Milestone to sell 12-helicopter portfolio to Macquarie Rotorcraft

news
0
SHARE:

Milestone Aviation has agreed to sell a 12-helicopter portfolio to Macquarie Rotorcraft.

The fleet consists of Sikorsky S-92, Airbus H135, Bell 412, and Leonardo AW109, AW139 and AW189 helicopters. The aircraft are currently on lease to six customers in nine countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South-East Asia. Deployments include a wide variety of missions such as  supporting offshore energy, emergency medical services (EMS) and police services flights.

Pat Sheedy, CEO, Milestone Aviation said: “Unlike the fixed-wing market, portfolio sales have not been as prevalent in helicopter leasing. This transaction between the two leading owners of leased rotorcraft, is another example of the growing maturity of the helicopter leasing sector and reinforces the strong liquidity that we are seeing.”

The ability to trade on lease assets is a critical part of portfolio management for lessors of scale, according to the company. “We are pleased to partner with such a strong industry player as Macquarie Rotorcraft, and to work together to execute what is a sizeable portfolio transaction,” added Sheedy.

John Petkovic, CEO, Macquarie Rotorcraft said: “Acquiring these assets expands our ability to meet the growing needs of our customers and demonstrates the increasing sophistication of the helicopter finance market.”  

Meanwhile, the helicopter leasing market will continue to benefit from robust demand for all types of helicopters but still faces significant challenges, Sheedy told Helicopter Investor earlier this month. “There is much to be cheerful about in the global market and we expect the trends that are driving these factors to continue and should be positive for Milestone in 2023 and beyond.” Last year the lessor closed 150 transactions and grew its customer base to more than 50 clients in over 40 countries worldwide.

SHARE: