. Maria McElhinney returned to the firm's Dublin headquarters from New York in June 2023. Keith Mulhern is singled out for his contributions. Catherine Duffy has now retired from practice.
Asset finance in Ireland
A&L Goodbody LLP
Responsables de la pratique:
Marie O’Brien
Autres avocats clés:
Seamus Ó’Cróinín; Maria McElhinney; Keith Mulhern
Les références
‘A&L Goodbody has the top Irish law asset finance practice.’
‘Marie O’Brien and Seamus Ó’Cróinín are both superb. They are the best at problem solving and dealing with complex Irish law issues.’
‘The asset finance team at A&L Goodbody has had a fantastic reputation for many years. Their depth and experience is bar none. The are involved in many of the novel transactions in the aviation space (financing, corporate M&A, regulatory). They are leaders in their field.’
Principaux clients
AerGen
Aergo Capital
Aero Capital Solutions, Inc
Air Lease Corporation
Airbus
Aircastle
Apollo Aviation LP / Merx Aviation Finance/Perseus Aviation Finance
Asahi Aviation
ASL Aviation
AVIC International Leasing Company
Carlyle Aviation Management
Castlelake, L.P
China Aircraft Leasing Company
Chorus Aviation Capital
Citibank, N.A.
Clover Aircraft Leasing
Credit Agricole
Deutsche Bank
Griffin Global Asset Management
High Ridge Aviation
ICBC Financing Leasing Company
ING Capital LLC
InterGlobe Aviation
Irish Continental Group, plc
Macquarie AirFinance
Merlin Aviation
Merx Aviation Finance
Milestone Aviation Group
Minsheng Financial Leasing
Morgan Stanley
NCB Capital
PIMCO LLC
PK AirFinance
Seraph Aviation Group Ltd
Sculptor Capital Management
Sichuan Development Holding
Sky Leasing LLC
SMBC Aviation Capital Limited
Stellar Jay Ireland DAC
Stellwagen Finance
Thunderbolt III Aircraft Lease Limited
Virgo Investment Group / Zephyrus Aviation Capital
Voyager Aviation
Wings Capital Partners
Principaux dossiers
- Acted as Irish counsel to Macquarie Airfinance Group on the acquisition and financing of a portfolio of 53 aircraft from Alafco Aviation Lease & Finance.
- Advised investment manager PIMCO and the former executives of GECAS, PK AirFinance on the creation of High Ridge Aviation, a lending and leasing platform operating primarily in the commercial aviation industry.
- Advised Griffin Global Asset Management Limited on an $1bn unsecured note issuance by GGAM Finance Limited.
Matheson LLP
Matheson LLP's large aviation finance and transportation group is backed by a dedicated asset finance tax team. The department has a strong track record in assisting aircraft lessors and private equity investors with establishing and expanding leasing platforms in Ireland, as well as advising banks, asset managers and financial institutions on cross-border financings involving export credit agencies (ECAs) and development finance institutions (DFIs). Other key drivers of work include handling structured finance and asset-backed securitisations (ABS) within the aviation finance arena, alongside ongoing restructuring issues arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. Rory McPhillips and Stuart Kennedy jointly head up the practice, in which Yvonne McWeeney, Stephen Gardiner and Maireadh Dale are key names to note.
Responsables de la pratique:
Rory McPhillips; Stuart Kennedy
Autres avocats clés:
Yvonne McWeeney; Stephen Gardiner; Maireadh Dale
Les références
‘The Matheson team are extremely approachable and have strong knowledge of the aviation industry which makes them are great legal service provider to any client in the industry. Matheson has a large team so they have capacity to support a variety of transactions. ’
‘Stuart Kennedy is extremely personable and approachable, he is always available to assist with excellent advice and pragmatic solutions.’
‘The team has very strong expertise and a leading market position in Ireland in the area of asset finance and aviation, which when coupled with speed of response and service orientation makes them a pleasure to deal with. ’
Principaux clients
FTAI Aviation
Aergo Capital Limited
Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA
CDB Aviation
UK Export Finance (UKEF)
CCB Aviation
Aviation Capital Group
AerCap
Castlelake, L.P.
LR AirFinance
Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE)
PK AirFinance
Arctic Aviation Assets DAC
Jackson Square Aviation
Tokyo Century
Fortress Investment Group LLC
Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES)
Bank of Communications Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. (BoComm Leasing)
CMB Financial Leasing (CMB Aviation)
Azorra Aviation
Principaux dossiers
- Represented ALAFCO in the sale of 53 current and next-generation commercial passenger aircraft and an order for 20 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, valued at $2.2bn, to Macquarie.
