International law firm Bird & Bird's aviation finance team in France won 'Best Supported Financing Deal of the Year' at Ishka: Aviation Finance's Deal of the Year Awards 2023.
The team were recognised for their support of Air France in the refinancing of an A350 through a JOLCO financing with a sustainability linked loan and Balthazar Insurance product. Crédit Agricole CIB and Korea Development Bank were lenders and Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC was the equity investor.
This new award, following Airfinance Journal's Global Lease Deal of the Year in 2023 and Airline Economics' Environmental/ESG leadership Deal of the Year in 2022 for complex and innovative financings, confirms the team's leading expertise in sustainable financing and credit insurance in the aviation sector.
Led by partner Laurence Hanley and comprising associates Diane de Bustamante, Maria Miller, Boubeker Moussaoui and Gaëlle Sow, the team has already been recognised for its support to the French airline in its very first Balthazar financing in 2021.