AviLease, the global aircraft lessor headquartered in Saudi Arabia, has priced its inaugural A44A/Reg S bond offering of $850 million 4.75% senior unsecured notes due 2030 by AviLease Capital Limited, a directly wholly owned subsidiary of AviLease, under its Global Medium Term Note Programme.
The five-year notes will bear a fixed coupon of 4.75% per annum, payable semi-annually in arrears, and will mature in November 2030. The offering is expected to close on 12 November, subject to customary closing conditions. The notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by AviLease, and by certain of its subsidiaries.
The offering was more than 3.75x oversubscribed with strong demand from a range of global investors.
The notes will be rated Baa2 by Moody’s and BBB by Fitch, similar to AviLease’s corporate ratings, which the lessor states reflects its “strong balance sheet, and strategic relevance as it plays a vital role in PIF's aviation sector strategy, in line with Vision 2030”.
AviLease intends to use the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes.
"We are delighted to open the unsecured debt capital markets as a new funding channel for AviLease, following the corporate ratings we obtained from Moody’s and Fitch earlier this year,” said Edward O'Byrne, CEO of AviLease.
“This is an important new chapter for the company, as we materially enhance the depth, diversity and flexibility of our funding toolkit. We thank the investor community for the tremendous support and look forward to becoming a regular issuer as we continue to grow in line with our investment-grade trajectory.”