Air Lease, a major aircraft leasing company founded by Steven Udvar-Házy, is being taken private in a $7.4 billion deal led by Japanese investors, marking a significant consolidation in the airplane-renting industry amid a market characterized by rising rental rates and industry restructuring.
Air Lease is being sold to a Sumitomo-led group for $7.4 billion, creating the world's second-largest aircraft leasing company, with the deal expected to close in 2026 and providing a significant boost to consolidation in the aviation finance sector.
United Airlines is reportedly close to leasing around 36 Airbus A321neo jets from aircraft lessors as an alternative to Boeing's uncertified MAX 10 planes, which were expected to be the cornerstone of its fleet. This move comes after a mid-air emergency on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 raised doubts over its certification. United had ordered 277 MAX 10 jets but has approached Airbus about buying A321neo jets as possible alternatives. United CEO Scott Kirby stated the airline's interest in A321 jets but emphasized that they would not be willing to overpay for them.
Aircraft lessors, including SMBC Aviation Capital, have raised concerns over India's decision to block leasing firms from reclaiming Go First planes, warning that it will jolt the market and spark a confidence crisis. The move comes after a tribunal gave Go Airlines (India) Ltd bankruptcy protection to allow it to revive itself, but barred lessors from repossessing planes. India is a critical market for lessors, in which sale-and-leaseback deals accounted for 75% of plane deliveries from 2018 to 2022, compared with a global average of 35%.