Christopher A. Setteducati

Christopher A. Setteducati guides aircraft financiers and investors in structuring complex financing and other transactions involving aircraft assets, including warehouse facilities, term loans, EETCs, asset backed securitizations, joint ventures and asset sales.

He also advises aircraft lenders and lessors in restructuring matters, and is regularly involved in restructurings and reorganizations involving airlines and aircraft, including several recent bankruptcy cases for airlines in the U.S. and South America.

An experienced aviation attorney, Chris helps clients such as banks, private credit lenders and other investors efficiently finance equipment, manage risk, comply with regulatory requirements, support operational and investment goals, and optimize the value of their aircraft assets.

Blending his technical expertise in aircraft finance with practical experience on both the lender and borrower sides, Chris is skilled at managing highly structured and multi-party transactions, coordinating among lenders, borrowers and other stakeholders, and navigating complex regulatory and cross-border issues.

Chris is a member of Vedder’s Global Transportation Finance team and has represented numerous clients in complex aircraft and equipment financing deals both domestically and internationally. Recognized within the industry for his technical knowledge, strategic guidance and successful results, he has received accolades for helping clients achieve complex investment goals efficiently and effectively.

Experience

• Represented Wheels Up in connection with a $332,000,000 revolving equipment notes facility to finance its fleet modernization strategy and associated transactions.
• Represented a syndicate of banks in connection with a $600,000,000 revolving warehouse facility for a private equity-backed aircraft leasing company.
• Represented HSBC Bank USA, as administrative agent and collateral agent, in connection with a $225,000,000 revolving ABL credit facility for GA Telesis, a leading global aviation integration company.
• Represented a U.S. insurance company, as note purchaser, in connection with a $60,000,000 equipment lease securitization sponsored by a leading independent leasing company.
• Represented a consortium of banks and other financial institutions in the restructuring of financing transactions for, and the subsequent sale of, eleven Airbus and Boeing aircraft operated by a South American airline.
• Represented a group of investors in connection with the issuance of $150,000,000 of credit-linked notes by a global investment bank to mitigate default risk associated with its aviation loan portfolio.
• Represented a private investment firm in connection with a joint venture with an aircraft asset manager to acquire six Airbus A220 aircraft on lease to a European airline.
• Represented a U.S. insurance company in connection with its acquisition and subsequent repackaging of a portfolio of secured aviation loans from a European commercial bank.