Lufthansa raises €500 million with A350s and A320s as security

Lufthansa has used eight of its aircraft as security in a range of financing transactions which have raised €500 million ($614 million) since last July.

The German carrier says five of its Airbus A350s and three A320-family aircraft were used as collateral to raise funds through sale-and-leaseback financing, secured loans and secured promissory notes.

Banks, private equity funds and corporate investors, “particularly from Europe and Asia”, participated in the financing, notes Lufthansa, adding that it was able to agree “attractive terms”. The €500 million raised is in addition to the €1.6 billion raised through a convertible and a corporate bond.

“We have taken another successful step in refinancing existing liabilities which are maturing in 2021,” states Wilken Bormann, executive vice-president of corporate finance at Lufthansa Group. “We have a wide range of financing instruments at our disposal, and aircraft financing will continue to play a key role in our financing strategy as it offers financially attractive conditions.”

Source: Flight Global