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We have acquired, and may in the future acquire, operating businesses including businesses whose operations are not fully matured and stabilized (such as Jefferson Terminal). While we have deep experience in the construction and operation of these companies, we are nevertheless subject to significant risks and contingencies of an operating business, and these risks are greater where the operations of such businesses are not fully matured and stabilized. Key factors that may affect our operating businesses include, but are not limited to:
competition from market participants;
general economic and/or industry trends, including pricing for the products or services offered by our operating businesses;
the issuance and/or continued availability of necessary permits, licenses, approvals and agreements from governmental agencies and third parties as are required to construct and operate such businesses;
changes or deficiencies in the design or construction of development projects;
unforeseen engineering, environmental or geological problems;
potential increases in construction and operating costs due to changes in the cost and availability of fuel, power, materials and supplies;
the availability and cost of skilled labor and equipment;
our ability to enter into additional satisfactory agreements with contractors and to maintain good relationships with these contractors in order to construct development projects within our expected cost parameters and time frame, and the ability of those contractors to perform their obligations under the contracts and to maintain their creditworthiness;
potential liability for injury or casualty losses which are not covered by insurance;
potential opposition from non-governmental organizations, environmental groups, local or other groups which may delay or prevent development activities;
local and economic conditions;
changes in legal requirements; and
force majeure events, including catastrophes and adverse weather conditions.
Any of these factors could materially affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.
The agreements governing our indebtedness place restrictions on us and our subsidiaries, reducing operational flexibility and creating default risks.
The agreements governing our indebtedness, including, but not limited to, the indentureindentures governing our Senior Notes and the second amended and restated revolving credit facility entered into on September 20, 2022, as amended by Amendment No. 1, dated as of November 22, 2022 (the “Revolving Credit Facility”), contain covenants that place restrictions on us and our subsidiaries. The indentureindentures governing our Senior Notes restricts,and the Revolving Credit Facility restrict among other things, our and certain of our subsidiaries’ ability to:
•merge, consolidate or transfer all, or substantially all, of our assets;
•incur additional debt or issue preferred stock;shares;
•make certain investments or acquisitions;
•create liens on our or our subsidiaries’ assets;
•sell assets;
•make distributions on or repurchase our stock;shares;
•enter into transactions with affiliates; and
•create dividend restrictions and other payment restrictions that affect our subsidiaries.
These covenants could impair our ability to grow our business, take advantage of attractive business opportunities, pay dividends on our ordinary shares or successfully compete. A breach of any of these covenants could result in an event of default. Cross-default provisions in our debt agreements could cause an event of default under one debt agreement to trigger an event of default under our other debt agreements. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under any of our debt agreements, the lenders or holders thereof could elect to declare all outstanding debt under such agreements to be immediately due and payable.
Terrorist attacks or other hostilities could negatively impact our operations and our profitability and may expose us to liability and reputational damage.
Terrorist attacks may negatively affect our operations. Such attacks have contributed to economic instability in the United States and elsewhere, and further acts of terrorism, violence or war could similarly affect world trade and the industries in which we and our customers operate. In addition, terrorist attacks or hostilities may directly impact airports or aircraft ports where our containers and vessels travel, or our physical facilities or those of our customers. In addition, it is also possible that our assets could be involved in a terrorist attack.attack or other hostilities. The consequences of any terrorist attacks or hostilities are unpredictable, and we may not be able to foresee events that could have a material adverse effect on our operations. Although our lease and charter agreements generally require the counterparties to indemnify us against all damages arising out of the use of our assets, and we carry insurance to potentially offset any costs in the event that our customer indemnifications prove to be insufficient, our insurance does not cover certain types of terrorist attacks, and we may not be fully protected from liability or the reputational damage that could arise from a terrorist attack which utilizes our assets.
Because we are a recently formed company with a limited operating history, our historical financial and operating data may not be representative of our future results.
We are a recently formed limited liability company with a limited operating history. Our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows reflected in our consolidated financial statements may not be indicative of the results we would have achieved if we were a public company or results that may be achieved in future periods. Consequently, there can be no assurance that we will be able to generate sufficient income to pay our operating expenses and make satisfactory distributions to our shareholders, or any distributions at all. Further, we only make acquisitions identified by our Manager. As a result of this concentration of assets, our financial performance depends on the performance of our Manager in identifying target assets, the availability of opportunities falling within our asset acquisition strategy and the performance of those underlying assets.
Our leases and charters typically require payments in U.S. dollars, but many of our customers operate in other currencies; if foreign currencies devalue against the U.S. dollar, our lessees or charterers may be unable to meet their payment obligations to us in a timely manner.
Our current leases and charters typically require that payments be made in U.S. dollars. If the currency that our lessees or charterers typically use in operating their businesses devalues against the U.S. dollar, our lessees or charterers could encounter difficulties in making payments to us in U.S. dollars. Furthermore, many foreign countries have currency and exchange laws regulating international payments that may impede or prevent payments from being paid to us in U.S. dollars. Future leases or charters may provide for payments to be made in euros or other foreign currencies. Any change in the currency exchange rate that reduces the amount of U.S. dollars obtained by us upon conversion of future lease payments denominated in euros or other foreign currencies, may, if not appropriately hedged by us, have a material adverse effect on us and increase the volatility of our earnings.
Our inability to obtain sufficient capital would constrain our ability to grow our portfolio and to increase our revenues.
Our business is capital intensive, and we have used and may continue to employ leverage to finance our operations. Accordingly, our ability to successfully execute our business strategy and maintain our operations depends on the availability and cost of debt and equity capital. Additionally, our ability to borrow against our assets is dependent, in part, on the appraised value of such assets. If the appraised value of such assets declines, we may be required to reduce the principal outstanding under our debt facilities or otherwise be unable to incur new borrowings.
We can give no assurance that the capital we need will be available to us on favorable terms, or at all. Our inability to obtain sufficient capital, or to renew or expand our credit facilities, could result in increased funding costs and would limit our ability to:
•meet the terms and maturities of our existing and future debt facilities;
•purchase new assets or refinance existing assets;
•fund our working capital needs and maintain adequate liquidity; and
•finance other growth initiatives.
In addition, we conduct our operations so that neither we nor any of our subsidiaries are required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “Investment Company Act”). As such, certain forms of financing such as finance leases may not be available to us. Please see “- If we are deemed an investment company“investment company” under the Investment Company Act, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.”
The effects of various environmental regulations may negatively affect the industries in which we operate which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We are subject to federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment, including those governing the discharge of pollutants to air and water, the management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, the cleanup of contaminated sites and noise and emission levels. levels and greenhouse gas emissions. Legislative and regulatory measures currently under consideration or being implemented by government authorities to address climate change could require reductions in our greenhouse gas or other emissions, establish a carbon tax or increase fuel or energy taxes. These legal requirements are expected to result in increased capital expenditures and compliance costs, and could result in higher costs and may require us to acquire emission credits or carbon offsets. These costs and restrictions could harm our business and results of operations by increasing our expenses or requiring us to alter our operations. The inconsistent international, regional and/or national requirements associated with climate change regulations also create economic and regulatory uncertainty.
Under some environmental laws in the United States and certain other countries, strict liability may be imposed on the owners or operators of assets, which could render us liable for environmental and natural resource damages without regard to negligence or fault on our part. We could incur substantial costs, including cleanup costs, fines and third-party claims for property or natural resource damage and personal injury, as a result of violations of or liabilities under environmental laws and regulations in connection with our or our lessee’s or charterer’s current or historical operations, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, a variety of new legislation is being enacted, or considered for enactment, at the federal, state and local levels relating to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. While there has historically been a lack of consistent climate change legislation, as climate change concerns continue to grow, further legislation and regulations are expected to continue in areas such as greenhouse gas emissions control, emission disclosure requirements and building codes or other infrastructure requirements that impose energy efficiency standards. Government mandates, standards or regulations intended to mitigate or reduce greenhouse gas emissions or projected climate change impacts could result in increased energy and transportation costs, and increased compliance expenses and other financial obligations to meet permitting or development requirements that we may be unable to fully recover (due to market conditions or other factors), any of which could result in reduced profits and adversely affect our results of operations. While we typically maintain liability insurance coverage and typically require our lessees to provide us with indemnity against certain losses, the insurance coverage is subject to large deductibles, limits on maximum coverage and significant exclusions and may not be sufficient or available to protect against any or all liabilities and such indemnities may not cover or be sufficient to protect us against losses arising from environmental damage. In addition, changes to environmental standards or regulations in the industries in which we operate could limit the economic life of the assets we acquire or reduce their value, and also require us to make significant additional investments in order to maintain compliance, which would negatively impact our cash flows and results of operations.
The discontinuation of the LIBOR benchmark interest rate may have an impact on our business.
On July 27, 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (the "FCA"), which regulates LIBOR, announced that it will no longer persuade or compel banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR rates after 2021. On November 30, 2020, ICE Benchmark Administration, or the IBA, the administrator of LIBOR, with the support of the United States Federal Reserve and the FCA, announced plans to consult on ceasing publication of LIBOR on December 31, 2021, for only the one-week and two-month LIBOR tenors, and on June 30, 2023, for all other LIBOR tenors. The U.S. Federal Reserve concurrently issued a statement advising banks to stop new LIBOR issuances by the end of 2021. The IBA ceased publication of one-week and two-month USD LIBOR settings after December 31, 2021, and the remaining USD LIBOR settings after June 30, 2023, other than certain USD LIBOR settings that are expected to continue to be published under a synthetic methodology until September 2024.
