Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) advised ITOCHU Corporation (“ITOCHU”) on its acquisition of shares in Sirius Aviation Capital Holdings Limited (“Sirius”).
The transaction represents a strategic investment by ITOCHU into the growing global aviation leasing and investment market and highlights increasing cross-border M&A activity in the aviation sector.
ITOCHU is a leading Japanese trading and investment company with a long-standing presence in the global aviation sector.
Sirius is an established and growing aircraft leasing and services platform headquartered in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), an international financial centre that is home to an unrivalled network of institutional investors. Sirius has developed deep expertise in end-to-end investment management services across aircraft acquisition, lease management and remarketing of in-demand mid-life narrowbody aircraft, supporting global institutional investors across the aviation sector.
The cross-border WFW Aviation team that advised ITOCHU was led by Dubai Corporate Partner Alastair Holland, supported by Tokyo Partner Shusuke Fukunaga and Paralegal Saira Oshiro.
Alastair commented: “We are delighted to have supported ITOCHU on this strategic investment in Sirius. The transaction reflects growing investor interest in the aviation leasing sector, as well as the increasing importance of cross-border partnerships in driving sector growth. It also highlights WFW’s strong M&A capability in the aviation space and our ability to deliver seamless, international legal advice”.