- Acted as Irish counsel for Aquila, Royal Aero and Ashland Place on establishing an Irish joint venture platform between Aquila and Royal Aero.
McCann FitzGerald LLP
McCann FitzGerald LLP has an excellent track record in the aviation finance and leasing arenas. With eight partners in its ranks, the practice is instructed in a wide spectrum of matters, ranging from the establishment of aviation platforms in Ireland to capital markets, syndicated financings, leasings, sale and leaseback transactions, corporate reorganisations and restructurings. Catherine Deane is a doyenne of the aviation finance market; finance practice head Georgina O’Riordan, Hilary Marren, Joe Fay and Colm Fanning are established practitioners in the space. Richard Gill, Laura Deignan and Ian Payne are also highly regarded names in the department.
Responsables de la pratique:
Catherine Deane; Joe Fay; Hilary Marren; Georgina O’Riordan; Richard Gill; Colm Fanning; Laura Deignan; Ian Payne
Autres avocats clés:
Kate Clancy
Les références
‘Excellent, dedicated team with vast experience and capability offering great value compared to London or NY rates.’
‘Hilary Marren for the depth of experience and calmness under the pressure of the largest transactions. Joe Fay for his technical expertise.’
‘I have worked with the team at McCann Fitzgerald for many years across many positions. McCann Fitzgerald are exceptional at what they do and I have had no problem in recommending this firm to anyone seeking to retain Irish counsel. ’
Principaux clients
Abelo Capital Aviation Management Limited
AerCap
AerDragon Aviation Partners Limited
AerSale Inc.
Aircastle Advisor LLC
Altavair
Altitude Investors DACf
Apollo Global Management
ASL Aviation
AV Air Finance
Avia Solutions Group (ASG) PLC
Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi
BBAM Aviation Services Limited
BOC Aviation Leasing
Calliston GmbH & Co. Beteiligungs KG
Cavic Aviation Leasing (Ireland) Co. DAC
CDB Aviation Leasing
Challey Limited
CHC Group LLC
CIAF Leasing
Credit Agricole
Delaware Life Insurance Company
Deutsche Bank AG
Development Bank of Singapore Ltd
DNB Bank ASA
Doric Asset Finance GmbH & Co. KG
DVB Bank SE
Dynam Japan Holding Holdings Co., Ltd
EAVF II Aircraft Holdings Limited
EMP Aviation Ireland Limited
Fexco
FGL Aircraft Ireland (FUYO)
Fly Leasing Limited
FPG Amentum
Genesis Aircraft Services Limited
Guardian Holdings Limited
ING Bank N.V., Singapore Branch
Jackson Square Aviation Ireland Limited
JP Lease Products & Services Co., Ltd.
KKR Altitude Holdings L.P.
Magnetar Capital
MUFG Bank, Ltd
NGF Overseas Aircraft Limited
Nordic Aviation Capital
Odeon International Holding B.V.
ORIX Aviation Systems Limited
Pembroke Capital/Standard Chartered Bank
Rockton AB
SAIC Holdings Limited
SAS
SATO Aviation Capital
Security Benefits Life Insurance Company
Sierra Echo Aircraft Leasing Limited
Sirius Aviation Capital Holdings Limited
Sky Aero Management Limited
Skyworks Leasing (Ireland) Limited
SMBC Aviation Capital
SolÉir Aviation Capital
ST Aerospace Resources Pte. Ltd
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
TATA SIA Airlines Limited (operating as Vistara)
Titan Aviation
Trustmark National Bank
UMBF Trust and Agency Services (Ireland) Limited
Viva Aerobus
Vueling Airlines, S.A.
Principaux dossiers
- Advised AerCap on its $1bn offering of 5.750% senior unsecured notes due 2028.
- Advised ORIX in connection with its acquisition of the entire share capital of SORA Airlease DAC, previously a joint venture company owned by ORIX and Merx Aviation Finance Assets Ireland Limited.
- Advised Sky Leasing on the Irish law aspects of its sale of Sky Fund I Irish, Ltd. and its subsidiaries to Dubai Aerospace Capital.
William Fry LLP
William Fry LLP routinely acts for clients in some of the largest headline transactions in the market. The firm is particularly strong in advising major financial institutions on big-ticket aircraft financings. Practice head David Maughan is a prominent lawyer, with an excellent track record in handling aviation finance matters and the establishment of Irish aircraft leasing platforms for commercial aircraft. Mary Ward's workload includes transactional matters, securitisations, and debt capital markets mandates.
