AviLease, a plane lessor and financier fully owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, has signed an agreement with Standard Chartered to buy its aviation finance business for $3.6 billion.
As part of the agreement, AviLease will acquire a portfolio of 100 narrow body aircraft and become servicer for another 22, the company said in a statement on Monday.
The combined platform will own and manage 167 of the fuel efficient aircraft. It will consist of 145 owned aircraft valued at nearly $6 billion and 22 managed aircraft valued at about $800 million leased to 46 airlines globally, Avilease said.
The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year.
“This acquisition will propel AviLease and will in turn support Saudi Arabia’s aviation ecosystem, on our path to help realise the Saudi Vision 2030’s objective of diversifying the economy and adding high value employment opportunities for Saudi citizens,” AviLease chairman Fahad Al-Saif said.
Saudi Arabia aims to attract more tourists and develop its aviation sector, increasing its contribution to non-oil gross domestic product as part of its Vision 2030 economic diversification agenda.
The Saudi Aviation Strategy calls for measures to triple annual passenger traffic to 330 million by 2030 and boost the number of destinations to 250, from 99 at present.
This strategy is backed by $100 billion in government and private sector investment.
AviLease, which was founded in June 2022 and has its headquarters in Riyadh, is part of the PIF’s efforts to boost the kingdom’s aviation sector.
The company, which focuses on leasing, trading and asset management services, intends to source deals in both domestic and international markets.
In June, it secured a $1.1 billion five-year loan from a banking syndicate to fund the expansion of its fleet.
It plans to expand its fleet to about 300 aircraft by 2030 as it aims to become one of the world's top aircraft leasing companies.
“We are purchasing a very high-quality portfolio of narrow body aircraft on lease to top-tier airlines globally,” AviLease chief executive Edward O'Byrne said.
“The transaction accelerates the scale-up and lessee diversification of our fleet, demonstrating our ability to execute on our investment strategy."
As part of the transaction, AviLease arranged $2.1 billion of bridge financing commitments from four banks including BNP Paribas, Citibank, HSBC Bank Middle East and MUFG Bank.
Standard Chartered’s aviation finance business owns and manages a fleet of more than 120 aircraft on lease to more than 30 airlines. Last year, the aviation leasing business recorded a profit after tax of $15.6 million and its gross assets stood at $3.8 billion, the bank said in a separate statement.
“The sale of our aviation finance leasing allows us to continue to focus our efforts on those areas where we are most differentiated and to further progress our return on tangible equity journey,” Simon Cooper, chief executive of corporate, commercial and institutional banking and Europe and Americas at Standard Chartered, said.
The transaction includes the sale of 100 per cent shareholding in each of Pembroke Group (Isle of Man), Pembroke Aircraft Leasing Holdings (Ireland) and Pembroke Aircraft Leasing (Tianjin).
Upon completion of the sale, these companies will no longer be subsidiaries of Standard Chartered, the bank said.
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
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Rating: 3.5/5
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
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The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
How England have scored their set-piece goals in Russia
Three Penalties
v Panama, Group Stage (Harry Kane)
v Panama, Group Stage (Kane)
v Colombia, Last 16 (Kane)
Four Corners
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via John Stones header, from Ashley Young corner)
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via Harry Maguire header, from Kieran Trippier corner)
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, header, from Trippier corner)
v Sweden, Quarter-Final (Maguire, header, from Young corner)
One Free-Kick
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, via Jordan Henderson, Kane header, and Raheem Sterling, from Tripper free-kick)
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
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