In the United States, the Alternative Reference Rate Committee (“ARRC”), a group of diverse private-market participants assembled by the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, was tasked with identifying alternative reference rates to replace LIBOR. The Secured Overnight Finance Rate (“SOFR”) has emerged as the ARRC's preferred alternative rate for LIBOR. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement market. At this time, it is not possible to predict how markets will respond to SOFR or other alternative reference rates.
A cyberattack that bypasses our information technology (“IT”), security systems or the IT security systems of our third-party providers, causing an IT security breach, may lead to a disruption of our IT systems and the loss of business information which may hinder our ability to conduct our business effectively and may result in lost revenues and additional costs.
Parts of our business depend on the secure operation of our IT systems and the IT systems of our third-party providers to manage, process, store, and transmit information associated with aircraft leasing. We have, from time to time, experienced threats to our data and systems, including malware and computer virus attacks. A cyberattack that bypasses our IT security systems or the IT security systems of our third-party providers, causing an IT security breach, could adversely impact our daily
Our Repauno siteoperations and Hannibal property are subjectlead to environmental lawsthe loss of sensitive information, including our own proprietary information and regulations that may expose us to significantof our customers, suppliers and employees. Such losses could harm our reputation and result in competitive disadvantages, litigation, regulatory enforcement actions, lost revenues, additional costs and liabilities.
Our Repauno site is subject While we devote substantial resources to on-going environmental investigationmaintaining adequate levels of cyber-security, our resources and remediation by the former owner of the property related to historic industrial operations. The former owner is responsible for completion of this work, and we benefit from a related indemnity and insurance policy. If the former owner fails to fulfill its investigation and remediation, or indemnity obligations and the related insurance, which are subject to limits and conditions, fail to cover our costs, we could incur losses. Redevelopment of the property in those areas undergoing investigation and remediation must await state environmental agency confirmation that no further investigation or remediation is required before redevelopment activities can occur in such areas of the property. Therefore, any delay in the former owner’s completion of the environmental work or receipt of related approvals in an area of the property could delay our redevelopment activities. In addition, once received, permits and approvalstechnical sophistication may not be subject to litigation, and projects may be delayed or approvals reversed or modified in litigation. If there is a delay in obtaining any required regulatory approval, it could delay projects and cause us to incur costs.
In connection with our acquisition of Hannibal, the former owner of the property is obligated to perform certain post-closing demolition activities, remove specified containers, equipment and structures and conduct investigation, removal, cleanup and decontamination related thereto. In addition, the former owner is responsible for on-going environmental remediation related to historic industrial operations on and off Hannibal. Pursuant to an order issued by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (“Ohio EPA”), the former owner is responsible for completing the removal and off-site disposal of electrolytic pots associated with the former use of Hannibal as an aluminum reduction plant. In addition, Hannibal is located adjacent to the former Ormet Corporation Superfund site (the “Ormet site”), which is owned and operated by the former owner of Hannibal. Pursuant to an order with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“US EPA”), the former owner is obligated to pump groundwater that has been impacted by the adjacent Ormet site beneath our site and discharge it to the Ohio River and monitor the groundwater annually. Hannibal is also subject to an environmental covenant related to the adjacent Ormet site that, inter alia, restricts the use of groundwater beneath our site and requires US EPA consent for activities on Hannibal that could disrupt the groundwater monitoring or pumping. The former owner is contractually obligated to complete its regulatory obligations on Hannibal and we benefit from a related indemnity and insurance policy. If the former owner fails to fulfill its demolition, removal, investigation, remediation or monitoring obligations, or indemnity obligations and the related insurance, which are subject to limits and conditions, fail to cover our costs, we could incur losses. Redevelopment of the property in those areas undergoing investigation and remediation pursuant to the Ohio EPA order must await state environmental agency confirmation that no further investigation or remediation is required before redevelopment activities can occur in such area of the property. Therefore, any delay in the former owner’s completion of the environmental work or receipt of related approvals or consents from Ohio EPA or US EPA could delay our redevelopment activities.
In addition, a portion of Hannibal is proposed for redevelopment as a combined cycle gas-fired electric generating facility. Although environmental investigations in that portion of the property have not identified material impacts to soils or groundwater that reasonably would be expectedadequate to prevent or delay redevelopment, impacted materials could be encountered during construction that require special handling and/or result in delays to the project. In addition, the constructionall types of an electric generating plant will require environmental permits and approvals from federal, state and local environmental agencies. Once received, permits and approvals may be subject to litigation, and projects may be delayed or approvals reversed or modified in litigation. If there is a delay in obtaining any required regulatory approval, it could delay projects and cause us to incur costs.
Moreover, new, stricter environmental laws, regulations or enforcement policies, including those imposed in response to climate change, could be implemented that significantly increase our compliance costs, or require us to adopt more costly methods of operation. If we are not able to transform Repauno or Hannibal into hubs for industrial and energy development in a timely manner, their future prospects could be materially and adversely affected, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.
cyberattacks.
If we are deemed an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We conduct our operations so that neither we nor any of our subsidiaries are required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is engaged or proposes to engage in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of the issuer’s total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Excluded from the term “investment securities,” among other things, are U.S. government securities and securities issued by majority-owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exception from the definition of investment company for certain privately-offered investment vehicles set forth in Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act.
We are a holding company that is not an investment company because we are engaged in the business of holding securities of our wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries, which are engaged in transportation and related businesses which lease assets pursuant to operating leases and finance leases. The Investment Company Act may limit our and our subsidiaries’ ability to enter into financing leases and engage in other types of financial activity because less than 40% of the value of our and our subsidiaries’ total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis can consist of “investment securities.”
If we or any of our subsidiaries were required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, the registered entity would become subject to substantial regulation that would significantly change our operations, and we would not be able to conduct our business as described in this report. We have not obtained a formal determination from the SEC as to our status under the Investment Company Act and, consequently, any violation of the Investment Company Act would subject us to material adverse consequences.
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs are governed by our Articles, the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands (the ‘‘Cayman Companies Act’’) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a federal court of the United States.
We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Cayman) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (1) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (2) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.
The Financial Action Task Force has increased monitoring of the Cayman Islands.
In February 2021, the Cayman Islands was added to the Financial Action Task Force (‘‘FATF’’) list of jurisdictions whose anti-money laundering/counter-terrorist and proliferation financing practices are under increased monitoring, commonly referred to as the ‘‘FATF grey list.’’ The FATF was established in July 1989 by a Group of Seven (G-7) Summit and is a task force composed of member governments who agree to fund the FATF on temporary basis with specific goals and projects– it is an international policy-making body that sets international anti-money laundering standards and counter-terrorist financing measures. The FATF monitors countries to ensure they implement the FATF Standards fully and effectively and holds countries to account that do not comply. When the FATF places a jurisdiction under increased monitoring, it means the country has committed to resolve swiftly the identified strategic deficiencies within agreed timeframes and is subject to increased monitoring during that timeframe. In June 2023, the FATF confirmed that the Cayman Islands had satisfied all FATF recommended actions, recognizing that the jurisdiction has a robust and effective anti-money laundering / counter-terrorist financing regime. Following successful completion of an on-site inspection by the FATF, the Cayman Islands will be eligible to be removed from the FATF grey list at the FATF's October 2023 plenary.
The Cayman Islands are included in the EU AML High-Risk Third Countries List.
On March 13, 2022, the European Commission (‘‘EC’’) updated its list of ’high-risk third countries’ (‘‘EU AML List’’) identified as having strategic deficiencies in their anti-money laundering/counter-terrorist financing regimes to add nine countries, including the Cayman Islands. The EC has noted it is committed to there being a greater alignment between the EU AML List and the FATF listing process. The addition of the Cayman Islands to the EU AML List is a direct result of the inclusion of the Cayman Islands on the FATF grey list in February 2021. It is unclear how long this designation will remain in place and what ramifications, if any, the designation will have for the Company. Our assets are exposed to unplanned interruptions caused by events outside of our control which may disrupt our business and cause damage or losses that may not be adequately covered by insurance.
Projects in the aerospace products and services sector are exposed to a variety of unplanned interruptions which could cause our results of operations to suffer.
Projects in the aerospace products and services sector are exposed to unplanned interruptions caused by breakdown or failure of equipment, aging infrastructure, employee error or contractor or subcontractor failure, limitations that may be imposed by equipment conditions or environmental, safety or other regulatory requirements, fuel supply or fuel transportation reductions or interruptions, labor disputes, difficulties with the implementation or operation of information systems, power outages, pipeline or electricity line ruptures, catastrophic events, such as hurricanes, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, floods, explosions, fires, or other disasters. Any equipment or system outage or constraint can, among other things, reduce sales, increase costs and affect the ability to meet regulatory service metrics, customer expectations and regulatory reliability and security requirements. Operational disruption, as well as supply disruption, and increased government oversight could adversely impact the cash flows available from these assets. In addition, the cost of repairing or replacing damaged assets could be considerable. Repeated or prolonged interruption may result in temporary or permanent loss of customers, substantial litigation or penalties for regulatory or contractual non-compliance, and any loss from such events may not be recoverable under relevant insurance policies. Although we believe that we are adequately insured against these types of events, no assurance can be given that the occurrence of any such event will not materially adversely affect us.
