Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) is pleased to announce that projects and deals that it advised on have won four awards at the Airline Economics Sustainability Awards 2024.
The award-winning projects and deals include:
- Sustainability Team of the Year – The Pegasus Guidelines;
- Sustainability Aviation Financing Excellence Award – The Pegasus Guidelines;
- Sustainability Supported Finance Deal of the Year – CA-CIB and KDB Balthazar-backed JOLCO financing; and
- Sustainability Aviation Editor’s Deal of the Year – AWG ESG Initiative.
WFW acted as sole legal advisor to RMI and a group of leading banks on the development and launch of The Pegasus Guidelines, a first-of-its-kind framework enabling banks and lenders to independently measure and disclose their aviation lending portfolios’ emissions.
WFW advised Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank and The Korea Development Bank on a first-of-its-kind Balthazar insurance-backed, sustainability-linked JOLCO financing of one Airbus A350-900 aircraft on lease to Air France. This deal also won ‘Best Supported Financing Deal of the Year’ the Ishka Deal of the Year Awards 2024.
As principal advisor to the Aviation Working Group, the industry body representing aircraft manufacturers, lessors and financiers, WFW has been at the forefront of all major projects and matters affecting the aviation sector. This has included advising the AWG on all sustainability and ESG projects and matters, including the development of the AWG carbon calculator; and advising the AWG and other parties in their discussions with the European Commission on the EU taxonomy for aviation.
Global Aviation Co-Sector Head Jim Bell commented: “I am delighted that these projects and deals have been recognised and rewarded. They highlight WFW’s commitment to being at the forefront of supporting transition within each of our core sectors of transport, energy, and infrastructure. Congratulations to all those involved in the winning projects and deals.”
