ATLANTA (December 22, 2017) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that the firm served as legal counsel to Avianca in its pre-delivery payment (PDP) financing by SMBC Aviation Capital (SMBC) for 11 Airbus aircraft, including nine A320 NEO aircraft, scheduled to deliver in 2018 and 2019, along with two standalone A321 NEO aircraft, which delivered in the third and fourth quarters of 2017.

The new aircraft on order to which the PDP financing transaction relate will provide Avianca with improved operating efficiencies and increased customer satisfaction. As Avianca and SMBC’s largest purchase and leaseback transaction of 2017, the deal increases each company’s presence in the Americas, specifically Latin America.

The SGR legal team included Partner Pete Barlow, Partner Howard Turner, Associate Erin Peterson McCallum, Associate Robert Fuessler, and Paralegal Lorna Virts in the firm’s Air Transport Industry Group.

About Avianca
Avianca Holdings was established with the merger of Colombia-based Avianca and El Salvador-based Taca and now flies under the single Avianca brand. The airline serves 100 mainline destinations in 26 countries across Latin America, North America and Europe and has over 5,400 weekly frequencies from its three key hub operations in Bogota, Colombia; San Salvador, El Salvador and Lima, Peru. Visit www.avianca.com for more information.

About Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP
SGR is a full service, international law firm that advises regional, national and global businesses on a wide range of legal matters. The firm’s more than 220 attorneys provide legal counsel in more than 45 specialized practice areas, including corporate transactions, litigation, intellectual property, aviation, banking, real estate, construction and employment law. Founded in 1893, SGR has offices in Atlanta, Austin, Jacksonville, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Southampton, and Washington D.C.