Asena May has extensive experience representing underwriters, initial purchasers, lenders, lessors, sponsors and servicers in a wide variety of asset finance transactions, including joint ventures, portfolio securitizations, acquisition financing, secured lending, structured financing and credit enhancements.
Between February 2020 and February 2021, Ms. May was on client secondment with GE Capital Aviation Services LLP.
- Deutsche Bank Securities Inc, as lead structuring agent and representative of the initial purchasers, in connection with the issuance by Phantom 2026-1 Aviation Limited and Phantom 2026-1 Aviation LLC of US$603.710 million fixed rate secured notes secured by a portfolio of 16 aircraft and related leases.
- Goshawk Aviation, NWS Holdings and Chow Tai Fook on the sale of Goshawk Aviation's commercial aircraft leasing platform to SMBC Aviation Capital Limited.
- TrueNoord on a five-year US$275 million term loan used to finance a portfolio of 31 owned regional jet and turboprop aircraft on lease to 13 different airline customers in 11 countries.
- Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC), the world’s largest regional aircraft lessor, as servicer, and NAC Warehouse Designated Activity Company, as borrower, on its five-year US$400 million limited recourse senior secured warehouse revolving credit facility.
- Avolon on the US$5 billion acquisition of Castlelake Aviation Leasing Limited from Castlelake L.P.'s aviation platform, which included a portfolio of 106 aircraft on lease and commitments for 10 new technology aircraft.
- Various aircraft lessors in connection with the sanctions and other consequences of the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
- GE Capital Aviation Services on its co-investment vehicle with Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) to create an aviation leasing platform to support up to US$2 billion in aircraft asset financings.
- Goldman Sachs on a five-year US$250 million term loan to Sculptor Capital used to finance a portfolio of 16 aircraft.
- Altavair LP, as Servicer, in connection with its first 144A ABS issuance. The US$582 million offering, ALTDE 2025-1, is backed by 24 aircraft, 22 of which are held in warehouse financing related to its Altitude 2 leasing fund which will enable Altavair to clear the warehouse for new deals.
- Sculptor Capital Management, Inc., on its second structured ABS financing, SOLRR 2021-1, totaling US$706.5 million of asset-backed debt, to finance a diversified portfolio of 22 commercial passenger aircraft on operating leases with 10 lessees in 8 countries.
- Castlelake on the refinancing of the Castlelake Aircraft Structured Trust 2017-1 transaction (CLAS 2017-1R), whereby the issuer issued US$450 million of notes.
- KKR in the acquisition of CIT's US$800 million aviation loan portfolio and establishment of KKR's lending platform.
- GECAS and GE Equity on the joint venture arrangement involving PIMCO to create an aviation leasing platform to support up to US$3 billion in aircraft asset financings. The joint venture closed on a warehouse credit facility in the amount of US$1 billion to finance the acquisition of aircraft to begin the initial phase of full implementation of the joint venture.
- BNP Paribas, Citibank, N.A., Commonwealth Bank of Australia and Deutsche Bank, as mandated lead arrangers and underwriting banks, on the US$575 million and US$695 million acquisition financings for Flying Leasing Limited and Incline B Aviation Limited Partnership of two portfolios of aircraft from Aviation Capital Limited and Air Asia Berhad; AirFinance Journal’s 2018 North America Deal of the Year.
- GE Capital Aviation Services in connection with its servicing and sale of a portfolio of aircraft to Start Ltd., financed through an asset-backed securitization involving a first-of-its-kind for aircraft ABS Rule 144A E-note issuance; AirFinance Journal’s 2018 ABS Deal of the Year.
News and client work
Contact details
- Clifford Chance, New York
- +12128788073
- Email me
- Practice area M&A corporate, Global Financial Markets, Capital markets
Career & qualifications
- Claremont McKenna College (BA) 2009
- New York University (MS) 2012
- St. John's School of Law (JD) 2017
- Joined Clifford Chance 2017
- Admitted as an Attorney-at-Law in New York 2018