Risks Related to Our Manager
We are dependent on our Manager and other key personnel at Fortress and may not find suitable replacements if our Manager terminates the Management Agreement or if other key personnel depart.
Our officers and other individuals who perform services for us (other than Jefferson and CMQR employees) are employees of our Manager or other Fortress entities. We are completely reliant on our Manager, which has significant discretion as to the implementation of our operating policies and strategies, to conduct our business. We are subject to the risk that our Manager will terminate the Management Agreement and that we will not be able to find a suitable replacement for our Manager in a timely manner, at a reasonable cost, or at all. Furthermore, we are dependent on the services of certain key employees of our Manager and certain key employees of Fortress entities whose compensation is partially or entirely dependent upon the amount of management fees earned by our Manager or the incentive allocationspayments distributed to the General PartnerMaster GP and whose continued service is not guaranteed, and the loss of such personnel or services could materially adversely affect our operations. We do not have key man insurance for any of the personnel of the Manager or other Fortress entities that are key to us. An inability to find a suitable replacement for any departing employee of our Manager or Fortress entities on a timely basis could materially adversely affect our ability to operate and grow our business.
In addition, our Manager may assign our Management Agreement to an entity whose business and operations are managed or supervised by Mr. Wesley R. Edens, who is a principal and a Co-Chairmanmember of the board of directors of Fortress, an affiliate of our Manager, and a member of the management committee of Fortress since co-founding Fortress in May 1998. In the event of any such assignment to a non-affiliate of Fortress, the functions currently performed by our Manager’s current personnel may be performed by others. We can give you no assurance that such personnel would manage our operations in the same manner as our Manager currently does, and the failure by the personnel of any such entity to acquire assets generating attractive risk-adjusted returns could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
On February 14, 2017,May 22, 2023, Fortress and Mubadala announced that it hadthey have entered into the Merger Agreement with SoftBank Parent and an affiliate of SoftBank, and SoftBank Merger Sub,definitive agreements pursuant to which, SoftBank Merger Subamong other things, certain members of Fortress management and affiliates of Mubadala will merge with and intoacquire 100% of the equity of Fortress with Fortress surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of SoftBank Parent.that is currently indirectly held by SoftBank. While Fortress’s senior investment professionals are expected to remain in place,at Fortress, including those individuals who perform services for us, there can be no assurance that the SoftBank mergertransaction will not have an impact on us or our relationship with theour Manager.
There are conflicts of interest in our relationship with our Manager.
Our Management Agreement and the PartnershipServices and Profit Sharing Agreement and our operating agreementArticles were negotiated prior to our IPO and among affiliated parties, and their terms, including fees and other amounts payable, may not be as favorable to us as if they had been negotiated after our IPO with an unaffiliated third-party.
There are conflicts of interest inherent in our relationship with our Manager insofar as our Manager and its affiliates - including investment funds, private investment funds, or businesses managed by our Manager, including Seacastle Ships Holdings Inc., Trac Intermodal and Florida East Coast Railway, L.L.C. - invest in transportation and transportation-related infrastructureaviation assets and whose investment objectives overlap with our asset acquisition objectives. Certain opportunities appropriate for us may also be appropriate for one or more of these other investment vehicles. Certain members of our board of directors and employees of our Manager who are our officers also serve as officers and/or directors of these other entities. For example, we have some of the sameour directors and officers as Seacastle Ships Holdingsare also directors or officers of FTAI Infrastructure, Inc. and Trac Intermodal.(“FTAI Infrastructure”). Although we have the same Manager, we may compete with entities affiliated with our Manager or Fortress including Seacastle Ships Holdings Inc. and Trac Intermodal, for certain target assets. From time to time, affiliates ofentities affiliated with or managed by our Manager or Fortress may focus on investments in assets with a similar profile as our target assets that we may seek to acquire. These affiliates may have meaningful purchasing capacity, which may change over time depending upon a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, available equity capital and debt financing, market conditions and cash on hand. Fortress has multiple existing and planned funds focused on investing in one or more of our target sectors, each with significant current or expected capital commitments. We have previously purchased and may in the future purchase assets from these funds, and have previously co-invested and may in the future co-invest with these funds in transportation and transportation-related infrastructureaviation assets. Fortress funds generally have a fee structure similar to ours, but the fees actually paid will vary depending on the size, terms and performance of each fund.
Our Management Agreement generally does not limit or restrict our Manager or its affiliates from engaging in any business or managing other operating companies similar to us or pooled investment vehicles that invest in assets that meet our asset acquisition objectives. Our Manager intends to engagehas also engaged in additional transportation and infrastructure related management with FTAI Infrastructure in our recent spin-off of our infrastructure assets, and transportation, infrastructure andmay be involved in other investment opportunities in the future, any of which may compete with us for investments or result in a change in our current investment strategy. In addition, our operating agreement providesArticles provide that if Fortress or an affiliate or any of their officers, directors or employees acquire knowledge of a potential transaction that could be a corporate opportunity, they have no duty, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to offer such corporate opportunity to us, our shareholders or our affiliates. In the event that any of our directors and officers who is also a director, officer or employee of Fortress or its affiliates acquires knowledge of a corporate opportunity or is offered a corporate opportunity, provided that this knowledge was not acquired solely in such person’s capacity as a director or officer of FTAI Aviation Ltd. and such person acts in good faith, then to the fullest extent permitted by law such person is deemed to have fully satisfied such person’s fiduciary duties owed to us and is not liable to us if Fortress or its affiliates pursues or acquires the corporate opportunity or if such person did not present the corporate opportunity to us.
The ability of our Manager and its officers and employees to engage in other business activities, subject to the terms of our Management Agreement, may reduce the amount of time our Manager, its officers or other employees spend managing us. In addition, we may engage (subject to our strategy) in material transactions with our Manager or another entity managed by our Manager or one of its affiliates, including Seacastle Ships Holdings Inc., Trac Intermodal and Florida East Coast Railway, L.L.C., which may include, but are not limited to, certain acquisitions, financing arrangements, purchases of debt, co-investments, consumer loans, servicing advances and other assets that present an actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest. Our board of directors adopted a policy regarding the approval of any “related person transactions” pursuant to which certain of the material transactions described above may require disclosure to, and approval by, the independent members of our board of directors. Actual, potential or perceived conflicts have given, and may in the future give, rise to investor dissatisfaction, litigation or regulatory inquiries or enforcement actions. Appropriately dealing with conflicts of interest is complex and difficult, and our reputation could be damaged if we fail, or appear to fail, to deal appropriately with one or more potential, actual or perceived conflicts of interest. Regulatory scrutiny of, or litigation in connection with, conflicts of interest could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, which could materially adversely affect our business in a number of ways, including causing an inability to raise additional funds, a reluctance of counterparties to do business with us, a decrease in the prices of our equity securities and a resulting increased risk of litigation and regulatory enforcement actions.
The structure of our Manager’s and the General Partner’sMaster GP’s compensation arrangements may have unintended consequences for us. We have agreed to pay our Manager a management fee and the General PartnerMaster GP is entitled to receive incentive allocationspayments from Holdcothe Company or its subsidiaries that are each based on different measures of performance. Consequently, there may be conflicts in the incentives of our Manager to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for us. In addition, because the General PartnerMaster GP and our Manager are both affiliates of Fortress, the Income Incentive Allocationincome incentive payment paid to the General PartnerMaster GP may cause our Manager to place undue emphasis on the maximization of earnings, including through the use of leverage, at the expense of other objectives, such as preservation of capital, to achieve higher incentive allocations.payments. Investments with higher yield potential are generally riskier or more speculative than investments with lower yield potential. This could result in increased risk to the value of our portfolio of assets and our commonordinary shares.
Our directors have approved a broad asset acquisition strategy for our Manager and dowill not approve each acquisition we make at the direction of our Manager. In addition, we may change our strategy without a shareholder vote, which may result in our acquiring assets that are different, riskier or less profitable than our current assets.
Our Manager is authorized to follow a broad asset acquisition strategy. We may pursue other types of acquisitions as market conditions evolve. Our Manager makes decisions about our investments in accordance with broad investment guidelines adopted by our board of directors. Accordingly, we may, without a shareholder vote, change our target sectors and acquire a variety of assets that differ from, and are possibly riskier than, our current asset portfolio. Consequently, our Manager has great latitude in determining the types and categories of assets it may decide are proper investments for us, including the latitude to invest in types and categories of assets that may differ from those in our existing portfolio. Our directors will periodically review our strategy and our portfolio of assets. However, our board doeswill not review or pre-approve each proposed acquisition or our related financing arrangements. In addition, in conducting periodic reviews, the directors will rely primarily on information provided to them by our Manager. Furthermore, transactions entered into by our Manager may be difficult or impossible to reverse by the time they are reviewed by the directors even if the transactions contravene the terms of the Management Agreement. In addition, we may change our asset acquisition strategy, including our target asset classes, without a shareholder vote.
Our asset acquisition strategy may evolve in light of existing market conditions and investment opportunities, and this evolution may involve additional risks depending upon the nature of the assets we target and our ability to finance such assets on a short or long-term basis. Opportunities that present unattractive risk-return profiles relative to other available opportunities under particular market conditions may become relatively attractive under changed market conditions and changes in market conditions may therefore result in changes in the assets we target. Decisions to make acquisitions in new asset categories present risks that may be difficult for us to adequately assess and could therefore reduce or eliminate our ability to pay dividends on our commonordinary shares or have adverse effects on our liquidity or financial condition. A change in our asset acquisition strategy may also increase our exposure to interest rate, foreign currency or credit market fluctuations. In addition, a change in our asset acquisition strategy may increase our use of non-match-funded financing, increase the guarantee obligations we agree to incur or increase the number of transactions we enter into with affiliates. Our failure to accurately assess the risks inherent in new asset categories or the financing risks associated with such assets could adversely affect our results of operations and our financial condition.
