Rotortrade has appointed Raymond Lubrano as managing director of RotorLease, its dedicated global helicopter leasing and asset finance platform.

Established in 2025, RotorLease is the leasing and asset finance component of the finance pillar within Rotortrade’s three-pillar business model encompassing helicopter sales, maintenance and finance. Unveiled at Verticon 2025 in Dallas, it began operations in March this year as a structured leasing platform within the United States. It originates, structures, finances and manages helicopter leasing transactions internationally, working in close coordination with Rotortrade’s global commercial and technical network.

RotorLease began operations with an initial portfolio of seven aircraft comprising Leonardo AW169, Leonardo AW139 and Airbus H145 helicopters. Its medium-term objective is to structure the fleet primarily around the H145 and AW139, types selected for sustained demand across EMS, offshore, utility and governmental missions. The platform provides operating (dry) leases and financial leases structured as lease-to-purchase agreements, with tenures ranging from one year to five- to seven-year mid-term agreements. Transactions align with country-specific compliance frameworks under the Cape Town Convention.

Lubrano will oversee the development and management of RotorLease, including capital deployment, aircraft investment, debt financing, transaction structuring, credit and counterparty assessment, asset and portfolio management and relationships with operators, lenders and financial partners.

He brings over 30 years of international experience across financial markets and aviation, including more than 16 years in the helicopter industry. He began his career in market making and trading in London and Paris before moving into aviation in 2010 as CEO and founding partner of Heli-Union Malaysia. A founding partner of Rotortrade, he most recently served as executive vice president, head of region LATAM, based in Mexico, where the region’s achievements included the sale and delivery of the first Airbus H160 in Argentina and the Southern Cone to Helipatagonia in April 2026. His successor will be announced in due course.

Philippe Lubrano, founder and CEO of Rotortrade, says: “RotorLease is an important part of the finance pillar we have been building within Rotortrade.”

Raymond Lubrano adds: “Our ambition is to build RotorLease into a disciplined and scalable global helicopter leasing and asset finance platform, combining deep asset expertise with a rigorous approach to investment, credit and financing.”

RotorLease operates across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific through Rotortrade’s global network. Founded in 2012 by Philippe Lubrano, Rotortrade operates 15 dealerships and three certified maintenance centres worldwide, including an Airbus-approved MRO centre in Tallard, France, opened in 2024 and an FAA Part 145-certified facility in Pittsburgh. The Helicopter Company (THC), backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, acquired a 51 per cent stake in Rotortrade in October 2021, followed by full ownership in June 2023.