Korean investors retain widebody, tier one airline focus, but portfolio deals will grow in popularity

The second day of the Airline Economics Growth Frontiers Korea conference opened with a fascinating insight into the Korean investor market. Four investors shared their views on aviation as an asset class, emphasising the growing interest in the sector in the search for stable yields as returns from the more traditional shipping and real estate asset classes continue to disappoint. To date, the main focus of Korean aviation investment has been on financing high quality assets, mainly widebody aircraft, for top tier airlines with strong credit ratings. The four investors on the panel from Lotte Insurance, the Police Mutual Aid