BCI Aircraft Leasing, Inc. Completes Refinancing Of Two A340-300's On Lease To Air Namibia

Chicago-based BCI Aircraft Leasing, Inc. ("BCI") today announced that it has completed the refinancing of two Airbus A340-300 commercial aircraft that are on lease to Air Namibia. The aircraft belong to BCI's wholly owned and managed Irish subsidiary and the financing is provided by FirstRand (Ireland) PLC. The planes, which bear serial numbers 047 and 051, were both manufactured in 1994.

"We are thrilled to expand our business with the FirstRand Group through this transaction, and we value this lender as a partner in our global expansion," said Jacob Hodges, Vice President, Debt Capital Markets, for BCI Aircraft Leasing, Inc.

FirstRand (Ireland) PLC is a division of FirstRand Ltd, one of the largest financial institutions in South Africa.

"Air Namibia is a progressive and growing airline with a capable management team and a strong, sovereign credit. We are proud to do business with two great partners in Air Namibia and FirstRand Group," said Brian Hollnagel, President and CEO of BCI Aircraft Leasing.

Air Namibia is the national airline of Namibia. Based in Windhoek, it operates scheduled domestic, regional, and international passenger and freight services. Its international hub is Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport with a domestic services hub at the smaller Windhoek Eros Airport.

BCI Aircraft Leasing, Inc was founded by Brian Hollnagel in 1997 and since then has become one of commercial aviation's leading privately-held operating leasing companies. BCI provides airlines with financial products and services to help them achieve their financial and fleet planning goals. BCI Aircraft Leasing's customer list includes leading airlines such as Air Canada, Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, US Airways, and many other prominent air carriers around the world. For more information, please visit www.bciaircraft.com