Carlyle Aviation buys lease-attached units for ABS | News | Airfinance Global

Carlyle Aviation buys lease-attached units for ABS


Carlyle Aviation Partners has acquired a batch of narrowbody aircraft from Apollo Global Management and Merx Aviation, Airfinance Journal’s Fleet Tracker shows.

The aircraft include a Boeing 737 Max 8, manufactured in 2018, with a lease attached to Polish operator Enter Air, and an Airbus A320 built in 2016 with a lease attached to Indonesia-based Lion Group’s Batik Air.

AFJ had previously flagged that Carlyle Aviation was in the process of adding aircraft to its portfolio to become part of the collateral pool for its AASET 2024-1 asset-backed securitisation (ABS).

In its pre-sale report for AASET 2024-1, Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) noted that two lessees in the initial portfolio – Batik Air and Jetsmart – had outstanding deferral amounts for repayment of rents that were previously deferred.

Natixis, acting through its New York branch, has been appointed as liquidity facility provider for AASET 2024-1. Sole structuring agent, global coordinator, and joint lead bookrunner is Goldman Sachs. The trustee is UMB Bank, National Association.

Last month, AFJ reported that Carlyle Aviation had tripled its business in recent years and was to grow the platform further.

“Over the last five years, we tripled the size of the business. Our goal over the next five years is to double the size of the business again,” chief executive officer, Robert Korn, said at the ISTAT Asia conference in Hong Kong in May.

“It’s going to grow through some minor growth of our aircraft portfolio, maybe more so in value than number of aircraft. But it’s also going to grow through expanding our lending business and securities management which is currently in the $3.5 billion range. I think we’ll add more lending products,” the Carlyle Aviation chief executive explained.

Carlyle Aviation entered 2024 with 379 aircraft owned or managed, valued at more than $12 billion.

In related news, Airfinance Journal understands that the firm earlier this month acquired its first asset on lease to Sky Express from Greece – a new A320neo. This built on other Neo Carlyle deals reported by AFJ, including A320neos with Transavia France and A321neos with Vietjet Air.


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