Harry Upcott
He is an exceptional commercial attorney who understands all of the ins and outs of the aviation finance business. (Chambers UK, 2025) Harry is a partner in our London office whose practice focusses on structured and asset finance in the transportation and space sectors.
He advises arrangers, equity investors, financiers, hedge funds, leasing companies, private equity and operators on aircraft, maritime, rolling stock, satellite and other asset-based and receivables-backed transactions (and related restructurings and repackagings).
Harry’s practice covers structured finance and leasing, export credit transactions, portfolio (including `metal’ assets, loan portfolios and platforms) trading and financings, joint ventures, secondary debt trading, repossessions and restructurings, M&A in the transportation sector, tax-based debt and leasing structures and deals involving the capital markets.
Harry is recognised as a leading individual in the legal directories, where he has been praised as “an outstanding partner with great commercial awareness” who “understands the need to execute a successful close against demanding timelines.” (Chambers UK, 2025).
Experience Highlights
The issuer on an aviation loan asset-backed securitization (ABS); the $324.3 million ABS is backed by a static pool of loan facilities secured by 19 narrowbody aircraft, 3 widebody aircraft and 4 narrowbody host aircraft engines on lease to 12 lessees located in 11 jurisdictions (Structured Finance Deal of the Year, Airline Economics, 2024)
AviLease on its $3.6 billion acquisition of Standard Chartered Bank’s global aviation leasing business, Pembroke Capital, including the associated $2.1 billion acquisition financing debt facility (M&A Deal of the Year, Airline Economics, 2023)
PK AirFinance as arranger of a super senior post-bankruptcy facility for Nordic Aviation Capital
The issuer on an aircraft loan securitization, ‘SALT 2021-t SALT 2021-1 Trust issued a total of $893.47 million of notes backed by loans secured by 156 aircraft operated by 45 airline operators located in 29 jurisdictions (Americas Capital Markets Deal of the Year, Airline Economics, 2022)
An alternative investment firm and an investment management and advisory firm on the formation of a JV aviation platform and the acquisition of a $1.1 billion performing aircraft loan portfolio from National Australia Bank; the portfolio comprised of 27 loan facilities secured by 159 aircraft, with a collateral valuation of $1.4bn (Asia-Pacific M&A Deal of the Year, Airline Economics, 2022)
Credentials
- BSc (Hons), Politics and Social Policy, University of Bristol
- LPC, The College of Law, Guildford
- Post Graduate Diploma, Law, The College of Law, Guildford
- Chambers UK, Asset Finance: Aviation Finance, 2017–2025
- England and Wales
- Press ReleaseJuly 21, 2025