Waypoint Leasing (“Waypoint”), the largest independent global helicopter leasing company, today announced that it has opened an office in Hong Kong to support its operations and customer base in China and the Asia Pacific Region.  Philip Stransky, Waypoint’s Vice President of Sales & Relationship Management, Asia Pacific, will lead the relocation of Waypoint’s Singapore Office to Hong Kong which will be staffed by additional commercial, technical and legal personnel to service customers and support operations in the region.

Alan Jenkins, President, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer at Waypoint said, “The number of civil helicopters operating in China has grown an average of fifteen percent annually since 2013, an astonishing rate in the face of a global market downturn during this period.  We anticipate Asia to be the most significant engine of global growth in the helicopter market over the next five years.  Waypoint is dedicated to serving this important multi-mission market as it grows and evolves, and we will be well positioned to do so with our investment in resources in the region.”

Philip Stransky added, “With our first deals already closed in China, the creation of our Tianjin leasing platform, and a strong pipeline of interesting opportunities across Asia, our new Hong Kong office is strategically important for Waypoint and is representative of the level of commitment we have in supporting our customers.  Waypoint will have a compliment of industry experienced cross-functional resources embedded in the region, further enabling Waypoint to provide solutions and even faster deal execution for our growing customer base.”

Since its inception in 2013, Waypoint has been active in supporting oil and gas, utility, firefighting and other industrial-focused helicopter operators.  Waypoint’s portfolio includes more than 160 aircraft for 32 customers in 32 countries with total assets in excess of $1.6 billion. Additionally, Waypoint has firm and option orders with aircraft manufacturers for more than 85 helicopters valued at more than $1.1 billion, to be delivered over the next four years.