Q&A with Andy Blundell, Managing Director of Aviation & Marine
Andy Blundell is Managing Director of our Aviation and Marine division. In this short Q&A he gives his thoughts on the impact of current world events on the aviation industry and the importance of innovation.
What effects have recent world events had on the aviation sector?
We are a financier with a UK-centric focus, meaning neither ourselves nor our clients have been directly affected by recent events and sanctions.
During Covid, while the availability of finance was not an issue for us, we did see that transactions took longer to complete because of the travel restrictions that were imposed around the world.
Is there a preferred finance solution clients like to use?This isn’t dictated by the aircraft being acquired, but rather the owner needs to decide what the optimal financing solution for their needs is.
The two main routes are traditional debt financing, which we offer, or a leasing solution where the ownership and residual value risk in the aircraft is retained by the financier.
What advice would you give to anyone currently considering aircraft acquisition?
Do your research on what you really need and engage the services of professional aviation experts, such as an experienced broker, aviation lawyer and management company. It may seem expensive, especially to someone new into the ownership experience, but will probably save money in the long run.
Have you changed your lending criteria recently?
We are an experienced ‘through the cycle’ lender, experienced in all market conditions; we do not usually change our terms & conditions during the cycle.
What’s the market like for an aircraft financier?
We are seeing record levels of enquiries and new business is robust.
How rewarding is the job?
The team has a real passion for aviation, either from an industry or enthusiast’s perspective, so we love dealing with industry professionals and talking to owners about their aircraft.
What are your projections for future direction of the aviation industry?
The focus on the sector’s ESG responsibilities will continue to increase and we look forward to working with our industry colleagues to understand what this means for the owners of the future, whether they are flying in a current generation aircraft or looking to add a new eVTOL solution to their fleet.
Aviation thrives on innovation and we look forward to continuing to be able to support it in the future.
