Story ID: 
LCI Doubles Helicopters in Joint Venture
By: Mark Huber
Caption: Helicopter lessor LCI now has 38 aircraft in a joint venture with Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Company. 
Word Count: 188
Helicopter lessor LCI and Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Company (SMFL), have acquired five more helicopters: two Airbus H145D3s, two Airbus H145T2s, and one Leonardo AW139. They will be deployed in Europe and Asia. The new aircraft bring the companies’ total joint venture (JV) portfolio to 38 units, valued at more than $420 million and representing a doubling of the number of aircraft in the JV since its launch in September 2020 with 19 helicopters.

The JV’s fleet is in operation across countries including the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Norway, and Australia with more than 75 percent of the fleet engaged in operations including emergency medical services, search and rescue, and offshore wind farm support. Since its inception in 2004, LCI has entered into $8 billion of transactions in the fixed-wing and helicopter markets.

“Our continued expansion is a clear demonstration of the initial success and long-term potential of LCI’s partnership with SMFL. Using our collective expertise, I am confident that we can achieve further growth with an increasing focus on socially-aware helicopter missions across the globe,” said LCI CEO Jaspal Jandu.