LONDON / LAGOS / ABIDJAN, April 13, 2026 — Falcon Aerospace Limited (trading as VivaJets), Nigeria's premier business aviation platform, has closed a landmark US$15 million credit facility backed by TLG Capital, Premium Trust Bank, and Access Bank UK. Structured by TLG Capital as a bespoke facility Nigerian and UK banking partners, the transaction is among the largest SME-focused aviation financings ever completed in Côte d'Ivoire. It funds the establishment of an Abidjan operations hub, the development of in-country aviation maintenance infrastructure, and the expansion of corporate connectivity across a Francophone West African market that has long been underserved by conventional aviation finance.
A Landmark Transaction, Built From the Ground Up
The financing provided by TLG was structured alongside VivaJets, Premium Trust Bank and Access Bank UK. Together and as partners, the transaction was structured around local regulatory, operational and cross-border realities. This demonstrates a first of its kind cross-border aviation financing jointly structured with an African bank , a private credit fund , and a UK bank.
This deal stands on a foundation established by an initial US$10 million facility, believed to be the first internationally structured aviation financing for a Nigerian Air Operator, which proved that rigorous, international-standard structured finance is achievable for African aviation businesses operating outside the continent's largest carriers. This US$15 million facility goes further, setting a new benchmark for what SME aviation finance in Francophone West Africa can look like.
Abidjan: The Hub Francophone West Africa Has Been Waiting For
Côte d'Ivoire's economy is expanding at 7.4% annually, among the fastest rates in the world. Across Francophone West Africa, rising volumes of intra-continental trade, infrastructure investment, and institutional capital flows are creating demand for corporate mobility that scheduled aviation cannot meet. Pan-African conglomerates, development finance institutions, central banks, and infrastructure developers need to move people to project sites, capital-raising roadshows, and institutional meetings that no commercial carrier reaches.
Falcon Aero's Abidjan hub, anchored at Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport, is the answer. It provides direct corporate charter and aircraft management across Côte d'Ivoire and its neighbours, connecting the business centres of Dakar, Bamako, Conakry, Lomé, Cotonou, and beyond in ways that have not been possible before. West African executives have for too long been flying through Paris to reach a neighbour two hours away. This hub ends that detour.
Building a Maintenance Culture, Not Just a Route Network
The more enduring ambition of this transaction is the development of an in-country aviation maintenance ecosystem. West and Central Africa have more than 30 commercial aviation operators and almost no heavy maintenance capability of their own. Between 80% and 90% of African aviation maintenance spending flows abroad to providers in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, exporting skilled employment, foreign exchange, and technical knowledge that the continent cannot afford to lose indefinitely.
Falcon Aero has already begun to change that culture. The company recently completed the landing gear inspection of an aircraft entirely in-country in Nigeria, work that had routinely been sent to Europe. That milestone is proof of concept for a new way of thinking about African aviation: one where maintenance expertise is built locally, retained locally, and eventually exported to the wider region as a competitive asset.
The Abidjan hub carries that culture into Francophone West Africa. The goal is to plant the institutional knowledge, technical standards, and financing infrastructure that allow a genuine aviation ecosystem to take root and grow, reducing the region's dependence on overseas providers and creating durable economic value in the markets Falcon Aero serves.
Quotes
Chukwuerika Achum, CEO, Falcon Aerospace Limited:
"What we have found in TLG Capital is something that every African aviation entrepreneur is quietly searching for: a financing partner that looks for solutions rather than reasons to say no, and that understands this business on a level that most people simply do not get. African aviation has unique complexities, local realities that do not fit neatly into standard financing templates, and TLG has never once asked us to simplify our ambition to fit their model. They have built the model around the ambition. Finding that kind of partner is genuinely thrilling. Abidjan is our next chapter, and we are excited to write it with people who understand exactly what we are building and why it matters."
Isha Doshi, Partner, TLG Capital:
"TLG's role in this transaction was to bring the full weight of our structuring expertise to bear from the moment the term sheet was agreed to the moment the facility closed. That means understanding the local banking environment in Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire, navigating the regulatory nuances across multiple jurisdictions, and designing a financing architecture that brought Premium Trust Bank and Access Bank UK in as genuine institutional partners rather than passive participants. That is what we do, and it is what we will continue to do across Francophone West Africa. Our commitment to this region is long-term.
Transaction Details
Legal advisers to the transaction were Wigwe & Partners and Hannaford Turner for TLG Capital. The TLG Capital deal team comprised Ayoola Oladipupo and Aum Thacker. From Falcon Aero, the transaction was led by Wura Adetiba, Kayode Adebiyi, and Seun Olajide.
About Falcon Aerospace Limited
Falcon Aero is a business aviation platform headquartered in Nigeria, established in 2022 to meet the rising demand for charter services across Africa and beyond. Operating under a Nigerian Air Operator Certificate, the company has logged over 2,000 flight hours to date. Through its Nigerian, Ivorian, and Canadian subsidiaries, Falcon Aero provides aircraft charter, acquisitions, and management solutions for African businesses, executives, and high-net-worth individuals. Its brands include VivaJets, CharterXE, and FlyPJX.
About TLG Capital
TLG Capital is a British-owned African asset manager. Since 2009, the TLG Group has completed more than US$230 million of transactions across 20 African countries, spanning 56 deals and 31 exits. TLG is trusted by over 100 investors across the world, including the IFC, Swedfund, Norfund, and Bpifrance.
About Premium Trust Bank Limited
Premium Trust Bank Limited is a fast-growing Nigerian commercial bank with total assets of approximately US$980 million as at August 2025. The bank holds national scale ratings of A-(NG) / A2(NG) from GCR Ratings with a Stable Outlook, and successfully met the Central Bank of Nigeria's N200 billion minimum capital requirement in 2025.
About Access Bank UK Limited
Access Bank UK Limited is a UK-regulated commercial bank and a wholly owned subsidiary of Access Holdings Plc. With total assets of US$6.1 billion as at December 2024, Access Bank UK is a leading provider of trade finance, structured lending, and correspondent banking services connecting Africa with international capital markets.