Guggenheim Partners Announces Sale of Commercial Aviation Division to Management Team

NEW YORK, Oct. 03, 2016 -- Guggenheim Partners, a global investment and advisory firm with more than $240 billion in assets under management, announced today the sale of its commercial aircraft investment and management business, Guggenheim Aviation Partners (“GAP”), to the GAP management team.

Founded in 2003 as a joint venture between Guggenheim and aircraft industry veterans Steve Rimmer and Paul Newrick, GAP focuses exclusively on acquiring, leasing, converting, and selling commercial aircraft and engines. The team’s extensive track record includes completing over $8 billion in commercial aircraft transactions, management of more than 200 commercial aircraft, and leasing aircraft to over 40 domestic and international airlines and cargo operators.

During its tenure as a Guggenheim joint venture, GAP successfully managed two funds for Guggenheim’s clients totaling more than $5.3 billion in assets. Going forward, the business will operate under the name Altavair while continuing to manage and grow its current $3.4 billion commercial aircraft portfolio. With its experience in the aviation leasing market, Altavair also intends to raise additional permanent capital, which may include investments by Guggenheim clients, to support future growth thereby maintaining its position as a premier global aircraft leasing, financing, and management company.

“We are very appreciative of Guggenheim’s early and ongoing commitment which facilitated our many achievements. We are now excited to expand upon those successes as a stand-alone business,” said Steve Rimmer, Chief Executive Officer of Altavair. “We believe that our dedicated team coupled with our innovative approach uniquely positions Altavair to offer a full spectrum of financial solutions and investment opportunities to our clients and customers. We look forward to the road ahead.”

“It has been a pleasure working with Steve and Paul and their entire team for more than a decade to offer differentiated investment opportunities to our institutional clients,” commented Scott Minerd, Chairman of Investments and Global Chief Investment Officer of Guggenheim Partners. “We look forward to working with Altavair to identify high-quality commercial aviation investment opportunities for our clients in the future.”

For more information about Altavair, please visit www.altavair.com.

About Guggenheim Partners

Guggenheim Partners is a global investment and advisory firm with more than $240 billion¹ in assets under management. Across our three primary businesses of investment management, investment banking, and insurance services, we have a track record of delivering results through innovative solutions. With 2,500 professionals based in more than 25 offices around the world, our commitment is to advance the strategic interests of our clients and to deliver long-term results with excellence and integrity. We invite you to learn more about our expertise and values by visiting GuggenheimPartners.com and following us on Twitter at twitter.com/guggenheimptnrs.

^{1Assets under management are as of 6.30.2016 and include consulting services for clients whose assets are valued at approximately $57bn.}

Media Contact
Jason Ghassemi
Guggenheim Partners
212.378.6214
[email protected]