WOLF Holding (Waypoint Operating Lease Finance), a Dublin based aviation asset investment management company affiliated with Avia Solutions Group (ASG), has launched a $500 million equity capital raise for the acquisition of high utility commercial aviation assets with lease and trade applications.

WOLF Holding will focus primarily on acquiring mid-life narrowbody aircraft assets, including Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s.

WOLF Holding says it will also selectively consider investments in widebody aircraft and engines.

The capital, sourced from a diversified base of global investors, will be deployed over a period of 18 months.

The investment manager’s primary focus will be on securing third-party lessees for assets under management, while maintaining the flexibility to place aircraft with the ASG’s ACMI operators when required.

Assets under WOLF Holding’s management will benefit from priority access to FL Technics, the group’s global MRO provider, enabling faster aircraft turnaround and minimising downtime between leases.

WOLF Holding can therefore offer investors substantial advantage over typical aviation asset managers in the areas of deal flow, scalability, management cost & efficiency, and downside protection.

Emzon Shung will lead WOLF Holding as its chief executive, bringing extensive experience in aviation asset management having previously served as managing director at MG Aviation, which specialises in full life-cycle management of Boeing and Airbus order book aircraft.

The WOLF Holding team also includes: Stan Chmielewski, executive advisor and head of lessor trading; Brian Power, head of technical and asset management; and Vahan Callan, head of capital markets.

Shung said: “WOLF is a natural fit for Avia Solutions Group. The Group’s airlines, MRO, and corporate infrastructure set WOLF up for success from day one. We also fully expect supporting WOLF to enhance the value of our group companies as they more fully realise their potential by increasing their service offered to the asset management space. We look forward to realising the value we create together with investors.”

Callan said: “WOLF redefines best in class among aviation asset managers. We have all the characteristics the market expects of a leasing and trading platform, with our team of industry veterans providing the intellectual value-add, along with our ability to leverage the wider group’s resources to compose and manage a robust portfolio of aircraft assets.

“This includes priority access to MRO support, and the unprecedented downside protection WOLF offers in the form of contingent leases with the group’s carriers. WOLF’s projected growth trajectory tracks that of the Group’s airlines.”

Callan added: “The group currently operates 200+ aircraft, with 80 Boeing 737-MAX aircraft on order, and is on target to operate 500+ aircraft by 2030. The alignment of strategic growth interests combined with superior downside protection translates to superior alignment of interests and risk-adjusted returns for investors.”

ASG, headquartered in Dublin, operates across six continents with a fleet of more than 200 aircraft and subsidiaries in MRO, training, ground handling, and aviation services. The creation of WOLF further strengthens the group’s position as a leading global aviation services provider.

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