Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce the firm acted as legal counsel to Mesa Airlines, Inc. in a transaction recently awarded Regional Jet/Turbo Prop Deal of the Year for 2015 by Airfinance Journal, the leading commercial aviation industry publication. The accolade is in respect of the private placement of $246 million of enhanced equipment trust certificates (EETC) by Mesa Airlines, the first issuance of such type ever completed by a regional airline. Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank were the placement agents in the transaction and SGR represented Mesa Airlines as issuer’s counsel.

The primary SGR legal team acting on behalf of Mesa Airlines included Partners Peter Barlow and Marc Latman and Associates Jeanne Forsyth and Robert Fuessler in the firm’s Air Transport Industry Group practice in SGR’s New York office along with international tax Partner Joseph Mandarino and securities Partner Terry Schwartz and securities Associate Sean Rosario in SGR’s Atlanta office.

This award marks the second time in the last two years that SGR served as legal counsel in a transaction that was selected as a “Deal of the Year” by Airfinance Journal. In the other recently awarded transaction named the South America Deal of the Year for 2014, SGR was counsel to Aerovias Del Continente Americano S.A. Avianca (Avianca) in connection with the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) guaranteed French leveraged lease financing of two Boeing 787 aircraft. The structure employed by Avianca in the transaction was the first of its type undertaken in conjunction with Ex-Im Bank.  SGR Air Transport Industry Group Partners Howard Turner and Nick Ivezaj in the firm’s Atlanta office handled the transaction for Avianca.

If you have any questions, please contact the Air Transport Industry Group at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.

This client alert is intended to inform clients and other interested parties about legal matters of current interest and is not intended as legal advice.