Offshore support aviation serves the North Sea oil and gas sector, offshore wind farms, and other marine energy installations around the UK coast. These operations use helicopters and, increasingly, fixed-wing aircraft to transfer personnel and supplies between shore bases and offshore platforms. The finance requirements of offshore aviation operators reflect the contracted, safety-critical nature of their operations and the high-value assets involved.
UK offshore aviation is dominated by helicopter operators using types such as the Airbus H175, Sikorsky S-92 and Leonardo AW139/AW189. These are high-value assets - new H175s cost in excess of £20 million - requiring large, sophisticated finance structures. Most offshore aviation contracts are long-term (5–10 year) agreements with oil majors and renewable energy companies, providing excellent revenue certainty for lenders.
Finance for offshore aviation assets typically involves SPV structures, operating lease arrangements, and in some cases export credit agency (ECA) financing for new aircraft. The long-term contracted revenue nature of the operations makes offshore aviation finance attractive to specialist lenders and banks with aviation expertise.
DBF works with offshore aviation operators across the full range of their finance requirements - from single helicopter acquisitions to multi-aircraft fleet financing and sale-and-leaseback transactions. We access lenders with experience of the specific technical, regulatory and contractual characteristics of offshore support aviation.
Key Lenders for This Segment
| Lender | Rate from | Strengths |
|---|---|---|
| Investec | 5.8% p.a. | Specialist aviation, large tickets, strong covenants |
| HSBC | 6.0% p.a. | Global capability, complex structures |
| Close Brothers | 6.1% p.a. | Proven commercial desk, accessible |
| Paragon | 6.9% p.a. | Flexible on complex or unusual structures |
| Shawbrook | 7.2% p.a. | Accessible for newer operators |