Divya Malhotra

A seasoned legal counsel with over 14 years of experience in aviation finance, Divya Malhotra is internationally recognized for her deep expertise in aircraft leasing, cross-border transactions, and complex structured finance. Dual-qualified in England and Wales and India, Divya has acted for airlines, banks, lessors, and manufacturers across major aviation markets, including the UAE, Singapore, India, the UK, and Europe.

Divya began her legal career in Singapore with Drew & Napier, where she gained strong litigation and restructuring experience before moving into asset finance. She went on to join Clyde & Co and subsequently Norton Rose Fulbright, where she specialized in aviation finance. At these firms, she represented major leasing companies and financial institutions in structured finance, sale and leaseback, and aircraft delivery transactions across Southeast Asia.

Her in-house counsel journey began at BOC Aviation Limited, one of the world’s leading aircraft lessors. Based in Singapore, she played a key role in cross-border leasing and financing deals across Asia and Europe. Notably, she was instrumental in delivering 20 Airbus A320 aircraft to Vistara Airlines, one of the largest leasing arrangements in the company’s history, and was part of the team managing the sale of 24 aircraft to Shenton Aircraft Investment I Ltd.

In 2018, Divya joined Novus Aviation Capital in Dubai as Vice President, Legal Counsel, where she advised on high-value sale and leaseback transactions, operating leases, and limited recourse financings. Her work included the sale and leaseback of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft with FlyDubai and the purchase and leaseback of Boeing 777-300ERs with Emirates. She also led legal aspects of a US$423 million financing facility with BNP Paribas and MUFG Bank and managed complex aircraft deliveries during the COVID-19 pandemic for British Airways.

With a proven record of advising on end-to-end aircraft transactions and a deep understanding of regulatory compliance across jurisdictions, Divya is a trusted legal strategist in the aviation finance sector. She is known for her ability to bridge commercial goals with legal precision and manage complex stakeholder negotiations under tight timelines.