Different firms advise on the acquisition of Ecocopter in favour of Helisul
Several firms have advised on the acquisition of 100% of Ecocopter, a Chilean aeronautics and air services company in Chile and Ecuador, by Helisul Taxi Aereo, a leading helicopter operator in Brazil.
This transaction represents Helisul’s first acquisition outside Brazil, and is the first step in its expansion plan in Latin America. The deal will allow for growth and consolidation in the international market thanks to the synergies between the two companies, reaching a total fleet of 81 aircraft (including helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft).
The cross-border acquisition, signed in October and closed on 6 May, had a value of approximately USD 36 million.
The firms advising on the transaction were Dentons Paz Horowitz as advisor to Ecocopter in Ecuador; Larraín y Asociados as advisor to Helisul in Chile; Bodero y Asociados as advisor to Helisul in Ecuador; Carey as advisor to Inversiones Cifco, shareholders in Chile; the Ecuadorian firm Robalino, as advisor to KPMG Peru, in its capacity as lead advisor to Helisul; and Barreto Veiga Advogados (BVA) as advisor to Helisul in Brazil. Auddas also acted as financial advisor to Helisul.
The transaction involved the coordination of the three jurisdictions and included due diligence, structuring, acquisition, and obtaining regulatory and financier approvals, as well as the signing of definitive transaction documents, the satisfaction of conditions precedent and the closing of the transaction.
Ecocopter operates helicopters in a variety of business lines, including mining, energy, communications, firefighting, medical transport, agriculture and tourism, among other activities.
Dentons Paz Horowitz team consisted of partners Juan Carlos Pérez (pictured top left) and Gabriel Santelices (pictured top centre, left), and directors Eduardo Esparza and Sara Romero.
Larraín y Asociados’ team was led by partners Juan de Dios Ferrada (pictured top centre, right) and Carlos Ignacio Larrain (pictured top right), with the support of Andrés Del Sante, Valentina Ravera and Diego de la Barra.
Bodero y Asociados was represented by partner Emilio Gallardo (pictured bottom left).
Carey’s team comprised partners Jaime Carey (pictured bottom centre, left) and Cristián Figueroa (pictured bottom centre, right), together with associates Nicolás Fosk and Borja Ochagavía.
Robalino’s team included partner Martin Pallares Sevilla (pictured bottom right), senior manager Andrés Arias García and associates Daniela Vega Guamán, Chester David Salazar del Pozo and Christian Narváez Barrera.
BVA’s team was composed of partners Felipe Barreto Veiga, Rafael Teixeira and Marcelo Simon Ikeiziri.
