AFCDublin, 2019
AFCDublin, 2019, the annual conference of Aviation Finance in Dublin Castle, Ireland, on October 15th next will feature many of the incisive insights from Aviation Finance's analysis in 2019 to date, and consistent with where we are at in the cycle, as volatility rises and downward pressures persist on interest rates 'Aircraft Trading' is a key theme of this year's conference agenda. CFOs and leasing risk managers and traders as well as investors, OEMS and airlines are prominent in the line up of speakers at AFCDublin, 2019.

This also reflects that fact that trading is an important source of profit for lessors, with aircraft lease rates under pressure. Hand in hand with this we will be asking who are the customers that will make the trading environment attractive? This will feature the insights of investment bankers, trading leaders, and investors in aircraft as an asset class, among other members of the global trading, investing and aircraft financing ecosystem.

All aspects of aircraft trading are at the heart of the annual conference of Aviation Finance in Dublin Castle, Ireland, on October 15th next. ‘Trading aircraft to drive returns’ for vendors, investors and market makers, will be the focus, and participating as speakers, will be representatives of the top players from all parts of the market, on the sell and the buy sides.

The conference will be taking place in conjunction with the Financial Centres Summit, on October 16th in Dublin Castle which will be addressed by the chairman of the USA’s Securities & Exchange Commission, Jay Clayton, and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Ken Clarke MP, ‘father’ of the House of Commons, UK.
Peter Chang, President and CEO, CDB Aviation delivers his keynote address in the opening plenary session of the Financial Centres Summit 2018



That aircraft trading, financing and investing is ‘still only in its infancy’ is a view put forward by ISTAT’s incoming president, Gerry Butler, of Merx Aviation Finance in a recent article in the institution’s newsletter, Jettrader at the outset of his new three year term as president.

It is a concept that is well familiar to readers of this publication, and consistent with this, we shall be focusing at next October’s event on the concepts that have appeared in this publication, and in developments that we have reported on, including in this issue itself, that are helping to extend the spheres of finance and trading to achieve a ‘win win’ result, for both investors, vendors, and manufacturers, and indeed all with an interest in good aviation governance and economics.

Innovation will be a theme of these discussions also, as we will look at how new developments, some of which have already been covered in Aviation Finance will play out to facilitate dealmaking and sound investment propositions.
Aengus Kelly, CEO, AerCap in conversation with Joe Gill, contributing editor, Aviation Finance.



Key topics to be covered will include:
(1) The functionality and resourcing needed to operate a state of the art aircraft trading unit;
(2) What aircraft types best suit aircraft trading and what challenges exist for aircraft with smaller volumes and user groups;
(3) How independent assessors in helping price discovery for aircraft traders worldwide;
(4) How should airlines engage with aircraft trading to optimise their fleet finances; and
(5) How much larger can the aircraft trading universe expand and what regulatory challenges does it face.

All of these have been touched on in stories in Aviation Finance and at last year’s conference in 2018, and will receive particular attention in Dublin this October 15th.

Vol. 9 Issue 17 of Aviation Finance