What AviLease does

AviLease (legal name: Aircraft Leasing Company) is a Riyadh-headquartered global aircraft lessor established in 2022 and operationally launched in November 2023 through the $700 million acquisition of Standard Chartered's aviation finance leasing business. Wholly owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF, $1 trillion+ AUM), AviLease manages a portfolio of 202 owned and managed aircraft — exclusively newest-generation, fuel-efficient types (Airbus A320neo Family, A350F, Boeing 737 MAX, 787 Dreamliner) — leased to 50+ airline customers across 30+ countries, with a weighted average fleet age of 5.5 years and 100% utilization. The company holds investment-grade ratings of Baa2 (Moody's) and BBB (Fitch) and has offices in Riyadh, Dublin, Singapore, and Fort Lauderdale.

Its core offerings span operating leases, sale-and-leaseback financing, aircraft trading, new aircraft placement (including through direct OEM orders with Airbus and Boeing), pre-delivery payment (PDP) financing, and end-to-end lease and asset management. Direct OEM commitments include 30 Boeing 737-8 aircraft and up to 77 Airbus aircraft (up to 55 A320neo Family and 22 A350F), with deliveries extending through 2033. Funding has been built through a $700M unsecured revolving credit facility (March 2024, oversubscribed 1.3x with four Saudi banks), a $1.5B unsecured credit facility (April 2025, oversubscribed across 20 international banks), and two senior unsecured bond issuances totaling $1.5B (in November 2025 and June 2026), all oversubscribed by 3.75x–5.3x.

AviLease's revenue model is recurring long-term operating lease income from its owned aircraft fleet, supplemented by fee-based asset management and aircraft trading revenue. FY2025 revenue was $664 million (+19% YoY) with pre-tax earnings of $122 million (approximately doubled YoY), against a $9.3 billion total asset base. The go-to-market is direct enterprise sales to commercial airlines globally, supported by bespoke transaction structuring, Saudi sovereign backing (PIF), and a national champion mandate under Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Aviation Strategy. Strategic partnerships include a joint venture with Hassana Investment Company (Saudi pension manager) and an inaugural lessor relationship with Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia's new national carrier.

Name

AviLease

Legal name

Aircraft Leasing Company

Website

https://avilease.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

AviLease is a Riyadh-based global aircraft lessor, wholly owned by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, operating a portfolio of ~202 newest-generation, fuel-efficient aircraft leased to 50+ airlines across 30+ countries, with investment-grade ratings and a mandate to become a top-10 global lessor under Saudi Vision 2030.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Riyadh

HQ country

Saudi Arabia

HQ region

Middle East

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Aircraft Operating Leases: Core revenue is generated from long-term operating leases of owned aircraft to airline customers. The portfolio of 202 owned and managed aircraft is 100% utilized, leased to 50+ airlines across 30+ countries. Revenue for FY2025 was $664 million, up 19% year-on-year.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AviLease is a global commercial aircraft lessor that provides long-term operating leases of new-technology, fuel-efficient aircraft to commercial airlines worldwide. Its integrated platform also includes sale-and-leaseback financing, aircraft trading, new aircraft placement from OEM orderbooks with Airbus and Boeing, PDP (pre-delivery payment) financing, and end-to-end asset management for aircraft owners and investors.

Product overview

AviLease operates as a full-service commercial aircraft lessor offering an integrated platform of leasing, trading, and asset management services. The core offerings include Operating Lease for long-term aircraft leasing, Aircraft Trading for portfolio transactions and capital recycling, Sale-and-Leaseback Financing for airline fleet acquisition, New Aircraft Placement through direct OEM orders with Airbus and Boeing, and Asset Management for comprehensive lease lifecycle management. The company manages a portfolio of approximately 200 owned and managed aircraft predominantly featuring new-technology, fuel-efficient aircraft on lease to global airline customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Operating Lease Long-term operating leases of new-technology, fuel-efficient commercial aircraft (Airbus A320neo Family, A350F, Boeing 737 MAX, 787 Dreamliner) to commercial airline customers worldwide. The portfolio of 202 aircraft is 100% utilized, leased to 50+ airlines across 30+ countries.
• Sale-and-Leaseback Financing Structured sale-and-leaseback transactions in which AviLease acquires aircraft from airlines or owners and immediately leases them back, eliminating high capital requirements and residual value risk for the seller. Used to support airline fleet acquisition and capital recycling.
• Aircraft Trading Secondary-market aircraft trading and portfolio management services including single aircraft and portfolio transactions, customized investment products, and capital recycling solutions for airlines, investors, and asset owners.
• New Aircraft Placement Placement of new aircraft from AviLease's direct OEM orderbooks with Airbus and Boeing to airline customers, enabling airlines to acquire fuel-efficient aircraft on long-term leases without direct orderbook exposure or upfront pre-delivery payments.
• Asset Management End-to-end lease management services for aircraft owners and investors covering aircraft delivery, lease management throughout the lease term, and aircraft re-marketing at end of lease. Includes PDP financing support and customized investment vehicles.

