Simon Wong > Stephenson Harwood > Hong Kong, Hong Kong > Lawyer Profile

Stephenson Harwood
43/F, One Taikoo Place
979 King's Road
Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
Hong Kong

Work Department

Finance

Position

Partner

Career

Simon specialises in aircraft financing, leasing and trading relating to both commercial aircraft and business jets. He also handles aviation joint ventures, aviation funds, Islamic financing, equipment leasing and general banking work. Simon’s main clients are international aircraft lessors and financiers in the PRC and in Europe.

Simon is a partner at our Hong Kong office, specialising in aviation law and asset finance. He has advised financiers, lessors, airlines and aircraft owners on various types of aircraft financing transactions (including syndicated loans, pre-delivery financing, off-balance sheet financing, Islamic financing and ECA financing), cross-border leasing transactions (including operating leases, finance leases, sale and leasebacks, tax-based leases and domestic PRC operating leases utilising the Tianjin SPV structure), commercial aircraft fleet acquisition projects, aircraft lease novation, engine and cabin equipment purchases, power-by-the-hour arrangements, sale and purchase of used aircraft and aircraft holding companies, aviation joint ventures in Mainland China, licensing arrangements and restructuring of tax leases.

He recently acted for a policy bank in China in a financing transaction involving eight aircraft on-leased to six airlines across the globe, including various flag carriers and fast developing low cost carriers. He also advised a major aircraft lessor in the establishment of an offshore leasing platform and the acquisition of its aircraft portfolio.

Simon acts for some of the most active aircraft lessors in China in cross-border aircraft leasing and financing transactions. These transactions involved complex negotiations when looking at it from a commercial, engineering and legal perspective. On the business jet side, Simon acts for many operators and aircraft owners in the region.

Languages

English, Mandarin, Cantonese

Lawyer Rankings

Hong Kong > Asset finance (including aviation and shipping finance)

(Leading individuals: Aviation Finance)

Simon WongStephenson Harwood

Lauded by clients as ‘forward-looking’ and ‘excellent’, Stephenson Harwood draws superlative praise on account of its wide-ranging capabilities in advising a balanced array of stakeholders, including banks, financial institutions, leasing companies, commercial lenders, lessors, airlines, and export credit agencies, on cross-jurisdictional deals across aviation and shipping arenas. The firm’s aviation finance team, one of the largest in Hong Kong, is well-versed in handling the entire spectrum of matters, including financing, leasing, and trading of commercial aircraft and business jets across Hong Kong, the wider APAC region, and Europe. Associates Raina Xian and Louis Ng excel in these areas. Under the leadership of Simon Wong, whose expertise covers aircraft repossession and airline insolvency and rehabilitation, the team has handled a host of defaults and debt restructurings. The firm’s shipping subgroup, co-headed by Hongkai Zhou and Simone Liu, is emblematic of the eclectic nature of the firm’s workflow. In addition to providing advisory and risk mitigation services, the team is frequently involved in cross-border financings and restructuring matters.

China > Restructuring and insolvency: foreign firms

Stephenson Harwood has a track record handling contentious insolvency cases whilst continuing to expand its restructuring and insolvency advisory services. The team’s expertise lies especially in aviation restructuring and insolvency, but also extends to transportation and trade. The highly regarded Jamie Stranger heads the practice and acts for a diverse roster of clients in corporate and debt restructuring and buy-outs. The team also includes the disputes lawyer Alexander Tang , and the aviation specialist Simon Wong who recently acted for JIC Leasing Co. Ltd in the debt restructuring of Hong Kong Airlines.

Vietnam > Foreign desks

Stephenson Harwood LLP’s Vietnam desk, operating principally from the firm’s Singapore and Hong Kong offices, regularly advises both domestic and multinational clients on their operations in Vietnam, including in the aviation, consumer goods, energy, financial services, healthcare, real estate, and telecommunications sectors. Tom Platts, Saugata Mukherjee, and Gregory Xu in Singapore lead the practice alongside Hong Kong-based Simon Wong. Platts is a cross-border M&A and capital market deals specialist with considerable experience in Southeast Asia.