Credit Agricole and Goldman Sachs lead the first 100% prefunded bond
6th August 2012
As the Airline Economics Growth Frontiers Asia Pacific conference and awards at the JW Marriott comes to an end, I find myself reflecting on a few days in Hong Kong that has left all attendees I have conversed with uplifted (save for the self-inflicted sleep deprived), further informed and fully networked-out. I hope we made the events friendly and personable for all. Many thanks to all attendees/friends for making the event a great success. I can confirm that passes actually taken and created for new walk-in guests on the ground (so not registered delegates but actual delegates on the ground), minus those that did not make it from the original delegate list left a remaining total of 1,082 at the end of day one, which then increased to a total of 1,211 by the end of day 2. These totals do not include those who only attended the Awards Gala Dinner, which had 508 guests in the room with 26 guests in total not able to make the evening from the original list. The PwC school day, held in conjunction with Hong Kong Aviation Capital, was a huge success with 123 delegates in the room at all times (totally full). All in all that means Airline Economics’ Hong Kong event is more or less the same size as the great Airline Economics Dublin conference(which has a delegate cap).
So what now? We have Airline Economics Growth Frontiers Dublin 2016, which is a four day event in 2016. The fun starts with the museum reception on the 17th January, followed by day one of the conference and the Aviation 100 Awards on the 18th January. Day two of the conference and AirLink Gala Dinner are held on 19th January but we have also added a Day three conference day on 20th January, which will be followed by the Orbis Gala Dinner.
Our Dublin event pulls-in airlines from across the globe with the conference venues including: The Shelbourne Hotel, The Mansion House, The Museum of Ireland, The Fitzwilliam Hotel, The Hibernian Club, The Cliff Townhouse Hotel, The Residence
We also have Airline Economics Growth Frontiers Africa/Middle East & Asia confirmed for 9-11th October 2016. This event, which will pull-in all African, Middle Eastern, Indian and Pakistani airlines, is being held at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Dubai Beach. Unlike other events held at the same hotel, we have hired the entire building, including the beach bar, the beach, the presidential buildings and all of the chalets. This means there will be enough breakout space for all with Airline Economics.
And finally, during the first week of November 2016, we will again return to Hong Kong with our Asia Pacific conference, which will entertain airlines from across Asia/Pacific and beyond.
All we need is you! As always to book as a delegate or sponsor simply email me and save yourself the need for online forms:philipt@aviationnews-online.com
All that remains is for me to say a heartfelt thank you to of our sponsors, without whom it would not be possible to run these large-scale events:
Lead sponsor: Rolls Royce & Partners Finance, Engine Lease Finance, Aviation Capital Group, Credit Agricole Corporate Investment Bank, Amedeo, Goshawk, Orix Aviation, China Aircraft Leasing Co., Price Waterhouse Coopers, Century Tokyo Leasing Corp., Doric, Hong Kong Aviation Capital, Vedder Price, Jetscape, Intrepid, Apollo Aviation Group, Magi Partners, Aergo, Stephenson Harwood, Transportation Partners, Standard Chartered, Novus Aviation Capital, Berwin Leighton Paisner, Charles Taylor, Ascend/FlightGlobal, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, Walkers, Cafico.
Many thanks to you all.
Splashback raises over HK$5,000 for Orbis
Stephenson Harwood and Transportation Partners hosted Splashback at the pool at JW Marriott in Hong Kong following the end of the Growth Frontiers conference on November 4. The event, which was held in support of Orbis, pitted a team of bankers against a team of leasing executives in a mixed-medley relay swimming race. As the excitement was building, attendees were invited to support either side by making donations.
The two teams fought well but the bankers too an early lead and triumphed over the lessors. Host John Duffy, chief executive officer of Transportations Partners, questioned whether the lessors allowed the bankers to win in anticipation of an end to liquidity in due course!
At the end of the event, Splashback raised in excess of HK$5,000 for Orbis. If you missed the event, you can still donate to Orbis via: https://give.everydayhero.com/ie/splashback-in-aid-of-orbis
Airline Economics celebrates its first annual Asia-Pacific Awards 2015
At a glittering gala dinner following the first successful day of the second annual Airline Economics Growth Frontiers Asia Pacific conference, held at the JW Marriott in Hong Kong on November 3, 2015, the winners of the first annual Asia-Pacific Aviation 100 Awards 2015, sponsored by Engine Lease Finance Corporation and in support of Airlink, were celebrated in style with a traditional Chinese drum performance by the Hong Kong Ha Tak Kin Marital Art Society.
