The executive who invented aircraft leasing and built up industry giants International Lease Finance Corp. and Air Lease Corp. plans to step down in 2026.
Aircraft lessors have benefited from rising lease rates, but slow aircraft production expansion and shifting U.S. economic policy are making growth harder.
Leased aircraft now make up more than 51.3% of the global fleet, totaling over 12,000 aircraft, but Air Lease founder Steve Udvar-Házy expects this to settle.
Air Lease founder Steven Udvar-Hazy is concerned his company will not receive the 11 Boeing aircraft scheduled for delivery by year-end, because of the strike.
While lessors have done well with lease rates surging, disrupted supply chains and other issues make normal business, let alone growth, complicated to manage.
The largest aircraft lessors could receive more than $2B by 2025 as insurance settlements from lost business and assets in Russia pay out faster than expected.
Air Lease Corporation CEO John Plueger tells Aviation Week that "predictions point to six out of 10 new aircraft deliveries in 2024 being leased in some way."
Several airlines detailed fleet expansion plans as they announced orders and commitments at this year’s Dubai Airshow—transactions that largely favored Boeing.
Weaker demand recently referenced by some U.S. and European LCCs is a return to more seasonal patterns as post-pandemic trends stabilize, Air Lease execs say .
