Aircraft Finance Strategies for Managing Capital Costs in a Turbulent Industry

One of the largest assets that an airline has are aircraft, therefore it is critically important to develop a methodology that estimates an aircraft¿s value and determines efficient utilization to ensure an acceptable rate of return on the asset. Aircraft Finance provides a comprehensive review of aircraft finance and valuation and presents a detailed methodology for accurate valuations. The methodology measures return on investment, improves the efficiency of managing operating costs and more effectively determines revenue analysis.

Bijan Vasigh is professor of Economics and Finance in the College of Business at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach Florida. Dr. Vasigh received a Ph.D. degree in Economics from the State University of New York and he has written and published many articles concerning the aviation industry. The articles have been published in numerous academic journals such as the Journal of Economics and Finance, Journal of Transportation Management, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports, Transportation Quarterly, Airport Business, Journal of Business and Economics, and Journal of Travel Research. Bijan is also author of North America's leading aviation textbooks entitled An Introduction to Air Transport Economics: From Theory to Application and The Foundations of Airline Finance: Methodology and Practice. Reza Taleghani is currently a Managing Director with J.P. Morgan Securities in New York where he has spent the majority of his career as an investment banker to the air transport sector. He also has a deep understanding of the operational aspects of the industry, having recently served as President and CEO of Sterling Airlines, a leading Scandinavian low cost carrier. His expertise in aircraft finance arises from his experience originating and structuring financings of transportation assets in J.P. Morgan's Securitized Products Group, as well as operating a fleet of jet aircraft at Sterling. During his time at J.P. Morgan, he has also worked on mergers and acquisitions; initial public offerings; secured, unsecured and ECA-backed financing in the syndicated finance and capital markets; leveraged finance; restructuring; and risk management for airline and lessor clients in Europe, the United States and Latin America. Mr. Taleghani holds dual AB degrees in History and Organizational Behavior and Management from Brown University. He received his JD and MBA from Villanova University. Darryl Jenkins's aviation experience covers over thirty years. Recent work includes extensive merger and acquisition experience at United Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Previously, he was at GWU for fifteen years and served as director of the Aviation Institute and was the Director of the Graduate Certificate Program in Aviation Management from 2001 to 2003. He was visiting faculty at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in 2004. As a consultant he has worked for the majority of the world's top fifty airlines. He is a regular commentator for the major media (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN, MSNBC, and CNBC) on aviation issues and is regularly quoted in the print media as well. He is a regular speaker at trade and other conferences and is the author of several books.