The awards ceremony was opened with the award for the Aviation 100 Asia Pacific Equity Deal of the Year 2015 going to Spring Airlines for its initial public offering (IPO) back in January 2015. Spring Airlines was the first IPO from a Chinese airline for more than a decade.
ICBC Financial Leasing was celebrated for its ground-breaking US Ex-Im Guaranteed Loan and Pre-funded Bond and awarded the Aviation 100 Asia Pacific Export Credit Deal of the Year 2015.
Hong Kong Aviation Capital $725m Secured Limited Recourse Warehouse Facility was awarded the Aviation 100 Asia Pacific Editor’s Award for Innovation for 2015. This was the first 100% blind capacity warehouse issued by an Asian lessor, which was executed within 10 weeks from launch at very competitive terms with broad global syndication from banks in the US, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Credit Suisse was structuring agent and joint lead arranger; RBC Capital Markets and Credit Agricole CIB were joint lead arrangers. Ever Bank, First Gulf Bank, Key Bank, Natixis and Nomura were all syndicate banks. Clifford Chance advised Hong Kong Aviation Capital, while Vedder Price advised the lenders.
One of the largest, and most talked about, M&A deals in the aviation space this year was Macquarie’s acquisition of the AWAS Aviation Capital 90-aircraft portfolio and this deal, with its related financings, is justly recognised as the Aviation 100 Asia Pacific M&A Deal of the Year 2015. Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank acted as financial advisors to AWAS. Milbank acted as legal advisors to AWAS. Vedder Price advised Macquarie Group on the AWAS acquisition and the third-party funding arrangements.
Supporting the transaction, Macquarie AirFinance entered into a $3.04bn, three-year non-recourse secured bank loan facility to fund the acquisition of 92 aircraft. Mandated lead arrangers and underwriting banks are Citi, BNP Paribas and Wells Fargo. These banks have also committed to working on the refinancing of the bank loan by way of a term loan, ABS, and/or senior unsecured bond.
BOC Aviation enjoyed a very successful evening and collected four individual awards.
BOC Aviation’s landmark 144A/Reg S $750m senior unsecured notes issuance was recognised as the Aviation 100 Asia Pacific Debt Deal of the Year 2015 with its Shenton Aircraft Investment I Ltd. (SHNTN 2015-1) asset backed securitisation winning the coveted overall Aviation 100 Asia Pacific Deal of the Year 2015. Given this success, the treasury and finance team at the aircraft lessor were granted the accolade of the Aviation 100 Asia Pacific Treasury Team of the Year 2015 and the entire firm was recognised as the Aviation 100 Asia Pacific Lessor of the Year 2015.
Given the volume and breadth of aviation-related deals closed during 2015, Clifford Chance was recognised as the Aviation 100 Asia Pacific Law Firm of the Year 2015.
Citi’s impressive array of aviation finance and advisory transactions closed during 2015 determined that the bank was a clear winner as the Aviation 100 Asia Pacific Bank of the Year 2015.
The awards ceremony closed with the recognition of two of the most outstanding airlines in the Asia-Pacific region.
Jetstar Group was named the Aviation 100 Asia Pacific Airline of the Year 2015 and Airline Management Team of the Year 2015 in recognition of its outstanding performance over the past 12 months.
The Aviation 100 Asia Pacific Airline Finance Team of the Year 2015 was awarded to Qantas, which have worked tirelessly to return the airline to growth.
Airline Economics would like to congratulate all of this years’ award winners.
A more detailed review of all of the awards winners will appear in the forthcoming issue of Airline Economics (Issue 30, November/December 2015).
Nominations for the overall Aviation 100 Awards are now open. Cast your vote here:https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Aviation100Awards2016. You have until December 11, 2015 to cast your vote. Please feel free to send out the link to you clients – but please note votes cast for your own company will not be counted.
The Aviation Deals of the Year Awards are also open for nominations.
Any company can nominate its clients or its own services for consideration to win one of the top ten categories by submitting a pitch to The Aviation 100 editorial team victoria@aviationnews-online.com. Please also send nominations for the Face of Aviation award to the same address, describing why that person deserves to win the award for the most outstanding contribution to the aerospace industry in 2015.
The deadline for nominations and pitches for The Aviation 100 2016 awards is December 1, 2015. Late deal pitches and nominations for the Face of Aviation award will be accepted up to December 11, 2015.