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David Berkery
David Berkery
Partner — Finance
Partner — Finance

David Berkery

David Berkery
New York

The Grace Building
1114 Avenue of the Americas
32nd Floor
New York, New York 10036

start quote symbolHe is down to earth, pragmatic and sensible. He is also not afraid to challenge how a deal has been structured if he thinks there is a more efficient way of achieving the same result for the client. I feel he is a safe pair of hands for more complex aviation and securitization transactions. (Legal 500, 2022)end quote symbol
David Berkery

Experience Highlights

  • Castlelake in connection with the acquisition of 8 aircraft on lease to Avianca from a syndicate of lenders

  • AerCap Ireland Limited and its affiliates in connection with the sale of a portfolio of 8 aircraft on lease to another leading leasing company

  • Castlelake in connection with the conversion of 6 leases with Tampa Cargo from operating leases to finance leases

  • Bank of America’s leasing platform with the sale of two aircraft on lease to WestJet to a leading leasing company

  • New Pacific Airways, a start-up airline with transpacific operations, in multiple senior secured loans to finance acquisitions as it expands its fleet

  • New Pacific Airways, a start-up airline with transpacific operations, in various aircraft purchase and lease transactions to grow its fleet

  • RAVN Alaska, a regional airline operating in Alaska, in multiple aircraft acquisitions and back-leverage transactions

  • $655 million aircraft-backed securitization (ABS) of 27 aircraft; the first aircraft ABS to close following the emergence of COVID-19

  • Migration of a portfolio of 40 aircraft onto the Global Aircraft Trust System (GATS), the largest single migration onto the GATS to-date

  • Irish aircraft leasing company on the establishment of a $3 billion aviation leasing platform formed through a joint venture with a U.S. investment management firm

  • Syndicate of lenders providing a $3 billion warehouse facility to allow Global Jet Capital to, among other things, acquire a 350 aircraft business jet leasing portfolio from General Electric and representing Deutsche Bank as underwriter of multiple ABS transactions used to refinance that facility

  • Canadian pension and insurance fund manager as investor in a sidecar joint venture with an Irish aircraft leasing company, establishing a new $2 billion aircraft leasing platform

  • $515 million ABS of 79 aircraft; the first of the new generation ABS to close following the global financial crisis

  • Shareholders and management on the creation of Elix Aviation Management, a brand new aircraft management platform within the Elix Aviation group

  • Underwriters on the securitization of a $971 million loan portfolio secured by 159 aircraft

Credentials

  • Trinity College Dublin, L.L.M., with honors, 2003
  • University College Dublin, B.C.L., with honors, 2002
  • Chambers USA, Transportation: Aviation: Finance (Nationwide), 2023
  • JD Supra Reader’s Choice Awards, Top Author – Transportation, 2023

  • Chambers Global, “Foreign Expertise Based Abroad in USA,” in Banking & Finance (Ireland), 2024; Banking & Finance (Ireland), 2022

  • Chambers and Partners, “Up and Coming Partner,” 2020 and 2021
  • Chambers and Partners, “Foreign Expert in New York Law,” 2020 and 2021
  • Legal 500 U.S., Transport: Aviation and Air Travel: Finance, 2022 and 2023; Finance: Commercial Lending, 2023
  • Legal 500, “Next Generation Partner,” 2021
  • Legal 500, “Rising Star,” 2020
  • Lecturer on the Law Society of Ireland’s Diploma in Aviation Leasing and Finance Course
  • Frequent panelist at industry conferences including Airline Economics conferences (Dublin, London, New York, Hong Kong), ISHKA conference (Dublin) and Airfinance Journal conference (New York)
  • New York
  • England & Wales
  • Ireland
  • “Recent Private Equity Investment in Aviation,” Airfinance Journal, August 2021
  • “The Benefits of the Global Aircraft Trading System to Secured Lenders,” Airfinance Journal, March 2021 (co-authored)
  • “Trends and Developments in Aviation Finance & Leasing,” Chambers Global Practice Guide, August 2020 (co-authored)
  • “An Introduction to the Global Aircraft Trading System (GATS),” Airfinance Journal, July 2019
  • “Structural Developments in Aircraft ABS Transactions,” Airfinance Journal, July 2018