Responsables de la pratique:
David Maughan
Autres avocats clés:
Mary Ward
Les références
‘William Fry provided a very good level of support throughout this matter. They were constantly in contact, flagged issues ahead of time and suggested options that minimised disruption / helped progress towards closing smoothly.’
‘Mary Ward was a very responsive, hands-on and practical partner. The firm helped to ensure the deal moved smoothly on the Irish-law phase.’
‘Great team – very strong technically.’
Principaux clients
Bank of Communications Co., Ltd.
China Development Bank
Credit Agricole CIB
DVB Bank
Goldman Sachs
Goshawk Aviation Limited
Hines Ireland
HSBC
Investec Bank plc
ING Bank
KfW Bank
Natixis
Clover Aircraft Leasing Company Limited (formerly Ping An International Financial Leasing)
Societe Generale
Santander
The Korea Development Bank
Development Bank of Japan
CMB Financial Leasing Co., Ltd
Landesbank Hessen Thüringen Girozentrale
Agricultural Bank of China (Hong Kong Branch)
Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited
Bank of Communications Co., Ltd.
ING Bank NV (a branch of ING DiBa AG)
Bayerische Landesbank
BNP Paribas, Singapore Branch
Principaux dossiers
- Advised KfW IPEX Bank on all Irish legal and tax aspects relating to a secured financing facility for Rive Rail.
- Advised BNP Paribas on all Irish legal and tax aspects relating to a secured financing facility for Muzinich.
- Advised MUFG on Irish legal and tax matters relating to a secured financing facility for Dynam Aviation and its Irish subsidiaries to acquire certain aircraft.
Arthur Cox
Arthur Cox's Dublin office works closely with the Belfast, London, New York, and San Francisco offices in order to advise international airlines, lessors, investment banks and private equity investors on a wide range of asset finance matters. Ruth Lillis is a well regarded name in the practice, and is very experienced in handling work connected to the recovery of the aviation sector after the Covid-19 pandemic. Other key practitioners include tax expert Elaine Mooney, the 'very dependable' Bethan Leonard and Fintan Kerins, who has 'great potential'. In 2023 Caroline Devlin retired from the practice, and Laura Cunningham left the firm.
Autres avocats clés:
Ruth Lillis; Orla O’Connor; Fintan Kerins; Elaine Mooney; Bethan Leonard
Les références
‘Strong subject matter skills combined with commercial focus and understanding of the client’s needs. Always responsive to urgent requirements.’
‘Ruth Lillis – a very experienced, skilled and innovative lawyer.’
‘Ruth Lillis and Orla O’Connor are a delight to work with. There’s a wealth of aviation legal talent in Dublin but one of the best in terms of transaction support and value for money.’
Principaux clients
Abbey International
Abelo Aviation
Acia Aero Capital
Aer Lingus
AFIC (Aircraft Finance Insurance Consortium)
Air Europa
Amergin Asset Management
Apollo Management
Arena Aviation Capital
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings
Aviator Capital
AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China)
AviLease
Bank of Communications Financial Leasing Company
Barclays
BBAM
BNP Paribas
Braathens Regional Airways AB
Bramora
British Airways
China Construction Bank
China Merchant Bank
Credit Agricole CIB
Citibank
Compass Cargo Airlines
Credebt Exchange
Credit Suisse
Deka Bank
Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Lufthansa
Export-Import Bank of China (CEXIM)
Flexam Invest
GA Telesis
Grupo Lomex
HSBC
ICBC (Industrial and Commercial Bank of China)
iAero Thurst
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
JP Lease
KLA Aviation Finance
Lobo Leasing
MHR
Mizuho Bank
MUFG Bank
Muzinich & Co.
NTMA (National Treasury Management Agency)
Nona Trade Corporation
Nord LB
Orix Aviation
Ping An
PK Airfinance
Rabobank
Rotor XM Leasing
Ryanair
SDH Wings
Société Générale
SMFL (Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing)
Titan Aircraft Investments
Turkish Airlines
UBS Switzerland AG
Vallair
Vance Street Capital LLC
Westpac
Wings Capital Partners
Wells Fargo Bank N.A
Worldstar
Principaux dossiers
- Advised Apollo Global Management on the provision of a $700m debtor-in-possession facility to SAS – Scandinavian Airlines as part of the airline’s Chapter 11 restructuring.
- Advised Ryanair on its €750m unsecured revolving credit facility with a syndicate of 13 banks.
- Advised on the establishment of the Irish AviLease platform and the platform’s first transaction, a purchase and leaseback deal for 12 Airbus A320neos with Flynas.
