People

Rishi Raheja Baker Botts London
Rishi Raheja
Senior Associate

Overview

Rishi Raheja is a senior associate in the Aviation Finance Group in the Baker Botts London office. Rishi's practice focuses on transportation finance with an emphasis on the aviation industry and Rishi has particular experience in commercial and export credit support financings.

Rishi acts for financial institutions, airlines, lessors and export credit agencies on a wide range of international cross-border aircraft financings involving export credit supported financings, operating lease financings, Japanese operating lease with call option (JOLCO) structures, finance leases, tax-based leasing structures, French tax lease structures, debt restructurings, asset-backed securitisation (ABS), sale and leaseback, aircraft sales and subleasing transactions.

Admissions & Affiliations

  • Qualified Solicitor, England & Wales, 2013

Education

  • Legal Practice Course, College of Law 2007
  • Bachelor of Laws, University of Hull 2006

Experience

  • Acting for a top tier GCC airline on multiple financings, acquisitions and novations including a landmark JOLCO transaction (with Japanese equity and conventional debt)
  • Acting for a Qatari bank on the creation of a Sharia-compliant leasing platform and the purchase and financing of numerous aircraft across multiple jurisdictions
  • Acting for a syndicate of banks in the JOLCO financing of six Airbus A320 aircraft for a Latin American airline. This was the first JOLCO transaction for this airline and a ground-breaking deal in the Latin American region
  • Acting for a US aircraft lessor in connection with the ECA supported financing of two Airbus A321 aircraft which are on lease to a Chilean airline
  • Acting for a US aircraft lessor in connection with the lease restructuring of two Airbus A320 aircraft which are on lease to an Argentine airline
  • Acting for a US aircraft lessor in connection with the leasing of six Airbus A320 aircraft to a Spanish airline
  • Acting for a German airline, in connection with the lease novation of three Airbus A330 aircraft which are being leased by a major Irish lessor
  • Acting for a Saudi entity in connection with the purchase of one Challenger 3500 aircraft from Bombardier
  • Acting for a Finnish airline, in connection with the sale and leaseback of two Airbus A350 aircraft
  • Acting for the European export credit agencies (ECAs) in connection with the amendments required, due to LIBOR transition, to the facility documentation in respect of eight Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft
  • Acting for a lender syndicate on the financing of three Airbus A350 aircraft and one Airbus A320 NEO aircraft for a Latin American airline
  • Acting for the ECAs on the ECA supported financing of numerous ATR aircraft for a Vietnamese airline
  • Acting for the ECAs on the ECA French tax lease financings of numerous Airbus aircraft for multiple Chinese airlines
  • Acting for the Canadian export credit agency on the ECA financing of numerous Bombardier aircraft for various airlines
  • Acting for major French banks on the unwind and prepayment of the financing of numerous ATR aircraft for multiple African airlines
  • Acting for a lender in the financing of three Airbus A320 NEO aircraft for an operating lessor to be leased to a U.S. airline
  • Acting for an operating lessor in the restructuring of JOLCO financings involving multiple aircraft

Awards and Community

The Legal 500 UK (2023) lists Rishi as a "Key Lawyer" in Transport Finance and Leasing with Rishi's clients describing him as "someone who stands out and is always available to make the deal work and close timely" and an "an experienced associate who takes a pragmatic approach to aviation-related issues."