Our Manager will not be liable to us for any acts or omissions performed in accordance with the Management Agreement, including with respect to the performance of our assets.
Pursuant to our Management Agreement, our Manager will not assume any responsibility other than to render the services called for thereunder in good faith and will not be responsible for any action of our board of directors in following or declining to follow its advice or recommendations. Our Manager, its members, managers, officers, employees, sub-advisers and any other person controlling or Manager, will not be liable to us or any of our subsidiaries, to our board of directors, or our or any subsidiary’s shareholders or partners for any acts or omissions by our Manager, its members, managers, officers, employees, sub-advisers and any other person controlling or Manager, except liability to the Company,us, our shareholders, directors, officers and employees and persons controlling us, by reason of acts constituting bad faith, willful misconduct, gross negligence or reckless disregard of our Manager’s duties under our Management Agreement. We will, to the full extent lawful, reimburse, indemnify and hold our Manager, its members, managers, officers and employees, sub-advisers and each other person, if any, controlling our Manager harmless of and from any and all expenses, losses, damages, liabilities, demands, charges and claims of any nature whatsoever (including attorneys’ fees) in respect of or arising from any acts or omissions of an indemnified party made in good faith in the performance of our Manager’s duties under our Management Agreement and not constituting such indemnified party’s bad faith, willful misconduct, gross negligence or reckless disregard of our Manager’s duties under our Management Agreement.
Our Manager’s due diligence of potential asset acquisitions or other transactions may not identify all pertinent risks, which could materially affect our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.
Our Manager intends to conduct due diligence with respect to each asset acquisition opportunity or other transaction it pursues. It is possible, however, that our Manager’s due diligence processes will not uncover all relevant facts, particularly with respect to any assets we acquire from third parties. In these cases, our Manager may be given limited access to information about the asset and will rely on information provided by the seller of the asset. In addition, if asset acquisition opportunities are scarce, the process for selecting bidders is competitive, or the timeframe in which we are required to complete diligence is short, our ability to conduct a due diligence investigation may be limited, and we would be required to make decisions based upon a less thorough diligence process than would otherwise be the case. Accordingly, transactions that initially appear to be viable may prove not to be over time, due to the limitations of the due diligence process or other factors.
Risks Related to Taxation
ShareholdersWe expect the Company to be a passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) and it could be a controlled foreign corporation (“CFC”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which may result in adverse tax considerations for U.S. shareholders.
We expect the Company to be treated as a PFIC and it could be treated as a CFC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If you are a U.S. person and do not make a valid qualified electing fund (“QEF”) election with respect to us and each of our PFIC subsidiaries, then, unless we are a CFC and you own 10% or more of our shares (by vote or value), you would generally be subject to special deferred tax with respect to certain distributions on our shares, any gain realized on a disposition of our shares, and certain other events. The effect of this deferred tax could be materially adverse to you. Alternatively, if you are such a shareholder and make a valid QEF election for us and each of our PFIC subsidiaries, or if we are a CFC and you own 10% or more of our shares (by vote or value), you will generally not be subject to those taxes, but could recognize taxable income in a taxable year with respect to our shares in excess of any distributions that we make to you in that year, thus giving rise to so called “phantom income” and to a potential out-of-pocket tax liability. No assurances can be given that any given shareholder will be able to make a valid QEF election with respect to us or our PFIC subsidiaries. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations —Considerations for U.S. Holders—PFIC Status and Related Tax Considerations.”
Assuming we are a PFIC, distributions made by us to a U.S. person will generally not be eligible for taxation at reduced tax rates generally applicable to “qualified dividends” paid by certain U.S. corporations and “qualified foreign corporations” to individuals. The more favorable rates applicable to other corporate dividends could cause individuals to perceive investment in our shares to be relatively less attractive than investment in the shares of other corporations, which could adversely affect the value of our shares.
Investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the potential impact of these rules on their investment in us.
To the extent we recognize income treated as effectively connected with a trade or business in the United States, we would be subject to U.S. federal income taxation on a net income basis, which could adversely affect our business and result in decreased cash available for distribution to our shareholders.
If we are treated as engaged in a trade or business in the United States, the portion of our net income, if any, that is “effectively connected” with such trade or business would be subject to U.S. federal income taxation at maximum corporate rates, currently 21%. In addition, we may be subject to an additional U.S. federal branch profits tax on their shareour effectively connected earnings and profits at a rate of 30%. The imposition of such taxes could adversely affect our business and would result in decreased cash available for distribution to our shareholders. Although we (or one or more of our non-U.S. corporate subsidiaries) are expected to be treated as engaged in a U.S. trade or business, it is currently expected that only a small portion of our taxable income regardlesswill be treated as effectively connected with such U.S. trade or business. However, no assurance can be given that the amount of whether they receive any cash dividends from us.
So long as we wouldeffectively connected income will not be requiredgreater than currently expected, whether due to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940a change in our operations or otherwise.
If there is not sufficient trading in our shares, or if we were a U.S. Corporation and 90%50% of our grossshares are held by certain 5% shareholders, we could lose our eligibility for an exemption from U.S. federal income taxation on rental income from our aircraft or ships used in “international traffic” and could be subject to U.S. federal income taxation which would adversely affect our business and result in decreased cash available for each taxable year constitutes “qualifying income” within the meaningdistribution to our shareholders.
We expect that we will be eligible for an exemption under Section 883 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), on a continuing basis, FTAI will be treated, forwhich provides an exemption from U.S. federal income tax purposes,taxation with respect to rental income derived from aircraft and ships used in international traffic by certain foreign corporations. No assurances can be given that we will continue to be eligible for this exemption as changes in our ownership or the amount of our shares that are traded could cause us to cease to be eligible for such exemption. To qualify for this exemption in respect of rental income, the lessor of the aircraft or ships must be organized in a partnershipcountry that grants a comparable exemption to U.S. lessors. The Cayman Islands and the Marshall Islands grant such exemptions. Additionally, certain other requirements must be satisfied. We can satisfy these requirements in any year if, for more than half the days of such year, our shares are primarily and regularly traded on a recognized exchange and certain shareholders, each of whom owns 5% or more of our shares (applying certain attribution rules), do not as an association or publiclycollectively own more than 50% of our shares. Our shares will be considered to be primarily and regularly traded partnershipon a recognized exchange in any year if: (i) the number of trades in our shares effected on such recognized stock exchanges exceed the number of our shares (or direct interests in our shares) that are traded during the year on all securities markets; (ii) trades in our shares are effected on such stock exchanges in more than de minimis quantities on at least 60 days during every calendar quarter in the year; and (iii) the aggregate number of our shares traded on such stock exchanges during the taxable as a corporation. Shareholders mayyear is at least 10% of the average number of our shares outstanding in that class during that year. If we were not eligible for the exemption under Section 883 of the Code, we expect that our U.S. source rental income would generally be subject to U.S. federal state, local and possibly, in some cases, non-U.S. income taxation, on their allocable share of our items of income, gain, loss, deduction and credit (including our allocable share of those items of Holdco or any other entity in which we invest that is treated as a partnership or is otherwise subject to tax on a flow through basis) for each of our taxable years ending with or within their taxable year, regardless of whether they receive cash dividends from us. Shareholders may not receive cash dividends equal to their allocable share of our net taxable income or even the tax liability that results from that income.
In addition, certain of our holdings, including holdings, if any, in a Controlled Foreign Corporation (“CFC”) or a Passive Foreign Investment Company (“PFIC”), may produce taxable income prior to our receipt of cash relating to such income, and shareholders subject to U.S. federal income tax will be required to take such income into account in determining their taxable income.
Under our operating agreement, in the event of an inadvertent partnership termination in which the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has granted us limited relief, each shareholder also is obligated to make such adjustments as are required by the IRS to maintain our status as a partnership. Such adjustments may require shareholders to recognize additional amounts in income during the years in which they have held common shares. We may also be required to make payments to the IRS.
Tax gain or loss on a sale or other disposition of our common shares could be more or less than expected.
If a sale of our common shares by a shareholder is taxable in the United States, the shareholder will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized by such shareholder on such sale and such shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in those shares. Prior distributions to such shareholder in excess of the total net taxable income allocated to such shareholder, which will have decreased such shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares, will effectively increase any gain recognized by such shareholder if the shares are sold at a price greater than such shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in those shares, even if the price is less than their original cost to such shareholder. A portion of the amount realized, whether or not representing gain, may be treated as ordinary income to such shareholder.
Our ability to make distributions depends on our receiving sufficient cash distributions from our subsidiaries, and we cannot assure our shareholders that we will be able to make cash distributions to them in amounts that are sufficient to fund their tax liabilities.
Our subsidiaries may be subject to local taxes in each of the relevant territories and jurisdictions in which they operate, including taxes on income, profits or gains and withholding taxes. As a result, our funds available for distribution is indirectly reduced by such taxes, and the post-tax return to our shareholders is similarly reduced by such taxes.
