Kyiv, Ukraine – Baker & McKenzie has recently acted as Ukrainian law counsel to global aircraft leasing company ALAFCO Aviation Lease and Finance Company (K.S.C.) Closed (ALAFCO) on lease of two Being 737-900ER aircraft to Ukraine International Airlines.

The Baker & McKenzie team included associate Victoria Ischenko and was led by partner Ihor Olekhov and managing partner Serhiy Chorny.

Legal advice included drafting Ukraine law governed security transaction documents and issuing legal opinions in respect of compliance with the applicable Ukrainian laws, obligatory insurance, customs and tax regulations, international and Ukrainian aviation safety rules, all necessary governmental, regulatory and other relevant approvals and authorizations of Ukrainian civil aviation authority, proper aircraft documentation, remedies against possible unauthorized alienation or liens against the aircraft.

Commenting on the news, ALAFCO, said, “We had set a very ambitious target date for closing the deal and Baker & McKenzie Ukraine did an excellent job in helping us close on time. The staff are highly professional, quite responsive and very easy to deal with.”

“Ukraine International Airlines has a very substantial experience of working with Baker & McKenzie in the aviation area and, in particular, in closing aircraft deliveries," noted Sergii Grytsenko, the Fleet Contracts Director of Ukraine International Airlines. “This is yet another occasion when the lawyers of Baker & McKenzie affirmed their high qualifications and readiness to work with counter-parties in order to achieve mutually beneficial result with extremely tight deadlines.”

Ihor Olekhov, the lead partner on the Baker & McKenzie team, said, “We are very proud and honored to be part of the process on renewal and expansion of air fleet of Ukraine International Airlines, especially because these are the one of the first leases after Ukraine started to implement the Cape Town Convention. We hope the increased certainty of the legal environment will open new opportunities for Ukrainian aircraft operators in this competitive industry.”