Maples Group
Maples Group's Dublin-based asset finance office has an established track record in handling capital markets transactions, asset-backed securitisations, CLOs, private equity investments, and the establishment of aviation platforms. The group is well regarded for its aviation offering, and it reports a recent uptick in instructions from clients in the rail transport industry. Team lead Mary O’Neill stands out as 'a leading aviation partner in Ireland'. Alex Walsh and Eoin O’Leary are singled out for their contributions.
Responsables de la pratique:
Mary O’Neill
Autres avocats clés:
Alex Walsh; Eoin O’Leary
Les références
‘It is a real pleasure to work with the Maples Dublin team led by Mary O’Neill. The Maples lawyers have meticulous attention to detail and are extremely pleasant and practical in their approach to legal issues. ’
‘I particularly value Mary O’Neill as a provider of legal services to our team. Mary is dependable, with a meticulous attention to detail. Mary is also a real pleasure to deal with and it is always great to get the opportunity to work on a transaction together. Mary plays a key role in our transactions and we are grateful for her great support and dedication. ’
‘The team are very responsive and knowledgeable about the wider aviation industry. They represent many of the key industry players and are one of the leading offshore service providers.’
Principaux clients
Marathon Asset Management, L.P.
Sky Leasing
Avolon
Falko Aerospace
Bain Capital Credit
Griffin Global Asset Management
Acia Aero Limited
Investec
Deucalion
ST Engineering Aerospace
Altavair
ITE Management LP
Muzinich
Vistara
Principaux dossiers
- Advised Avolon on the Irish law aspects of multiple transactions, including a $660m commercial loan for 17 aircraft.
- Advised Griffin Global Asset Management on the initial financing, amendment and upsizing of its senior secured warehouse facility.
- Advised Sky Leasing on its sale of Sky Fund I Irish and its subsidiaries to Dubai Aerospace Enterprise.
Mason Hayes & Curran LLP
Mason Hayes & Curran LLP is active in a wide spectrum of aviation and asset finance matters, often acting for aircraft manufacturers, lessors, aviation investors, banks and other financial institutions in the space. ECA financing is a key pillar of strength for the team, which is adept at handling securitisations, warehouse financings, sale and leaseback transactions, and structured finance work, among other areas. The department is home to David McGovern and Christine O’Donovan, the chair of the firm; both are highly regarded asset finance specialists. Head of tax Niamh Caffrey is a key name.
Responsables de la pratique:
David McGovern
Autres avocats clés:
Christine O’Donovan; Niamh Caffrey; Andrea Gleasure
Les références
‘This is a very strong team that is growing with the arrival of David McGovern. David is very experienced and knows as much as anyone in his position in the industry. ’
‘David McGovern – goes above and beyond to build and look after the relationship. Very approachable and commercially focused. ’
‘Excellent, user friendly, great turnaround times.’
Principaux clients
Airbus Financial Services and affiliates
Avia Solutions Group
Azorra Aviation
Icelease Aviation
Lobo Leasing Limited
Bpifrance (French Export Credit Agency)
BNP Paribas
Chinese Aircraft Leasing Company (CALC)
CMB Leasing
Euler Hermes (German Export Credit Agency)
Principaux dossiers
- Acted for Lobo Leasing Limited, which have established a joint venture with EMP Structured Assets GmbH on the purchase a portfolio of six new and used helicopters from subsidiaries of the Avincis Group in Spain and Italy.
- Advised CALC Global Leasing Limited on the sale and novation of five Airbus A320 aircraft on lease to an Indian lessee and acted as Irish transaction counsel.
- Acted as counsel to EDC on the lease and secured financing of up to 20 Airbus A220-300 aircraft.
Walkers
Walkers has a substantial asset and aviation finance practice in its Dublin office, which is supported by the firm’s wider global presence. Under the leadership of Matt Hedigan and Killian McSharry, the team has a solid track record in advising on warehouse facilities, leasing platforms, restructurings and refinancings, to name a few areas of strength. The client roster includes investment funds, financial institutions and lessors. Of counsel Elliot Milton is a name to note.
Responsables de la pratique:
Matt Hedigan; Killian McSharry
Autres avocats clés:
Elliot Milton; Ed Butler; Róisín O’Connor
Les références
‘The team has a strong track record in asset finance with deep knowledge of the industry and types of financing.’
‘Killian McSharry – excellent all rounder. Extremely responsive, results oriented, pragmatic and commercial.’
‘Killian McSharry – very approachable and outgoing. He is very commercially aware of market norms and making sure our risks are lowered on any deal. Great lawyer.’
Principaux clients
Airborne Capital Limited
Aergo Capital
AMCK
CALC
Castlelake
Citi Group
Clover Aviation Capital
LCI
PIMCO
SMBC Aviation Capital