William Glaister is Head of Clifford Chance's Global Asset Finance Group specialising in advising financiers, lessors and operators on all aspects of big ticket asset finance.
- Advised General Electric Company (GE) on the combination of GECAS and AerCap. The combined company will be one of aviation leasing’s leading franchise with a balance sheet of more than $70 billion, bringing together complementary portfolios across aircraft, engines and helicopters; Overall Deal of the Year (& M&A Deal of the Year), Airline Economics’ Global Aviation 100 Deal of the Year Awards 2022; M&A Deal of the Year, Airfinance Journal’s Deal of the Year Awards 2022; Best Lessor Deal, Ishka’s Deal of the Year Awards 2022.
- Advised over forty lessors, finance lessors, MROs and financiers, being creditors in respect of the restructuring of Malaysian Airlines Berhad debts under a UK scheme of arrangement. The transaction was market leading as the first use of a Part 26 Scheme by a foreign airline; Restructuring Deal of the Year, Airline Economics Global 100 Deal of the Year Awards 2022 and Ishka’s Deal of the Year Awards 2022.
- Advised Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC), the world’s largest regional aircraft lessor, on the successful scheme of arrangement and Chapter 11 case in respect of approximately $6bn of its secured and unsecured debt. The restructuring, was implemented through a pre-arranged Chapter 11 process in the U.S. bankruptcy court, with the various different secured debt facilities having selected from a range of different treatments, including a partial debt for equity swap, a number of other bespoke reinstated debt options and a consensual exit from the NAC group.
- Advised the Balthazar Underwriting Committee on a Balthazar-supported senior financing by KfW IPEX-Bank as part of the sale and leaseback of 1 Airbus A350-900 aircraft between Singapore Airlines and Crianza Aviation, a Korean aircraft lessor; Supported Finance Deal of the Year (& Sustainability Lease Deal of the Year), Airline Economics’ Global Aviation 100 Deal of the Year Awards 2022; Guaranteed Financing Deal of the Year, Airfinance Journal’s Deal of the Year Awards 2022
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Career and qualifications
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University College, London (BA, History) 1989
- Joined Clifford Chance 1991
- Admitted as a solicitor in England & Wales 1993
- Secondment to Clifford Chance Hong Kong office 1998
- Partner since 2000
Professional bodies
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Law Society of England & Wales
- Law Society of Hong Kong
Awards and citations
- Hailed as "a pre-eminent English aviation finance lawyer" by clients, William Glaister heads the firm's global asset finance group and enjoys a stellar reputation in the market. The London-based lawyer is also noted for his expertise in cross-border matters. A further source claims:"William Glaister remains one of the leading aircraft financing lawyers. He is commercially minded, tactically astute, practical and highly effective."
Asset Finance – Global Market Leaders, Chambers 2022
Clifford Chance
