Chris Knight

Chris Knight is very knowledgeable and is also commercially minded.

—The Legal 500

Chris Knight’s asset finance practice focuses on acting for lessors, banks, funds, export credit agencies and airlines on a wide range of high-value, cross-border aircraft and engine finance transactions.

Cited by clients in Chambers UK (2020) as “extremely responsive, diligent and a pleasure to work with,” and in Chambers UK (2021) as “knowledgeable, professional and approachable” and “very hard-working…and implementation orientated”, Chris’ extensive transactional experience spans sale and leasebacks, finance and operating leases, novations, JOLCOs, Balthazar / ECA backed finance and lease structures, PDP, warehouse, and bridge financings (amongst others), OEM purchase agreements and engine maintenance and support agreements. In 2016, Chris undertook a six-month secondment at Emirates in Dubai advising on a range of delivery, redelivery and ad hoc matters.

Representative Experience

Advising Oaktree and World Star Aviation on a 21-portfolio ABS-backed aircraft purchase from Investec.
Counsel to a syndicate of 10 lenders on a circa $900 million warehouse financing involving a large lessor and many different airlines across the globe.
Representing numerous major lessors, including AMCK, BBAM, DAE, Falko, JSA, Macquarie, MCAP, Minsheng, Sky Holding, SMBC Aero Engine Lease, TrueNoord and World Star Aviation on a vast array of aircraft leases, trades and new order transactions, involving various Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier aircraft.

Working on numerous A350-900 JOLCO, Balthazar and ECA backed transactions for Ethiopian Airlines, structured in certain instances with both senior and junior debt.

Acting for Emirates on all aspects of a range of new A380 and B777 aircraft deliveries over many years.

Advising DVB Bank and Arab Banking Corporation on multiple PDP financing and revolving and warehouse facility related deals.

Professional Highlights

Overall Debt Deal of the Year, Airline Economics (2018)
AirFinance Journal, recognized as a ‘rising star’ in Aviation Finance (2019)
Euromoney Legal Media Group Europe Rising Star Awards, recognized as a ‘rising star’ in Aviation Finance (2019—2020)