Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) announced that they received two awards at the Airline Economics’ Aviation 100 Asia-Pacific Awards 2025, recognizing their advisory work on significant transactions in the aviation sector. One of the awards highlighted the historic merger between Vistara and Air India, which resulted in a single, full-service airline under the Air India brand. This merger was led by WFW’s London and Singapore teams, with key partners Randeep Bubbra and Richard Williams guiding the deal.
The second accolade was awarded for the financing of six Boeing 777 aircraft through GIFT City, India’s financial hub. WFW acted as English counsel to Standard Chartered Bank and Bank of India, enabling a groundbreaking aircraft financing structure—the first of its kind directly structured through GIFT City. These awards underscore WFW’s pivotal role in facilitating innovative aviation finance solutions.
Jim Bell, WFW’s Global Aviation and Aerospace Sector Head, expressed pride in the firm’s achievements, emphasizing their pioneering efforts in India’s expanding aviation market. The recognition affirms WFW’s ongoing influence in shaping aviation transactions in the Asia-Pacific region.
