Global helicopter lessor SMFL Helicopters (SMFLH) has launched following the merger of Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Company's (SMFL) acquisition of LCI and Macquarie Rotorcraft (MRL).
“SMFL Helicopters consolidates the deep sector knowledge and operational excellence of two respected lessors within our aviation eco-system to create a single, powerful platform,” said SMFL senior managing executive officer Shinichiro Watanabe. “SMFL is proud to now be present at scale in this dynamic sector, with a goal of becoming the market leader.”
The new helicopter lessor has a growing fleet of around 290 aircraft and aims to deliver “new benchmarks in reliability, innovation, and customer service”. The fleet includes latest generation helicopters from manufacturers, including Airbus and Leonardo.
John Petkovic has been appointed as CEO designate of SMFLH, pending completion of certain procedures related to his re-location to Dublin. It is expected that he will formally take up the position of CEO later this year.
“With the the launch of SMFL Helicopters, we have an exciting opportunity to create a lessor that combines the skills and experience of our talented team of people with the financial strength of SMFL to deliver innovative leasing solutions to our customers across the globe,” said Petkovic.
Crispin Maunder has been named chairman of SMFLH and Jaspal Jandu has been appointed a senior advisor to the new lessor.
The company's leadership team consists of previous LCI or MRL members.
Terri Foley has been appointed deputy CEO and chief operating officer, where he will provide leadership during the CEO appointment period.
The lessor has named Con Barber as chief commercial officer, Padraig Conneely as chief technical officer, Ken Dowling as chief financial officer, and Eric Kataoka as chief investment officer.
Alan O'Rourke will serve as the lessor's new head of capital markets and Trey Wade has been appointed head trading and portfolio strategy.
SMFLH is headquartered in Dublin with offices also in Limerick, London, and Singapore.