Aircraft
AerCap Sees Aircraft Delivery Delays Lasting ‘Several’ Years
The world’s largest commercial aircraft lessor says traffic growth and a curtailed supply environment will drive lease transactions and higher rates.
Digital rendering of AerCap Airbus A350-900
AerCap's portfolio of some 1,800 aircraft includes 40 Airbus A350-900s. (Image: AerCap)

A combination of strong post-pandemic air travel and delays on new aircraft deliveries will continue driving demand for leased aircraft and higher lease rates, asserts Aengus Kelly, CEO of Dublin-based lessor AerCap. “The environment for aircraft leasing continues to strengthen,” he said during the company’s full-year results presentation on Thursday.

AerCap, which ranks as the world’s largest aircraft, engine, and helicopters lessor after absorbing General Electric’s Capital Aviation Services in a $30 billion deal in 2021, completed 895 lease transactions last year—involving 570 aircraft, 173 engines, and 152 helicopters—and signed financing agreements for $4.2 billion. The activity “is unparalleled in the industry,” according to Kelly, whose company completed 438 transactions in 2021.