
Recent highlights for Milbank‘s aviation team include advising on complex acquisition and warehouse financings, secured portfolio financings, asset-backed securities (ABS), enhanced equipment trust certificates (EETCs), and loyalty program financings. Other areas of expertise range from private placements, structured finance, Aircraft Finance Insurance Consortium financings and Export Credit Agency-related work, to aviation-related M&A, IPOs, joint ventures, and aircraft portfolio acquisitions and disposals. The New York-based practice is co-led by Drew Fine, who has substantial experience in EETCs, financings, ABS, restructurings, and aviation M&A; and Alexandra Johnson, who regularly represents underwriters, lenders, issuers, borrowers, lessors, credit insurers and other equity and debt investors on high-end aviation financings. Fine and Johnson recently acted for the lenders in Griffin Global Asset Management’s and Palisade Aviation Holdings Warehouse’s upsize of their senior secured warehouse facility to $2bn. Providing key support, Jim Pascale represents banks, leasing companies, airlines, lenders, equity participants and hedge funds on a range of aviation deals; and Freyda Mechlowicz routinely advises on large financing facilities for aircraft leasing companies and financial institutions.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
- Profile
Key clients
- AerCap
- Aircastle
- Apollo Global Management
- Avilease
- Avolon
- Bank of China Aviation
- Barclays
- Blackstone
- BNP Paribas
- Castlelake
Lawyers
Hall of fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Jim Pascale
Next generation partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Alexandra Johnson
Freyda Mechlowicz
Practice head
Drew Fine; Alexandra Johnson
Other key lawyers
Jim Pascale; Freyda Mechlowicz