LCI expands helicopter leasing offer with Nova Capital Aviation (Ireland) acquisition

Aviation leasing specialist LCI is to acquire Nova Capital Aviation (Ireland), the twin-engine rotary and fixed-wing aircraft lease division of the Nova Capital Group, as it seeks to grow its presence in the on-shore mission critical services space. The deal increases LCI’s leasing platform to over 140 twin-engine rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, and takes the proportion of aircraft deployed on emergency medical services (EMS), search and rescue (SAR), off-shore wind and utility missions, to over 80% of the entire leasing platform.

Nova Capital will keep its single-engine helicopter leasing portfolio.

Crispin Maunder, executive chairman of LCI (pictured above), said: “The Nova brand is highly regarded, and is a major presence in the mission-critical EMS market which perfectly complements our own.

“Our agreement reflects the current trend towards industry consolidation, and is testament to the robust leasing platform we have built. It expands our customer base, introduces new aircraft types to our fleet, and cements LCI’s long-term commitment to growth.”

Last year, Nova Capital further expanded its fleet with the addition of eight factory new twin-engine EMS helicopters valued at over $90 million, reaching half-a-billion total fleet value at 2021 year-end.

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Olivier Piot, founder and CEO of Nova Capital, said: “Over 20 years, we have developed a market-leading leasing operation that specialises in providing asset financing solutions to helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft operators, primarily in onshore mission critical services.

“We are delighted to conclude this agreement with such a complementary business as LCI. Their proven leasing platform, extensive experience in both the fixed-wing and rotary-wing leasing markets, and immersion in mission-critical helicopter operations, makes them a natural choice.”

Since its inception in 2004, LCI has undertaken in excess of $8 billion of transactions in the fixed-wing and helicopter markets. LCI is owned by Libra Group, an international business group with 30 subsidiaries active in 35 countries across six continents.

Founded in 2002, Nova Capital is a privately owned aviation investment platform, with offices in Ireland, France, and Portugal.