Biography
Will Alete is an aviation and asset finance lawyer based in London. He specializes in aircraft-related transactions.
Will acts for airlines, banks and lessors on a wide variety of aviation financing and leasing transactions including the sale and purchase of aircraft, leasing (both finance and operating leases), sale and leasebacks, debt financing (for both commercial and corporate aircraft) and export credit agency backed financing structures.
Will has acted for large corporate clients and private individuals in respect of the acquisition, financing and operating structures (both on a private category and commercial air transport basis) for corporate aircraft.
Will also advises clients on a broad range of aviation commercial agreements such as spare engine leases, engine support agreements, wet leases, charter agreements, maintenance general terms agreements, line maintenance and ground handling agreements.
Will is a ranked lawyer with Chambers in the Asset Finance (Aviation Finance) in which his client feedback includes “Will has a strong intellect and gives clear, robust advice” and “He is a voice of reason”.
Professional experience
Collapse all- Bristol Law School – Legal Practice Course
- Brunel University – B.A. (Hons) Law
- Solicitor, qualified in England & Wales
Advising / acting for:
Aircraft and Engine Purchase / Support:
- Air India on its purchase order for 450+ Boeing and Airbus narrowbody and wide body aircraft as well as in respect the procurement and fleet maintenance agreements for Rolls-Royce and CFM engines
- Virgin Atlantic Airways on:
- Its initial purchase order of up to 30 A330-9 aircraft and its follow-on order for an additional 7 A330-9 aircraft
- Product Agreement and TotalCare Agreement for Trent 7000 engines
- Cargolux in respect of its purchase of 10 Boeing 777X freighter aircraft together with the TrueChoice fleet maintenance programme for GE GE9X engines
- Advising Condor in respect of its Rolls-Royce Trent 700 and Trent 7000 Product and TotalCare Agreements
- TAP on the restructuring of its TotalCare arrangements for the Trent 7000 engine with Rolls-Royce
Aircraft Leasing & Financing
- SAS in respect of the sale and leaseback of 17 A320 NEO aircraft and operating leasing of five A320NEO aircraft from ALAFCO
- In relation to slots secured financing as part of the airline’s Chapter 11 restructuring
- Slot leasing arrangements
- Virgin Atlantic in relation to the financing of two Trent 7000 and two Trent XWB spare engines with PK Air Finance
- UK Export Finance - in respect of an ECA backed fifteen aircraft operating lease financing
- DHL - in respect of B777F operating leases and JOLCO financings
- FlyNas - in respect of:
- various operating leases, engine leases, aircraft subleases and novations
- PDP financing relating of A320Neo aircraft
- the purchase of A321XLR aircraft
- the novation of its portfolio of leases from its then existing AOC to a new AOC
- LOT Polish Airlines in respect of various operating leases of Boeing 787-8,787-9 and 737MAX aircraft together with its Embraer regional aircraft fleet with various lessors including ACG, ALC, Avolon, BOC Aviation, Macquarie, Azorra and NAC
- UKEF backed financing of two Boeing 787-8 aircraft with Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines
- A syndicate of lenders - on a multi-currency revolving credit facility made available to a major international airline and secured by a pool of wide body aircraft and aircraft engines
- Saudi Arabian Airlines / Flyadeal - on the leasing of A320CEO aircraft and A320NEO aircraft
- Wizz Air - various A320 and A321 NEO sale and leaseback transactions
Airline Commercial Contracts:
- Air India Advising on the sale and leaseback of CFM-56 engines and spare engine support arrangements with Willis Engine Lease
- Flyadeal on the long-term engine overhaul GTA with GE relating to a programme of engine overhauls across its CFM-56 fleet together with leased spare engine support
- LATAM on its negotiation of an engine overhaul GTA relating to its fleet of GE90 engines and the amendment of its Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 TCA
- Virgin Atlantic on commercial charter agreements, base maintenance, repair / overhaul agreements and component support agreements with various suppliers
- Advising Air Black Box in respect of a participating carrier agreement for the use of its ACE and Thrubag airline interlining technology platform
Next Generation Partner, Legal 500, Asset Finance and Leasing (2024)
Band 4 : Asset Finance: Aviation Finance
Chambers UK 2024