In general, a shareholder that is subject to U.S. federal income tax must include in income its allocable share of FTAI’s items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit (including, so long as FTAI is treated as a partnership for tax purposes, FTAI’s allocable share of those items of Holdco and any pass-through subsidiaries of Holdco) for each of our taxable years ending with or within such shareholder’s taxable year. However, the cash distributed to a shareholder may not be sufficient to pay the full amount of such shareholder’s tax liability in respect of its investment in us, because each shareholder’s tax liability depends on such shareholder’s particular tax situation and the tax treatment of our underlying activities or assets.
If we are treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the value of the shares could be adversely affected.
We have not requested, and do not plan to request, a ruling from the IRS on our treatment as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, or on any other matter affecting us. As of the date of the consummation of our initial public offering, under then current law and assuming full compliance with the terms of our operating agreement (and other relevant documents) and based upon factual statements and representations made by us, our outside counsel opined that we will be treated as a partnership, and not as an association or a publicly traded partnership taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, opinions of counsel are not binding upon the IRS or any court, and the IRS may challenge this conclusion and a court may sustain such a challenge. The factual representations made by us upon which our outside counsel relied relate to our organization, operation, assets, activities, income, and present and future conduct of our operations. In general, if an entity that would otherwise be classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes is a “publicly traded partnership” (as defined in the Code) it will be nonetheless treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, unless the exception described below, and upon which we intend to rely, applies. A publicly traded partnership will, however, be treated as a partnership, and not as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, so long as 90% or more of its gross income for each taxable year constitutes “qualifying income” within the meaning of the Code and it is not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940. We refer to this exception as the “Qualifying Income Exception.”
Qualifying income generally includes dividends, interest, capital gains from the sale or other disposition of stocks and securities and certain other forms of investment income. We currently expect that a substantial portion of our income will constitute either “Subpart F” income (defined below) derived from CFCs or QEF Inclusions (as defined below). While we believe that such income constitutes qualifying income, no assurance can be given that the IRS will agree with such position. We also believe that our return from investments will include interest, dividends, capital gains and other types of qualifying income, but no assurance can be given as to the types of income that will be earned in any given year.
If we fail to satisfy the Qualifying Income Exception, we would be required to pay U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates on our worldwide income. In addition, we would likely be liable for state and local income and/or franchise taxes on such income. Dividends to shareholders would constitute ordinary dividend income taxable to such shareholders to the extent of our earnings and profits, and the payment of these dividends would not be deductible by us. Taxation of us as a publicly traded partnership taxable as a corporation could result in a material adverse effect on our cash flow and the after-tax returns for shareholders and thus could result in a substantial reduction in the value of our common shares.
Non-U.S. Holders (defined below) should anticipate being required to file U.S. tax returns and may be required to pay U.S. tax solely on account of owning and disposing of our common shares.
In light of our intended investment activities, we may be, or may become, engaged in a U.S. trade or business for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in which case some portion of our income would be treated as effectively connected income with respect to Non-U.S. Holders. Moreover, we anticipate that, in the future, we will sell interests in U.S. real holding property corporations (each a “USRPHC”) and therefore be deemed to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business for that reason at such time. If we were to realize gain from the sale or other disposition of a U.S. real property interest (including a USRPHC) or were otherwise engaged in a U.S. trade or business, Non-U.S. Holders generally would be required to file U.S. federal income tax returns and would be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax on their allocable share of the effectively connected income on gain at the highest marginal U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to ordinary income. Non-U.S. holders that are corporations may also be subject to a branch profits tax on their allocable share of such income. In addition, if we were treated as being engaged in a U.S. trade or business, a portion of any gain recognized by a Non-U.S. Holder on the sale or exchange of its common shares could be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as effectively connected income, and hence such Non-U.S. Holder could be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the sale or exchange. Accordingly, Non-U.S. Holders should anticipate being required to file U.S. tax returns and may be required to pay U.S. tax solely on account of owning our common shares.
Non-U.S. Holders that hold (or are deemed to hold) more than 5% of our common shares (or held, or were deemed to hold, more than 5% of our common shares) may be subject to U.S. federal income tax upon the disposition of some or all their common shares.
If a Non-U.S. Holder held more than 5% of our common shares at any time during the 5 year period preceding such Non-U.S. Holder’s disposition of our common shares, and we were considered a USRPHC (determined as if we were a U.S. corporation) at any time during such 5 year period because of our current or previous ownership of U.S. real property interests above a certain threshold, such Non-U.S. Holder may be subject to U.S. tax on such disposition of our common shares (and may have a U.S. tax return filing obligation).
Tax-exempt shareholders may face certain adverse U.S. tax consequences from owning our common shares.
We are not required to manage our operations in a manner that would minimize the likelihood of generating income that would constitute “unrelated business taxable income” (“UBTI”) to the extent allocated to a tax-exempt shareholder. Although we expect to invest through subsidiaries that are treated as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes and such corporate investments would generally not result in an allocation of UBTI to a shareholder on account of the activities of those subsidiaries, we may not invest through corporate subsidiaries in all cases. Moreover, UBTI includes income attributable to debt-financed property and we are not prohibited from debt financing our investments, including investments in subsidiaries. Furthermore, we are not prohibited from being (or causing a subsidiary to be) a guarantor of loans made to a subsidiary. If we (or certain of our subsidiaries) were treated as the borrower for U.S. tax purposes on account of those guarantees, some or all of our investments could be considered debt-financed property. The potential for income to be characterized as UBTI could make our common shares an unsuitable investment for a tax-exempt entity. Tax-exempt shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of an investment in common shares.
We may hold or acquire certain investments through an entity classified as a PFIC or CFC for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
Certain of our investments may be in non-U.S. corporations or may be acquired through a non-U.S. subsidiary that would be classified as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Such an entity may be a PFIC or a CFC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. U.S. Holders indirectly owning an interest in a PFIC or a CFC may experience adverse U.S. tax consequences.
If substantially all of the U.S. source rental income derived from aircraft or ships used to transport passengers or cargo in international traffic (“U.S. source international transport rental income”) of any of our non-U.S. corporate subsidiaries is attributable to activities of personnel based in the United States, such subsidiary could be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at regular tax rates, rather than at a rate of 4% on gross income, which would adversely affect our business and result in decreased funds available for distribution to our shareholders.
We expect that the U.S. source international transport rental income of our non-U.S. subsidiaries generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax, on a gross income basis, at a rate of not in excess of 4% as provided in Section 887 of the Code. If, contrary to expectations, anywe or certain of our non-U.S. subsidiaries that is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes did not comply with certain administrative guidelines of the IRS,U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”), such that 90% or more of such subsidiary’sthe U.S. source international transport rental income of the Company or any of such subsidiaries were attributable to the activities of personnel based in the United States (in the case of bareboat leases), or from “regularly scheduled transportation” as defined isin such administrative guidelines (in the case of time-chartertime charter leases), our, or such subsidiary’s, U.S. source rental income would be treated as income effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States. In such case, such subsidiary’s U.S. source international transport rental income would be subject to U.S. federal income taxtaxation at athe maximum corporate rate of 35%.as well as state and local taxation. In addition, the Company or such subsidiary would be subject to the U.S. federal branch profits tax on its effectively
connected earnings and profits at a rate of 30%. The imposition of such taxes wouldcould adversely affect our business and would result in decreased fundscash available for distribution to our shareholders.
OurWe or our subsidiaries may become subject to unanticipated tax liabilities that may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
OurSome of our subsidiaries may beare subject to income, withholding or other taxes in certain non-U.S. jurisdictions by reason of their jurisdiction of incorporation, activities and operations, where their assets are used or where the lessees of their assets (or others in possession of their assets) are located, and it is also possible that taxing authorities in any such jurisdictions could assert that we or our subsidiaries are subject to greater taxation than we currently anticipate. For example,Further, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (the “OECD”) is conducting a project focused on base erosion and profit shifting in international structures, which seeks to establish certain international standards for taxing the worldwide income of multinational companies. In addition, the OECD is working on a “BEPS 2.0” initiative, which is aimed at (i) shifting taxing rights to the jurisdiction of the consumer and (ii) ensuring all companies pay a global minimum tax. On October 8, 2021, the OECD announced an agreement among over 140 countries delineating an implementation plan, on December 20, 2021, the OECD released model rules for the domestic implementation of a 15% global minimum tax, on December 15, 2022, the member states of the European Union unanimously voted to adopt the OECD’s minimum tax rules and phase them into national law, and on February 2, 2023 the OECD released technical guidance on the global minimum tax which was agreed by consensus of the BEPS 2.0 signatory jurisdictions. Legislatures in multiple countries outside of the EU have also drafted legislation consistent with the OECD’s minimum tax proposal. As a result of these developments, the tax laws of certain countries in which we and our affiliates do business could change on a prospective or retroactive basis, and any such changes could increase our liabilities for taxes, interest and penalties, and therefore could harm our business, cash flows, results of operations and financial position. In addition, a portion of certain of our or our non-U.S. corporate subsidiaries’ income is treated as effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business and is accordingly subject to U.S. federal income tax or may be subject to gross-basis U.S. withholding tax. It is possible that the IRS could assert that a greater portion of our or any such non-U.S. subsidiaries’ income is effectively connected income that should be subject to U.S. federal income tax.
Our structure involves complex provisions of U.S. federal income tax law for which no clear precedent or authority may be available. Our structure also is subject to potential legislative, judicial or administrative change and differing interpretations, possibly on a retroactive basis.withholding tax.
