Experience

Richard has extensive experience in advising on cross border aircraft portfolio financings, aircraft sale and leaseback transactions, capital market transactions (including aircraft securitisations), ECA and Ex-Im backed financings and debt restructurings.

Richard also has significant experience in drafting and negotiating aircraft leasing, purchase, sale, servicing, financing and security agreements.

He acts for many leading operating lessors and financiers in the aviation industry. Richard has also advised clients in connection with the acquisition and disposal of operating leasing companies and in relation to the establishment and operation of aviation joint ventures.

Richard relocated to the Dublin office of McCann FitzGerald LLP in January 2022 having been based in our New York office since 2018.

Key highlights include advising:

  • Leading aircraft lessors based in Ireland, including AIP Capital, Nordic Aviation Capital, Orix Aviation, Titan Aviation, Abelo, Aviation Capital Group, Genesis, Clover, AVIC, Avia Solutions Group and AerSale in connection with a diverse range of aircraft leasing and aviation finance transactions and management of their respective business and existing portfolios.
  • Titan Aviation and AIP Capital in connection with the establishment of aircraft owning platforms in Ireland, the funding of such platforms and the acquisition/sale of multiple aircraft.
  • Nordic Aviation Capital and the Vendors on the sale of the Nordic Aviation Capital Group to Dubai Aerospace Enterprise.
  • Warburg Pincus on the sale of Aquila Air Capital, a leading full-service aircraft leasing and financing platform, to funds managed by Wafra Inc.
  • CACIB and the other finance parties in connection with a $875 million engine portfolio financing for Shannon Engine Support (SES) in a club-deal of eight banks.
  • Helaba, Bank of China and Bpifinance on a new €77m facility for GDHF, a newly established helicopter leasing platform.
  • Nordic Aviation Capital on a $382 million Term Loan advanced by RBC, Wells Fargo and KeyBank.
  • AIP Capital and Phoenix Aviation Capital on its inaugural US$242m Lessor EETC.
  • Genesis Aviation in connection with the sale of a number of mid-life and end-of-life aircraft to various purchasers.
  • Abelo Aviation in connection with the acquisition from ATR and lease to Maldivian Airlines of one ATR 42-600 aircraft.
  • Aviation Capital Group in connection with the acquisition of multiple new technology aircraft from a number of different leasing company trading partners.
  • Genesis in connection with its acquisition of a portfolio of twenty nine (29) aircraft on lease to a variety of lessees in a number of jurisdictions.