ACC Aviation moves into aviation finance advisory

Above: Viktor Berta named Vice President, Aviation Finance Advisory.
Courtesy ACC Aviation

Viktor Berta joins the group effective 15th July  as Vice President of its newly created Aviation Finance Practice. The appointment broadens the scope of ACC Aviation’s suite of Consultancy services, led by Rob Watts, who also takes on an enhanced role as Director of Aviation Services.

The development will see ACC Aviation extend its Consultancy offer into four distinct pillars of activity – Aviation Finance Services / Asset Management / Consulting and coming this Autumn, Technical Services.

Viktor Berta, who will work between the UK and Dubai offices, brings a wealth of experience and contacts in aviation finance to the group, drawing on his eight years in aviation finance and investment management at DVB Bank and Erste Bank, working from their Amsterdam and London offices.  

Viktor has structured and restructured a plethora of deals - asset backed as well as corporate loans, working with lessors, airlines and MROs on structuring and restructuring facilities, utilising his asset and credit knowledge. He has built an impressive network of global airlines, including many niche carriers, complementary to ACC Aviation’s existing airline partnerships to form a ready market for the expanded offer.

Viktor is a member of ISTAT, the ISTAT Appraiser Programme and a Member of the Aviation Club UK. He became familiar with ACC Aviation in 2018 and has been attending their annual airline conferences in London since. Prior to the pandemic, while holding his position as a lender, he worked with ACC Aviation’s consulting team on an aircraft financing deal, planting a seed of the value with both parties, of bringing such expertise in-house. 

“We agreed it was an opportune time to expand ACC Aviation’s offer to help our clients and partners navigate the changing aviation landscape. With our extended suite of services, we can now offer advice to analyse financing and leasing arrangements, restructuring existing indebtedness and sourcing new forms of financing,” said ACC Chief Executive Officer Phil Mathews.

“We are delighted that our Board and equity partners YFM continue to back our expansion into new markets and new service offerings, enabling us to expand our capabilities and welcome Viktor to the team.”

Viktor is looking forward to driving the move into aviation financial services and supporting the company’s rapid growth trajectory. ACC Aviation has been recognised as one of aviation’s fastest growing companies, entering the Financial Times’ FT1000 - top 1000 companies - for the first time this year.

“The great appeal in joining ACC Aviation is that we can offer the full platform of aircraft transaction and finance expertise under one roof across Aviation Finance, Asset Management, valuation and advisory, and shortly, Technical Services. In the current climate airlines, lessors and lenders alike, are evaluating their balance sheets, assets, and associated financing facilities. The market is facing a period of unsustainable indebtedness and stakeholders are looking at ways to restructure and refinance their balance sheets. It’s an excellent time to widen ACC’s expertise and offer it all under one consultancy. I am looking forward to talking with existing and new clients about the offering,” he said.

Providing complementary services around the aircraft asset is the underlying logic with this move, said ACC Aviation Director of Consulting Rob Watts, noting the group will shortly complete the circle with the addition of a new Technical Services hire too.

“This means that ACC Aviation will be able to help a client evaluate the right aircraft, both economically and technically, source aircraft, arrange associated debt or lease capital, technically inspect and accept the aircraft, monetise the aircraft over the ownership period through ACC’s charter and ACMI divisions, and then at the end of that period, support the return of the aircraft to its lessors or remarket them into the secondary market. We are positioning ourselves to become a full-service aircraft transactions consultancy to airlines, lessors and financiers alike,” he commented.