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of our shareholders depends in some instances on determinations of fact and interpretations of complex provisions of U.S. federal income tax law for which no clear precedent or authority may be available. Prospective investors should be aware that the U.S. federal income tax rules are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process, the IRS, and the U.S. Treasury Department, frequently resulting in revised interpretations of established concepts, statutory changes, revisions to regulations and other modifications and interpretations. The IRS pays close attention to the proper application of tax laws to partnerships. The present U.S. federal income tax treatment of an investment in our common shares may be modified by administrative, legislative or judicial interpretation at any time, possibly on a retroactive basis, and any such action may affect our investments and commitments that were previously made, and could adversely affect the value of our shares or cause us to change the way we conduct our business.
Our organizational documents and agreements permit the board of directors to modify our operating agreement from time to time, without the consent of shareholders, in order to address certain changes in Treasury regulations, legislation or interpretation. In some circumstances, such revisions could have a material adverse impact on some or all shareholders. Moreover, we will apply certain assumptions and conventions in an attempt to comply with applicable rules and to report income, gain, deduction, loss and credit to shareholders in a manner that reflects such shareholders’ beneficial ownership of partnership items, taking into account variation in ownership interests during each taxable year because of trading activity. However, these assumptions and conventions may not be in compliance with all aspects of applicable tax requirements. It is possible that the IRS will assert successfully that the conventions and assumptions used by us do not satisfy the technical requirements of the Code and/or Treasury regulations and could require that items of income, gain, deduction, loss or credit, including interest deductions, be adjusted, reallocated, or disallowed, in a manner that adversely affects shareholders.
We could incur a significant tax liability if the IRS successfully asserts that the “anti-stapling” rules apply to our investments in our non-U.S. and U.S. subsidiaries, which would adversely affect our business and result in decreased funds available for distribution to our shareholders.
If we were subject to the “anti-stapling” rules of Section 269B of the Code, we would incur a significant tax liability as a result of owning more than 50% of the value of both U.S. and non-U.S. corporate subsidiaries, whose equity interests constitute “stapled interests” that may only be transferred together. If the “anti-stapling” rules applied, our non-U.S. corporate subsidiaries that are treated as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes would be treated as U.S. corporations, which would cause those entities to be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on their worldwide income. Because we intend to separately manage and operate our non-U.S. and U.S. corporate subsidiaries and structure their business activities in a manner that would allow us to dispose of such subsidiaries separately, we do not expect that the “anti-stapling” rules will apply. However, there can be no assurance that the IRS would not successfully assert a contrary position, which would adversely affect our business and result in decreased funds available for distribution to our shareholders.
We cannot match transferors and transferees of our shares, and we have therefore adopted certain income tax accounting positions that may not conform with all aspects of applicable tax requirements. The IRS may challenge this treatment, which could adversely affect the value of our shares.
Because we cannot match transferors and transferees of our shares, we have adopted depreciation, amortization and other tax accounting positions that may not conform with all aspects of existing Treasury regulations. A successful IRS challenge to those positions could adversely affect the amount of tax benefits available to our shareholders. It also could affect the timing of these tax benefits or the amount of gain on the sale of our common shares and could have a negative impact on the value of our common shares or result in audits of and adjustments to our shareholders’ tax returns.
We may allocate items of income, gain, loss, and deduction using a monthly or other convention, whereby any such items we recognize in a given month are allocated to our shareholders as of a specified date of such month. As a result, if a shareholder transfers its common shares, it might be allocated income, gain, loss, and deduction realized by us after the date of the transfer. Similarly, if a shareholder acquires additional common shares, it might be allocated income, gain, loss, and deduction realized by us prior to its ownership of such common shares. Consequently, our shareholders may recognize income in excess of cash distributions received from us, and any income so included by a shareholder would increase the basis such shareholder has in it common shares and would offset any gain (or increase the amount of loss) realized by such shareholder on a subsequent disposition of its common shares.
The sale or exchange of 50% or more of our common shares within a 12-month period will result in our termination for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
We will be considered to have terminated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes if there is a sale or exchange of 50% or more of our common shares within a 12-month period. Our termination would, among other things, result in the closing of our taxable year for all shareholders and could result in a deferral of depreciation and amortization deductions allowable in computing our taxable income.
Recently enacted legislation regarding U.S. federal income tax liability arising from IRS audits could adversely affect our shareholders.
For taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, we will be liable for U.S. federal income tax liability arising from an IRS audit, unless certain alternative methods are available and we elect to use them. Under the new rules, it is possible that certain shareholders or we may be liable for taxes attributable to adjustments to our taxable income with respect to tax years that closed before such shareholders owned our shares. Accordingly, this new legislation may adversely affect certain shareholders in certain cases. This differs from the existing rules, which generally provide that tax adjustments only affect the persons who were shareholders in the tax year in which the item was reported on our tax return. The changes created by the new legislation are uncertain and in many respects depend on the promulgation of future regulations or other guidance by the U.S. Treasury Department or the IRS.
Risks Related to Our Common Shares
The market price and trading volume of our commonordinary and preferred shares may be volatile, which could result in rapid and substantial losses for our shareholders.
The market price of our commonordinary and preferred shares may be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations. In addition, the trading volume in our commonordinary and preferred shares may fluctuate and cause significant price variations to occur. If the market price of our commonordinary or preferred shares declines significantly, you may be unable to resell your shares at or above your purchase price, if at all. The market price of our commonordinary and preferred shares may fluctuate or decline significantly in the future. Some of the factors that could negatively affect our share price or result in fluctuations in the price or trading volume of our common shares include:
•a shift in our investor base;
•our quarterly or annual earnings, or those of other comparable companies;
•actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results;
•changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles;
•announcements by us or our competitors of significant investments, acquisitions or dispositions;
•the failure of securities analysts to cover our commonordinary shares;
•changes in earnings estimates by securities analysts or our ability to meet those estimates;
•the operating and share price performance of other comparable companies;
•prevailing interest rates or rates of return being paid by other comparable companies and the market for securities similar to our preferred shares;
•additional issuances of preferred shares;
•whether we declare distributions on our preferred shares;
•overall market fluctuations;
•general economic conditions; and
•developments in the markets and market sectors in which we participate.
Stock markets in the United States have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. Market fluctuations, as well as general political and economic conditions, such as acts of terrorism, prolonged economic uncertainty, a recession or interest rate or currency rate fluctuations, could adversely affect the market price of our commonordinary and preferred shares.
We areAn increase in market interest rates may have an emerging growth company withinadverse effect on the meaningmarket price of our shares.
One of the JOBS Act,factors that investors may consider in deciding whether to buy or sell our shares is our distribution rate as a percentage of our share price relative to market interest rates. If the market price of our shares is based primarily on the earnings and duereturn that we derive from our investments and income with respect to our taking advantage of certain exemptionsinvestments and our related distributions to shareholders, and not from various reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, our common shares could be less attractive to investors.
We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the JOBS Act. As such, we have taken advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (a) the last day of the first fiscal year in which our annual gross revenues exceed $1.07 billion, (b) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of our initial public offering, (c) the date that we become a “large accelerated filer” as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our common shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the last business dayinvestments themselves, then interest rate fluctuations and capital market
conditions will likely affect the market price of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter or (d)shares. For instance, if market interest rates rise without an increase in our distribution rate, the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in non-convertible debt during the preceding three-year period. Because we have taken advantagemarket price of each of these exemptions,our shares could decrease, as potential investors may findrequire a higher distribution yield on our common shares less attractive as a result. Theor seek other securities paying higher distributions or interest. In addition, rising interest rates would result may be a less active trading market forin increased interest expense on our common sharesoutstanding and future (variable and fixed) rate debt, thereby adversely affecting cash flows and our share price may be more volatile.
ability to service our indebtedness and pay distributions.
We are required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to evaluate the effectiveness of our internal controls, and the outcome of that effort may adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.
As a public company, we are required to comply with Section 404 (“Section 404”) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (the timing of when to comply with the auditor attestation requirements will be determined based on whether we take advantage of certain JOBS Act provisions applicable to emerging growth companies).Act. Section 404 requires that we evaluate the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting at the end of each fiscal year and to enableinclude a management to report onassessing the effectiveness of those controls. We have undertaken a review of our internal controls over financial reporting in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for that fiscal year. Section 404 also requires an independent registered public accounting firm to attest to, and procedures.report on, management’s assessment of our internal controls over financial reporting. The outcome of our review and the report of our independent registered public accounting firm may adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. During the course of our review, we may identify control deficiencies of varying degrees of severity, and we may incur significant costs to remediate those deficiencies or otherwise improve our internal controls. As a public company, we are required to report control deficiencies that constitute a “material weakness” in our internal control over financial reporting. Furthermore, ifIf we discover a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, our share price could decline and our ability to raise capital could be impaired.
Your percentage ownership in us may be diluted in the future.
Your percentage ownership in FTAI Aviation Ltd. may be diluted in the future because of equity awards thatgranted and may be granted to our Manager pursuant to the Management Agreement and the Incentive Plan. Since 2015, we granted our Management Agreement. UponManager an option to acquire 3,903,010 ordinary shares in connection with equity offerings. In the future, upon the successful completion of an offeringadditional offerings of our commonordinary shares or other equity securities (including securities issued as consideration in an acquisition), we will grant to our Manager options to purchase commonordinary shares in an amount equal to 10% of the number of commonordinary shares being sold in such offeringofferings (or if the issuance relates to equity securities other than our commonordinary shares, options to purchase a number of commonordinary shares equal to 10% of the gross capital raised in the equity issuance divided by the fair market value of a commonan ordinary share as of the date of the issuance), with an exercise price equal to the offering price per share paid by the public or other ultimate purchaser or attributed to such securities in connection with an acquisition (or the fair market value of a commonan ordinary share as of the date of the equity issuance if it relates to equity securities other than our commonordinary shares), and any such offering or the exercise of the option in connection with such offering would cause dilution.
