CDB Aviation Further Expands Relationship with Avianca

Companies Agree to New Leases for Two A330-300 P2F and One A320neo Aircraft

DUBLIN--()--CDB Aviation, a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co., Limited (“CDB Leasing”), announced today the signing of new lease agreements with Aerovías del Continente Americano S.A. Avianca (“Avianca”) for two Airbus A330-300 Passenger to Freighter (“P2F”) and one A320neo aircraft.

The new agreements bring the total of CDB Aviation aircraft on lease to Colombia’s flag carrier to 8. In addition to the newly leased aircraft, the carrier is expected to take delivery of an additional five A320neos from the lessor between 2022 and 2023.

“We are very pleased to broaden our collaboration with the Avianca team through the addition of these aircraft to support their passenger and cargo businesses,” commented Luís da Silva, CDB Aviation Head of Commercial, Americas. “Both the fuel-efficient neo and P2F freighters are high-in-demand aircraft, which will help advance the airline’s strategy of equipping its fleet with environmentally sustainable, new technology aircraft, as well as supporting the growth of its cargo operations to capitalize on the booming demand for air freight within Latin America.”

Francisco Raddatz, Avianca's Vice President, Fleet, said: “We are happy to strengthen our partnership with CDB Aviation supporting our passenger and cargo fleet growth.”

Gabriel Oliva, CEO of Avianca Cargo, added: "We are pleased to announce the arrival of these aircraft to our cargo fleet. With their incorporation, we will not only offer greater capacity, but also an increasingly robust and flexible route network focused on the needs of our customers and facilitating trade between Latin America and the entire world. We reaffirm our commitment to continue boosting the economies of the region, serving as a strategic ally for our customers and the industries.”

“With an expected resurgence in demand across Latin American markets we believe the planned growth initiatives of Avianca Group are very exciting as airlines are gearing up for a recovery with more versatile fleets, which are aimed to maximize network flexibility and improve efficiency and sustainability,” underscored Peter Goodman, CDB Aviation Chief Marketing Officer. “CDB Aviation’s commercial team continues to expand outreach across key markets, pursuing aircraft transactions through placements from our order book as well as identifying opportunities in the sale and leaseback channel.”

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, beliefs or opinions, including with respect to CDB Aviation’s business, financial condition, results of operations or plans. CDB Aviation cautions readers that no forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future performance and that actual results or other financial condition or performance measures could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate only to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements sometimes use words such as “may”, “will”, “seek”, “continue”, “aim”, “anticipate”, “target”, “projected”, “expect”, “estimate”, “intend”, “plan”, “goal”, “believe”, “achieve” or other terminology or words of similar or analogous meaning. These statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of CDB Aviation's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results and we do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, we do not undertake any obligation to, and will not, update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About CDB Aviation

CDB Aviation is a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co., Limited (“CDB Leasing”), a 36-year-old Chinese leasing company that is backed mainly by the China Development Bank. CDB Aviation is rated Investment Grade by Moody’s (A2), S&P Global (A), and Fitch (A+). China Development Bank is under the direct jurisdiction of the State Council of China and is the world’s largest development finance institution. It is also the largest Chinese bank for foreign investment and financing cooperation, long-term lending and bond issuance, enjoying Chinese sovereign credit rating.

CDB Leasing is the only leasing arm of the China Development Bank and a leading company in China’s leasing industry that has been engaged in aircraft, infrastructure, ship, commercial vehicle and construction machinery leasing and enjoys a Chinese sovereign credit rating. It took an important step in July 2016 to globalize and marketize its business – listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX STOCK CODE: 1606). www.CDBAviation.aero

Contacts

Media contact: Paul Thibeau
Paul.THIBEAU@CDBAviation.aero; +1 612 594 9844