Aircraft Acquisition. Fleet Strategy.
Aviation Risk. Board Advisory.

The difference between a good aircraft deal and a great one isn't luck — it's knowing what to negotiate, what's missing from the deal, when to walk away, and what the numbers and language actually mean in practice for the owner and the operator. That knowledge comes from four decades of doing it. Want to know the origin story of the modelling that launched direct flights between Sydney and London? Want to know how the lowest CASK/CASM aircraft on the planet came to be? I know because I launched both.

Ever bought an aircraft? How about a fleet of aircraft? Ever run selection contests to determine the most suitable aircraft, negotiated the purchase and then managed them into spectacularly profitable service? Ever driven a radical change in aircraft design to deliver industry leading profitability? Ever bought billions of dollars of aircraft and turned massive profits on the deal?

I'm Rick Howell. Principal Consultant at AvBrains. I've held management, C-suite and board roles at Air North, Emirates, Virgin Australia, and Cebu Pacific. I've negotiated aircraft and engine transactions exceeding US$20 billion. I've built enterprise risk functions from scratch, launched airlines from blank sheets of paper, and advised boards through some of the most complex decisions in commercial aviation.

While there are many aviation advisors pitching their capability it’s hard to find one who has specialist knowledge all the way from analysis to implementation. AvBrains isn't just about helping with the paperwork. My team and I do the hard stuff too.

I work with airlines, lessors, investors, and boards who need someone who's been on both sides of the table — operational and financial, technical and strategic.