Our board of directors has adopted the Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors Nonqualified Stock Option and Incentive Award Plan, (the “Incentive Plan”) which provides for the grant of equity-based awards, including restricted stock,shares, stock options, stock appreciation rights, performance awards, restricted stockshare units, tandem awards and other equity-based and non-equity based awards, in each case to our Manager, to the directors, officers, employees, service providers, consultants and advisors of our Manager who perform services for us, and to our directors, officers, employees, service providers, consultants and advisors. We have initially reserved 30,000,000 commonordinary shares for issuance under the Incentive Plan;Plan. As of September 30, 2023, rights relating to 616,177 of our ordinary shares were outstanding under the Incentive Plan. In the future on the date of any equity issuance by us during the Company duringremaining portion of the ten-year term of the Incentive Plan (including in respect of securities issued as consideration in an acquisition), the maximum number of shares available for issuance under the Plan will be increased to include an additional number of commonordinary shares equal to ten percent (10%) of either (i) the total number of commonordinary shares newly issued by the Companyus in such equity issuance or (ii) if such equity issuance relates to equity securities other than our commonordinary shares, a number of our commonordinary shares equal to 10% of (i)(A) the gross capital raised in an equity issuance of equity securities other than commonordinary shares during the ten-year term of the Incentive Plan, divided by (ii)(B) the fair market value of a commonan ordinary share as of the date of such equity issuance.
Sales or issuances of shares of our commonordinary shares could adversely affect the market price of our commonordinary shares.
Sales of substantial amounts of shares of our commonordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that such sales might occur, could adversely affect the market price of our commonordinary shares. The issuance of our commonordinary shares in connection with property, portfolio or business acquisitions or the exercise of outstanding options or otherwise could also have an adverse effect on the market price of our commonordinary shares.
The incurrence or issuance of debt, which ranks senior to our commonordinary shares upon our liquidation, and future issuances of equity or equity-related securities, which would dilute the holdings of our existing commonordinary shareholders and may be senior to our commonordinary shares for the purposes of making distributions, periodically or upon liquidation, may negatively affect the market price of our commonordinary shares.
We have incurred and may in the future incur or issue debt or issue equity or equity-related securities to finance our operations.operations, acquisitions or investments. Upon our liquidation, lenders and holders of our debt and holders of our preferred shares (if any) would receive a distribution of our available assets before commonordinary shareholders. Any future incurrence or issuance of debt would increase our interest cost and could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows. We are not required to offer any additional equity securities to existing commonordinary shareholders on a preemptive basis. Therefore, additional issuances of commonordinary shares, directly or through convertible or exchangeable securities (including limited partnership interests in our operating partnership), warrants or options, will dilute the holdings of our existing commonordinary shareholders and such issuances, or the perception of such issuances, may reduce the market price of our commonordinary shares. Any preferred shares issued by us would likely have a preference on distribution payments, periodically or upon liquidation, which could eliminate or otherwise limit our ability to make distributions to commonordinary shareholders. Because our decision to incur or issue debt or issue equity or equity-related securities in the future will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing, nature or success of our future capital raising efforts. Thus, commonordinary shareholders bear the risk that our future incurrence or issuance of debt or issuance of equity or equity-related securities will adversely affect the market price of our commonordinary shares.
Our determination of how much leverage to use to finance our acquisitions may adversely affect our return on our assets and may reduce funds available for distribution.
We utilize leverage to finance many of our asset acquisitions, which entitles certain lenders to cash flows prior to retaining a return on our assets. While our Manager targets using only what we believe to be reasonable leverage, our strategy does not limit the amount of leverage we may incur with respect to any specific asset. The return we are able to earn on our assets and funds available for distribution to our shareholders may be significantly reduced due to changes in market conditions, which may cause the cost of our financing to increase relative to the income that can be derived from our assets.
While we currently intend to pay regular quarterly dividends to our shareholders, we may change our dividend policy at any time.
Although we currently intend to pay regular quarterly dividends to holders of our commonordinary shares, we may change our dividend policy at any time. Our net cash provided by operating activities has been less than the amount of distributions to our shareholders. The declaration and payment of dividends to holders of our commonordinary shares will beare at the discretion of our board of directors in accordance with applicable law after taking into account various factors, including actual results of operations, liquidity and financial condition, net cash provided by operating activities, restrictions imposed by applicable law, our taxable income, our operating expenses and other factors our board of directors deem relevant. Our long term goal is to maintain a payout ratio of between 50-60% of funds available for distribution, with remaining amounts used primarily to fund our future acquisitions and opportunities. There can be no assurance that we will continue to pay dividends in amounts or on a basis consistent with prior distributions to our investors, if at all. Because we are a holding company and have no direct operations, we will only be able to pay dividends from our available cash on hand and any funds we receive from our subsidiariessubsidiaries. Our indirect intermediate holding company subsidiary FTAI LLC is currently, and may in the future be, subject to certain covenants included in its financing agreements that limit its ability to make distributions to us. In addition, our existing indebtedness does, and our future indebtedness may, limit our ability to receive distributions frompay dividends on our subsidiaries may be limited by the financing agreements to which they are subject. In addition,ordinary and preferred shares. Moreover, pursuant to the PartnershipServices and Profit Sharing Agreement, the General Partner will beMaster GP is entitled to receive incentive allocationspayments before any amounts are distributed by the Companyus based both on our consolidated net income and capital gains income in each fiscal quarter and for each fiscal year, respectively. Furthermore, the terms of our preferred shares generally prevent us from declaring or paying dividends on or repurchasing our ordinary shares or other junior capital unless all accrued distributions on such preferred shares have been paid in full.
Anti-takeover provisions in our operating agreement and Delaware lawArticles could delay or prevent a change in control.
Provisions in our operating agreementArticles may make it more difficult and expensive for a third party to acquire control of us even if a change of control would be beneficial to the interests of our shareholders. For example, our operating agreementArticles provides for a staggered board, requires advance notice for proposals by shareholders and nominations, places limitations on convening shareholder meetings, and authorizes the issuance of preferred shares that could be issued by our board of directors to thwart a takeover attempt. In addition, certain provisions of Delaware law may delay or prevent a transaction that could cause a change in our control. The market price of our shares could be adversely affected to the extent that provisions of our operating agreement discourage potential takeover attempts that our shareholders may favor.
There are certain provisions in our operating agreement regarding exculpation and indemnification of our officers and directors that differ from the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) in a manner that may be less protective of the interests of our shareholders.
Our operating agreement provides that to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law our directors or officers will not be liable to us. Under the DGCL, a director or officer would be liable to us for (i) breach of duty of loyalty to us or our shareholders, (ii) intentional misconduct or knowing violations of the law that are not done in good faith, (iii) improper redemption of shares or declaration of dividend, or (iv) a transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. In addition, our operating agreement provides that we indemnify our directors and officers for acts or omissions to the fullest extent provided by law. Under the DGCL, a corporation can only indemnify directors and officers for acts or omissions if the director or officer acted in good faith, in a manner he reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the corporation, and, in criminal action, if the officer or director had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. Accordingly, our operating agreement may be less protective of the interests of our shareholders, when compared to the DGCL, insofar as it relates to the exculpation and indemnification of our officers and directors.
As a public company, we will incur additional costs and face increased demands on our management.
As a relatively new public company with shares listed on the NYSE, we need to comply with an extensive body of regulations that did not apply to us previously, including certain provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, regulations of the SEC and requirements of the NYSE. We expect these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities to our board of directors more time-consuming and costly. For example, as a result of becoming a public company, we have independent directors and board committees. In addition, we may incur additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements and maintaining directors’ and officers’ liability insurance. We are currently evaluating and monitoring developments with respect to these rules, which may impose additional costs on us and have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they downgrade their recommendations regarding our commonordinary shares, our share price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our commonordinary shares are influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us or our business. If any of the analysts who cover us downgrades our commonordinary units or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our commonordinary share price may decline. If analysts cease coverage of us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our commonordinary share price or trading volume to decline and our commonordinary shares to be less liquid.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
None.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
Item 5. Other Information
None.
