Ascend's 2020 Aviation Finance Forum Explores Shifting Investment Landscape

Financial innovation by aircraft lessors is keeping the sector buoyant, according to global aviation specialist Ascend, as it prepares to address the industry.

Ascend’s Head of Risk Advisory Paul Sheridan says a massive $75 billion of aircraft demand this year is opening up new financing options and driving competition among new entrant lessors across the commercial aviation industry.

Together with the highest calibre experts from across the industry globally, Ascend analysts will debate the financial markets and leasing prospects for aviation, in San Francisco for two days from 30 November. Senior executives from Goldman Sachs, Boeing, Guggenheim Partners, Boeing, Virgin America, United Airlines and Credit Agricole, among many others, will explore the opportunities and developments in the investment and leasing landscape, as the industry recovers.

“Increasing production rates mean the amount of finance required for new aircraft deliveries will rise by around 40% over the next five years. In this high growth cycle, lessors play a key role as vital sources of both capital and innovation," Sheridan said. “With the asset-backed security markets closed for now and bank markets contracting, leasing companies have been forced to alter their models as they look to new sources for financing. The importance of this cannot be understated, as the success or failure of a lessor depends as much on its access to finance as its ability to buy and manage aircraft. The challenge for leasing companies today is magnified by their requirement to finance older aircraft as well as new deliveries.”

Ascend’s premier North American conference invites the industry to take an in-depth view on:

• New business models for the new aviation cycle.
• Inflation’s impact on the aviation sector.
• Benchmarking new leasing platforms.
• The outlook for aircraft residual values.
• What investors are looking for when they look at aviation.

Insight and debate at the conference will be spurred on by industry experts, including conference speakers:

• Anthony Mosse, VP and treasurer, Virgin America
• Arnaud Fiscel, Head of Aviation, Barclays Capital
• Randy Tinseth, VP of Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
• Dan Stone, Senior VP and Aviation Analyst, HSH Nordbank
• David Andrews, Executive VP, PIMCO
• Steve Rimmer, CEO, Guggenheim Partners
• Gerry Laderman, Senior VP, United Airlines
• Gregory P. Lee, Managing Director, Goldman Sachs
• John Slattery, Senior VP, Embraer
• John Willingham, CEO, Macquarie AirFinance
• Leo Burrell, MD, Credit Agricole
• Yugo Fukuhara, Marketing Director, Mitsubishi Regional Jet

FMI: www.ascendworldwide.com/conferences/sanfrancisco/index.php