HSBC has been mandated to finance six Airbus A350-900 aircraft for Emirates Group (Emirates) and has completed the financing of five through a Japanese Operating Lease with Call Option (JOLCO), marking the airline’s return to the JOLCO market after six years, and demonstrating HSBC’s expertise in asset financing programmes.
Financing for the
remaining aircraft is currently in progress, reported WAM.
The transaction
provides attractive pricing and efficient terms, while affording Emirates the
opportunity to diversify its funding sources and liquidity base beyond
traditional financing sources.
It reflects HSBC’s ability to connect global
capital with regional ambition and builds on a trusted partnership spanning 40
years since the airline’s inception.
Marking the occasion, Sheikh
Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline
Group, met with Georges Elhedery, Group CEO, HSBC Holdings, celebrating the
deal that builds on more than 40 years of partnership and shared growth.
In attendance were Samir Assaf, Chairman of
the Board, HSBC Middle East Holdings (HMEH) and Senior Advisor, HSBC Group,
Abdulfattah Sharaf, Chairman of the Board of HSBC Bank Middle East Limited
(HBME), Selim Kervanci, CEO, MENAT, HSBC, Mohamed Al Marzooqi, CEO, UAE, HSBC
and Shaikha Almarri, Head of Banking, UAE, HSBC.
Attending executives
from Emirates were: Michael Doersam, Chief Financial and Group Services
Officer, Emirates Group, Nirmal Govindadas, Senior Vice President, Group
Treasury and Risk Management, and Dhiraj Lulla, VP Group Treasury (Financing).
Mohamed Al Marzooqi,
Chief Executive Officer, UAE, HSBC Bank Middle East, said: “Over the last 40
years, HSBC has supported Emirates’ journey from its very first aircraft to its
position today as one of the world’s leading airlines. This latest financing
demonstrates the strength of that relationship and our shared confidence in the
UAE’s aviation sector. As we approach our 80th anniversary in the UAE next
year, we remain committed to connecting local champions like Emirates with
international capital and opportunity.”
The Airbus A350-900
has been introduced in Emirates’ fleet in November 2024.
The clean-sheet design
of this modern and efficient widebody aircraft includes state-of-the-art
technologies, aerodynamics, lightweight materials and latest generation engines
that together deliver a 25% advantage in fuel burn, lowering operating costs and
CO₂ emissions.
Over the last four
decades, the two organisations have collaborated across many firsts including
the first ever Sukuk guaranteed by an Export Credit Agency (ECA).
At the time, the transaction marked the largest ECA-wrapped debt capital markets transaction in the aviation sector.