Item 6. Exhibits | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Exhibit No. | | Description |
| | | Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of August 12, 2022, by and among, FTAI, the Company and FTAI Aviation Merger Sub LLC (incorporated by reference to Annex A to FTAI’s Registration Statement on Form S-4, filed on October 11, 2022). |
| | | Separation and Distribution Agreement, dated as of August 1, 2022, between FTAI Infrastructure Inc. and the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on August 1, 2022). |
| | | Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on November 14, 2022). |
| | | Share Designation with respect to the 8.25% Fixed-to-Floating Series A Cumulative Perpetual Redeemable Preferred Shares (included as part of Exhibit 3.1 hereto). |
| | | Share Designation with respect to the 8.00% Fixed-to-Floating Series B Cumulative Perpetual Redeemable Preferred Shares (included as part of Exhibit 3.1 hereto). |
| | | Share Designation with respect to the 8.25% Fixed-Rate Reset Series C Cumulative Perpetual Redeemable Preferred Shares (included as part of Exhibit 3.1 hereto). |
| | | Share Designation with respect to the 9.500% Fixed-Rate Reset Series D Cumulative Perpetual Redeemable Preferred Shares of FTAI Aviation Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A, filed on March 15, 2023). |
| | | Form of Certificate representing the 8.25% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Series A Cumulative Perpetual Redeemable Preferred Shares of FTAI Aviation Ltd. (included as part of Exhibit 3.1 hereto). |
| | | Form of Certificate representing the 8.00% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Series B Cumulative Perpetual Redeemable Preferred Shares of FTAI Aviation Ltd. (included as part of Exhibit 3.1 hereto). |
| | | Form of Certificate representing the 8.25% Fixed-Rate Reset Series C Cumulative Perpetual Redeemable Preferred Shares of FTAI Aviation Ltd. (included as part of Exhibit 3.1 hereto). |
| | | Form of certificate representing the 9.500% Fixed-Rate Reset Series D Cumulative Perpetual Redeemable Preferred Shares of FTAI Aviation Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A, filed on March 15, 2023). |
| | | Indenture, dated September 18, 2018, between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, relating to the Company’s 6.50% senior unsecured notes due 2025 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on September 18, 2018). |
| | | Form of global note representing the Company’s 6.50% senior unsecured notes due 2025 (included in Exhibit 4.1). |
| | | First Supplemental Indenture, dated May 21, 2019, between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, relating to the Company’s 6.50% senior unsecured notes due 2025 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on May 21, 2019). |
| | | Second Supplemental Indenture, dated December 23, 2020, between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, relating to the Company’s 6.50% senior unsecured notes due 2025 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on December 23, 2020). |
| | | 2025 Notes Guarantee, dated November 10, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on November 14, 2022). |
| | | Indenture, dated April 12, 2021, between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, relating to the Company’s 5.50% senior unsecured notes due 2028 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Form 8-K, filed April 12, 2021). |
| | | Form of global note representing the Company’s 5.50% senior unsecured notes due 2028 (included in Exhibit 4.6). |
| | | First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of September 24, 2021, between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, relating to the Company’s 5.50% senior unsecured notes due 2028 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on September 24, 2021). |
| | | 2028 Notes Guarantee, dated November 10, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on November 14, 2022). |
| | | Indenture, dated July 28, 2020, between the Company and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, relating to the Company’s 9.75% senior unsecured notes due 2027 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on July 28, 2020). |
| | | Form of global note representing the Company’s 9.75% senior unsecured notes due 2027 (included in Exhibit 4.10). |
| | | 2027 Notes Guarantee, dated November 10, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on November 14, 2022). |
| | | Revolver Guarantee, dated November 10, 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.4 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on November 14, 2022). |
| | | Description of Securities Registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. |
† | | | Management and Advisory Agreement, dated as of July 31, 2022, between the Company, FTAI Aviation Ltd., the Subsidiaries that are party thereto and FIG LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on August 1, 2022). |
| | | Services and Profit Sharing Agreement, dated November 10, 2022, by and among FTAI Aviation Holdco Ltd., the Company and Fortress Worldwide Transportation and Infrastructure Master GP LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on November 14, 2022). |
† | | | Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement, dated November 10, 2022, by and among FTAI Aviation Ltd., the Company, Fortress Worldwide Transportation and Infrastructure Master GP LLC and FIG LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on November 14, 2022). |
† | | | FTAI Aviation Ltd. Nonqualified Stock Option and Incentive Award Plan, dated as of February 23, 2023. |
See Index to Exhibits immediately following the signature page of this Form 10-Q.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Exhibit No. | | Description |
† | | | Form of FTAI Aviation Ltd. Director and Officer Indemnification Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-4, filed on October 4, 2022). |
† | | | Form of Director Award Agreement pursuant to the FTAI Aviation Ltd. Nonqualified Stock Option and Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-4, filed on October 4, 2022). |
† | | | Form of Award Agreement under the FTAI Aviation Ltd. Nonqualified Stock Option and Incentive Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-4, filed on October 4, 2022). |
| | | Trademark License Agreement, dated as of August 1, 2022, between Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC and FTAI Infrastructure Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed August 1, 2022). |
| | | Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of September 20, 2022, between the Company, the lenders and issuing banks from time to time party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed September 21, 2022). |
| | | Amendment No. 1 to the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of November 22, 2022, between the Company, the lenders and issuing banks from time to time party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed February 27, 2023). |
| | | Amendment No. 2 to the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of April 10, 2023, between the Company, the lenders and issuing banks from time to time party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent. |
| | | Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| | | Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| | | Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| | | Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| 101 | | | The following financial information from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2023, formatted in iXBRL (Inline Extensible Business Reporting Language): (i) Consolidated Balance Sheets; (ii) Consolidated Statements of Operations; (iii) Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss); (iv) Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity; (v) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows; and (vi) Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. |
| 104 | | | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101) |
† | Management contracts and compensatory plans or arrangements. |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized:
FORTRESS TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTORS LLC
FTAI Aviation Ltd. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
By: | /s/ Joseph P. Adams, Jr. | | Date: | November 3, 2017October 26, 2023 |
| Joseph P. Adams, Jr. | | | |
| Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | | | |
| | | | |
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
By: | /s/ Scott ChristopherEun (Angela) Nam | | Date: | November 3, 2017October 26, 2023 |
| Scott Christopher | | | |
| Chief Financial Officer and | | | |
| Chief Accounting Officer | | | |
INDEX TO EXHIBITS
|
Eun (Angela) Nam | | | |
| Exhibit No. | | Description |
| | | Certificate of Formation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of Amendment No. 4 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-1, filed on April 30, 2015). |
| | | Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on May 21, 2015). |
| | | First Amendment to Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.3 of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on March 10, 2016). |
| | | Indenture, dated March 15, 2017, between Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC and U.S. Bank National
Association, as trustee, relating to the Company’s 6.75% senior unsecured notes due 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on March 15, 2017).
|
| | | Form of global note representing the Company’s 6.75% senior unsecured notes due 2022 (included in Exhibit 4.1). |
| | | Second Supplemental Indenture, dated August 23, 2017, between Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, relating to the Company’s 6.75% senior unsecured notes due 2022 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on August 23, 2017).
|
| | | Fourth Amended and Restated Partnership Agreement of Fortress Worldwide Transportation and Infrastructure General Partnership (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on May 21, 2015). |
† | | | Management and Advisory Agreement, dated as of May 20, 2015, between Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC and FIG LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on May 21, 2015). |
† | | | Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of May 20, 2015, among Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC, FIG LLC and Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Master GP LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on May 21, 2015). |
| | | Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC Nonqualified Stock Option and Incentive Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on May 21, 2015). |
| | | Form of director and officer indemnification agreement of Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 of Amendment No. 4 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-1, filed April 30, 2015). |
| | | Credit Agreement, dated as of August 27, 2014, among Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc., as administrative agent, Jefferson Gulf Coast Energy Partners LLC and the other lenders party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 of Amendment No. 4 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-1, filed April 30, 2015). |
| | | Trust Indenture and Security Agreement between the District and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, National Association, dated as of February 1, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on March 10, 2016). |
| | | Standby Bond Purchase Agreement among the Port of Beaumont Navigation District of Jefferson County, Texas, The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, National Association, Jefferson Railport Terminal II Holdings LLC and Jefferson Railport Terminal II LLC dated as of February 1, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on March 10, 2016). |
| | | Capital Call Agreement, by and among Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC, FTAI Energy Holdings LLC, FTAI Partner Holdings LLC, FTAI Midstream GP Holdings LLC, FTAI Midstream GP LLC, FTAI Midstream Holdings LLC, FTAI Energy Partners LLC and Jefferson Railport Terminal II Holdings LLC, dated as of February 1, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.9 of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on March 10, 2016). |
| | | Fee and Support Agreement, among FTAI Energy Holdings LLC, FEP Terminal Holdings LLC, FTAI Energy Partners LLC and Jefferson Railport Terminal II LLC, dated as of March 7, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 of the Company's Amended Annual Report on Form 10-K/A, filed on April 29, 2016). |
| | | Lease and Development Agreement (Facilities Lease), dated as of February 1, 2016, by and between the Port of Beaumont Navigation District of Jefferson County, Texas and Jefferson Railport Terminal II LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.11 of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on March 10, 2016). |
| | | Deed of Trust of Jefferson Railport Terminal II LLC, dated as of February 1, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.12 of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed on March 10, 2016). |
| | | Credit Agreement, dated January 23, 2017, among Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC, as holdings, Fortress Worldwide Transportation and Infrastructure General Partnership, as IntermediateCo, WWTAI Finance Ltd., as Borrower, the Subsidiary Guarantors from time to time party thereto, the lenders from time to time party thereto and Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc., as Administrative Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on January 27, 2017). |
| | | Credit Agreement, dated June 16, 2017, among Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC, as Borrower, the lenders and issuing banks from time to time party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed on June 22, 2017). |
| | | Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| | | Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a), as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
| | | Certification ofand Chief ExecutiveAccounting Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| | | Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
| 101.INS | | XBRL Instance Document. |
| 101.SCH | | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document. |
|
| | | |
| 101.CAL | | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document. |
| 101.DEF | | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document. |
| 101.LAB | | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document. |
| 101.PRE | | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document. |
† | Management contracts and compensatory plans or arrangements. |