Aviation and rail financing

Crédit Agricole CIB has been a world leader in aircraft financing for 48 years.

Our teams are organised according to a one-stop-shop model, with each client supported by a senior banker covering a portfolio of clients and centralising all services.

The Bank finances aircraft (passenger and cargo aircraft, including replacement engines and business jets) and brings its clients (airlines, aircraft, engine or train leasing companies, manufacturers, private owners) a broad range of products and expertise in cooperation with Crédit Agricole CIB’s various business lines.

Crédit Agricole CIB’s expertise in aviation finance has been rewarded on 19 occasions by leading international organisations including Airfinance Journal - Euromoney, Airline Economics, and Global Transport Finance, garnering distinctions such as Aviation Finance House of the Year or Aviation Finance Bank of the Year, and Most Sustainable Aviation Bank or Transport Finance House of the Year.

The Bank also finances trains and provides consultancy services to its clients, which include rail operators and leasing companies.

Since the launch of this activity in 2005, the Bank has been named Rail Finance House of the Year by Global Transport Finance in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

The rail business is based in Paris, Frankfurt and New York.

• Advice on the acquisition and financing of aircraft or railway equipment, fleet assessments, ratings, debt restructuring, growth strategy
• Export credit financing guaranteed by BPI, Euler Hermes, UKEF*, Exim, SERV 
• Commercial debt financing 
• Securitisation (aircraft, engines, train fleets)
• Operating leases and hybrid leases 
• Optimised leases (Japanese operating leases, French optimised leases, etc.) 
• Derivatives (interest rates, forex) 
• Mergers and acquisitions
• IPOs
• Advance payment financing 
• Lending
• Finance leases

*UKEF: UK Export Finance is the UK export credit agency, working alongside the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). UKEF has been vested with its powers since the Export and Investment Guarantees Act of 1991, its business activities being subject to UK Treasury approval. 

To this end, Crédit Agricole CIB and five other major lenders to the aviation industry have joined forces with the Centre for Climate-Aligned Finance (CAF) to form a working group. 

The task of the working group is to develop a financial framework in line with climate requirements (CAF Aviation Framework) with shared CO2 reduction objectives.