Quantifiable outcome

• 19% year-on-year revenue increase to $664 million in FY2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• StandardAeromajorTechnology or Integration · 6 March 2026StandardAero signed a General Terms Agreement with AviLease to provide MRO services for CFM International LEAP-1A, LEAP-1B, and CFM56-7B engines supporting AviLease's fleet. StandardAero will deliver services from its 810,000 ft² San Antonio, Texas facility. The partnership supports AviLease's portfolio of ~200 aircraft leased to 53 airline customers.
• Riyadh AircoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 October 2025AviLease signed its first aircraft lease with Riyadh Air, Saudi Arabia's new national carrier, covering one Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. This marked Riyadh Air's first aircraft and positioned AviLease as the airline's inaugural lessor. The transaction supports Riyadh Air's commercial launch and fleet strategy, in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
• Hassana Investment CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2025AviLease and Hassana Investment Company formed a strategic partnership to launch a dedicated aircraft leasing Joint Venture (JV). Hassana holds majority ownership while AviLease acts as the aircraft service provider. The JV will acquire a debut portfolio of 10 new-technology aircraft from AviLease currently leased to Saudi-based airlines. The partnership is designed to provide access to aviation financing assets for both international and local investors.
• AirbusmajorTechnology or Integration · 16 June 2025AviLease placed a strategic order for up to 77 aircraft from Airbus at the Paris Air Show, including up to 55 A320neo Family and 22 A350F aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled through 2033. This order reinforces AviLease's ability to deliver latest-generation fuel-efficient fleet solutions to its airline customers.
• BoeingmajorTechnology or Integration · 13 May 2025AviLease signed a direct purchase agreement with Boeing for 30 Boeing 737-8 aircraft, marking AviLease's first direct OEM order. Deliveries are scheduled through 2032. This order complements AviLease's growth strategy toward becoming a top-10 global aircraft lessor.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SMBC Aviation Capital: One of the top global aircraft lessors with ~700+ aircraft, owned by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. Competes head-to-head in narrowbody and widebody leasing to commercial airlines across similar geographies.
• Avolon Aerospace Leasing: Top-3 global aircraft lessor with ~800+ aircraft and backing from Bohai Leasing. Directly competes with AviLease in new-technology narrowbody and widebody placements to airlines worldwide.
• Air Lease Corporation: NYSE-listed aircraft lessor with a young fleet of ~470 aircraft, focused on the newest-generation fuel-efficient types — an almost identical product positioning to AviLease's all-new-technology portfolio.
• AerCap Holdings: World's largest aircraft lessor with a portfolio of ~3,500+ aircraft. Direct competitor in commercial aircraft operating leases with overlapping customer base of global airlines and similar OEM relationships with Airbus and Boeing.
• Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE): UAE-based lessor with ~400+ aircraft and a regional Gulf competitor to AviLease. Overlapping customer base among Middle East and emerging-market airlines with similar new-technology fleet focus.
• BOC Aviation: Singapore-headquartered lessor with ~700+ aircraft and Bank of China backing. Direct peer in sale-and-leaseback, operating lease, and new aircraft placement to commercial airlines across Asia-Pacific and globally.

Emerging players

• Aviator Capital: Mid-sized commercial aircraft lessor with ~70 aircraft focused on narrowbody placements. Comparable in offering sale-and-leaseback and operating lease services to commercial airlines at smaller scale.
• BBAM Aircraft Management: One of the largest aircraft managers globally with managed/owned fleet of ~500+ aircraft. Adjacent competitor particularly in the asset management and aircraft trading segments where AviLease is also expanding.

Regional players

• Nordic Aviation Capital: Specialist turboprop and regional aircraft lessor with ~500 aircraft. Comparable lessor business model but focused on smaller regional aircraft rather than AviLease's mainline narrowbody/widebody concentration.

Broad incumbents

• ICBC Financial Leasing (aircraft division): Subsidiary of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China operating one of Asia's largest aircraft leasing platforms. Broad incumbent with overlapping activities in commercial aircraft operating leases and sale-and-leaseback.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/avilease

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AviLease