Jackson Square Aviation, (“Jackson Square”) and Air Berlin are to sign a deal for eight aircraft. Under the arrangement, Jackson Square will acquire three type Boeing 737-800 aircraft owned by Air Berlin and currently leased to Shenzhen Airlines in China. The transaction also covers financing arrangements for five aircraft in the Air Berlin fleet. This involves financing an Airbus A319 currently owned and operated by Air Berlin as part of a sale-and-lease-back transaction. Furthermore, four new Boeing 737-800s due to be delivered in the first half of 2011, are also to be financed under sale-and-lease-back deals. Regarding the Boeing 737-800 leased to Shenzhen Airlines and the Airbus A319, the deal is likely to be concluded by the end of April 2010.
Jackson Square is a commercial leasing company founded recently and working in partnership with Oaktree Capital Management, L.P. Jackson Square is based in San Francisco, but also has offices in Seattle, Miami and Buenos Aires, with plans to open marketing offices in Europe and Asia in 2010. The management team previously worked together at Pegasus Aviation and Sky Holding.