Airfinance Journal – Dominic Lalk
AIP Capital, a new global aviation asset management and investment company, was officially launched on 15 May. The new entrant said it will identify and act upon emergent opportunities in the sector, including operating and finance leases, future orders and equity-linked investments. AIP Capital will exclusively manage aircraft and aircraft financing for 777 Partners and its affiliated airlines, which include Canadian carrier Flair Airlines and Australian start-up Bonza. The AIP Capital team has a track record of leveraging relationships and a unique investment approach to deliver outsized returns on assets, it said. Previous aircraft investments have totalled approximately $5 billion across 119 assets, with an additional $2.6 billion of capital deployed in investment grade, high-yield and distressed aviation credit. The current team counts 15 professionals across finance, technical, legal and underwriting functions. Its co-founders and managing partners Mathew Adamo and Jared Ailstock said AIP Capital was launched to move fast and take advantage of opportunities in the post-pandemic aviation industry. Before founding AIP Capital, Adamo served as managing director of aviation investing at Castlelake and chief investment officer for Jackson Square Aviation. Ailstock was previously managing director and head of aviation business development and capital markets at Castlelake and held positions in structured finance at both Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse. Both have experience managing multi-billion-dollar aviation asset portfolios and transactions. “Both Jared and I pride ourselves on the relationships we’ve developed across airlines, lessors, OEMs, banks and investors,” says Adamo. “We hope to leverage those relationships to help our partners achieve their vision of transforming the aviation industry.” “We’re not in the business of “renting” capital and collecting servicing fees,” adds Ailstock. “We believe in the assets we invest in, and we expect them to generate returns that will positively impact our partner businesses.” AIP Capital has established offices in Stamford, Connecticut, and Dublin, Ireland. The firm will also utilise 777 Partners’ global offices, including New York City, London and Miami. AIP Capital is advised by law firms Gibson Dunn in the US and McCann Fitzgerald in Ireland, and PwC provides tax advice globally.