London, September 10, 2024 — Last night, Airline Economics hosted the prestigious third annual Airline Economics Sustainability Awards and the fourteenth European Aviation 100 Awards at the historic Guildhall in the City of London. The event highlighted and honoured the best-in-class aviation companies in Europe and those at the forefront of advancing sustainability in aviation.
Many thanks to KPMG and ABL Aviation for kindly sponsoring the European awards and again to ABL Aviation for sponsoring the Sustainability awards and the Airline Economics 40 under 40.
The evening commenced with the European Aviation 100 Awards, celebrating remarkable achievements across the industry. The awards recognised:
- European Bank of the Year: BNP Paribas
- European Airline of the Year: Jet2.com
- European Lessor of the Year: AerCap
- European Law Firm of the Year: Watson Farley and Williams
- European CFO and Treasury Team of the Year: Assoc. Prof. Murat Şeker, Chief Financial Officer and Member of the Board of Directors at Turkish Airlines
- European Debt Deal of the Year: Wizz Air Unitranche Term Loan (Class A-B Structure)
- European Supported Finance Deal of the Year: Turkish Airlines ECA-Guaranteed JOLCO
- European Overall Deal of the Year: RMB Chinese Yuan Commercial Financing to Turkish Airlines, with CCB Leasing, AVIC, and Turkish Airlines
Following the European Aviation 100 Awards, the ceremony transitioned to the Airline Economics Sustainability Awards, sponsored by ABL Aviation, which celebrated those driving sustainability within the aviation sector:
- Sustainability Airline of the Year: Air France
- Sustainability Innovation Award: IBA NetZero
- Sustainability Leader of the Year: Jose Abramovici
- Sustainability Team of the Year: The Pegasus Guidelines Working Group
- Sustainability Aircraft Lessor of the Year: CDB Aviation
- Sustainability Aviation Bank of the Year: Credit Agricole-Corporate Investment Bank
- Sustainability Aviation Law Firm of the Year: Norton Rose Fulbright
- Sustainability Supported Finance Deal of the Year: CA-CIB and KDB for the Balthazar insurance-backed, sustainability-linked JOLCO financing for one Airbus A350-900 aircraft on lease to Air France
- Sustainability Aviation Debt Deal of the Year: CDB Aviation 2024 Aircraft Portfolio Financing
- Sustainability Aviation Editor’s Deal of the Year: AWG ESG Initiative, including work on the EU Taxonomy and other ESG matters, supported by WFW
- Sustainability Aviation Financing Excellence Award: Pegasus Guidelines
Victoria Tozer-Pennington, editor and co-founder of Airline Economics, expressed gratitude to sponsors KPMG and ABL Aviation for their invaluable support. “Tonight, we have honoured the leaders and innovators who are shaping the future of aviation. Their commitment to excellence and sustainability sets a benchmark for the industry,” she said.
The evening concluded with a celebration of the 40 under 40 Class of 2024, recognising the brightest young talents making significant impacts in the aviation sector.
“This was an incredibly competitive year filled with exceptionally talented and accomplished executives,” said Finnian O’Neil, Chief Investment Office, ABL Aviation, during the welcome address. “Tonight’s honourees stood out from the crowd for their demonstrated and deep commitment to driving the growth and success of the aviation industry as a whole. They are distinguished not just by professional accomplishments alone, but also by their commitment to giving back to their communities and nurturing our industry’s next generation of leaders. As we look to the future of the business of aviation, it is clear that this year’s 40 under 40 class will play a critical role in shaping the industry and driving innovation and growth. Their dedication, creativity, and leadership will be instrumental in overcoming the challenges and seizing the opportunities that lie ahead.”
Masafumi Hayashi, SVP of Trading and Sales & Marketing at SMBC Aero Engine Lease B.V., received the Airline Economics Future Leader Award, while six individuals were rated as Highly Commended for their outstanding achievements: Patrick Brophy, Greg Fox, Arjun Kapur, Kate O’Connor, Nitin Sarin, and Steve Williamson.
For more information about the 40 under 40 awards and to view a full list of winners, please visit https://www.aviationnews-online.com/airline-economics-40-under-40/