What Aircastle does

Aircastle is a global commercial aircraft leasing company that acquires, leases, and sells high-utility commercial jet aircraft to airline customers worldwide. Founded in 2004, the company is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, with regional offices in Dublin (EMEA) and Singapore (Asia), and is privately held following a March 2020 merger with affiliates of Marubeni Corporation and Mizuho Leasing. As of February 2026, Aircastle owns and manages 282 aircraft leased to 76 lessees across 45 countries, with a fleet net book value of $8.5 billion.

Aircastle's fleet platform spans narrow-body, wide-body, and freighter aircraft, with a deliberate tilt toward next-generation fuel-efficient models including the Boeing 737 MAX, Airbus A320neo/A321neo, and Embraer E195-E2. Established assets such as the Airbus A320 family, Boeing 737-800, Airbus A330, and Boeing 777-300ER, plus freighters (Boeing 747-400F, 737-800BCF), round out the portfolio. The proprietary focus is on asset selection and fleet rotation aligned with airline sustainability mandates—next-generation narrow-bodies deliver approximately 20% fuel and CO2 reductions versus predecessors.

The business model is primarily a recurring aircraft leasing platform with multi-year contracts negotiated directly with airline commercial and treasury teams. Lease rental revenue is the core stream ($193 million in Q3 2025, up 22% year-over-year), supplemented by opportunistic aircraft sales (FY2025: 33 aircraft sold for $730 million proceeds, $96 million in gains). Aircastle serves flag carriers and majors (British Airways, American Airlines, United, KLM, Qatar Airways), low-cost carriers (easyJet, Wizz Air, Frontier, Volaris, multiple AirAsia entities), and regional operators (e.g., Embraer E195-E2 deliveries to KLM). The company is funded through a mix of shareholder equity ($500 million commitment from Marubeni and Mizuho Leasing), senior unsecured notes, and syndicated bank facilities, and carries investment-grade credit ratings of Baa2 (Moody's) and BBB (S&P) with total liquidity of $2.6 billion.

Name

Aircastle

Legal name

Aircastle Limited

Website

https://aircastle.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Aircastle is a global aircraft leasing company that owns and manages 282 commercial jet aircraft leased to 76 airlines across 45 countries, with a $8.5 billion fleet net book value as of February 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stamford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Aircraft Leasing: Primary revenue stream from leasing commercial aircraft to airline customers globally. Lease rental revenues represent the core income, with Q3 2025 lease rental revenue of $193 million representing 22% year-over-year increase.
2. Aircraft Sales: Revenue from selling aircraft from portfolio. In FY2025, sold 33 aircraft for proceeds of $730 million with gains of $96 million. Year-to-date aircraft sales reached $369 million with $60 million in gains through Q3 2025.
3. Equity Investment from Shareholders: Received $300 million in equity from shareholders Marubeni Corporation and Mizuho Leasing as part of a $500 million equity commitment to support growth and enhance investment grade rating.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aircastle is a commercial aircraft leasing company that acquires, owns, and leases a fleet of 282 high-utility commercial jet aircraft to airline customers worldwide. It generates recurring revenue from long-term operating leases of predominantly narrow-body aircraft (Boeing 737 MAX, Airbus A320neo/A321neo, Embraer E195-E2), supplements that with aircraft portfolio sales and acquisitions, and supports airline customers with sale-leaseback transactions and fleet management services across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.

Product overview

Aircastle is a commercial aircraft leasing company that owns and manages a fleet of 282 aircraft (as of February 2026) leased to 76 airline customers across 45 countries. The company's predominantly narrow-body fleet includes new technology aircraft such as the Boeing 737 MAX, Airbus A320neo/A321neo, and Embraer E195-E2, alongside established models including various Airbus A320 Family aircraft, Boeing 737-800, Embraer E195-E1, and wide-body aircraft such as the Airbus A330-200/300 and Boeing 777-300ER. The portfolio also includes freighter aircraft (Boeing 747-400F and Boeing B737-800BCF). Since acquiring its first aircraft in 2004, Aircastle has grown to be a global leader in aircraft leasing, offering fuel-efficient, sustainable aircraft to help customers achieve their sustainability goals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial aircraft operating leases Long-term operating leases of commercial jet aircraft (narrow-body and wide-body) to airline customers worldwide. Leases are individually negotiated with each airline based on aircraft type, age, lease duration, and credit profile, with multi-year contract durations. Aircastle's portfolio includes Boeing 737 MAX, Airbus A320neo/A321neo, Embraer E195-E2 and other fleet types leased to 76 lessees across 45 countries.
• Aircraft portfolio acquisitions and management Acquisition, financing, and ongoing management of a fleet of 282 commercial jet aircraft (predominantly narrow-body) for the purpose of leasing to airlines. Includes portfolio diversification across aircraft types and airline customers, sale-leaseback transactions with airlines, and selective asset sales to recycle capital.
• Fuel-efficient next-generation aircraft leasing (737 MAX / A320neo / A321neo / E195-E2) Leasing of new-technology, fuel-efficient narrow-body and regional aircraft to airline customers. These aircraft deliver approximately 20% fuel and CO2 reductions versus previous-generation aircraft (737 MAX, A320neo/A321neo) and a 50% smaller noise footprint (737 MAX), with double-digit lower fuel consumption for the E195-E2, supporting customer sustainability mandates and lower trip costs.
• Wide-body and freighter aircraft leasing Leasing of wide-body twin-engine aircraft for long-haul passenger routes and freighter aircraft for cargo operations, addressing long-haul and cargo segment airline demand as part of Aircastle's diversified portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% fuel savings and CO2 reduction with Airbus A320neo vs previous-generation aircraft
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers47 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AirlinkminorOthers · 7 May 2026Aircastle is a Gold-level sponsor of Airlink, an aviation industry nonprofit organization focused on humanitarian logistics and emergency response connectivity.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• SMBC Aviation Capital: SMBC Aviation Capital is one of the largest aircraft lessors globally, owned by Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group. It competes directly with Aircastle for the same airline lessee base, and Aircastle's CRO David Odlum previously served there as EVP of Portfolio Risk Management.
• BBAM Aircraft Management: BBAM is a US-headquartered aircraft leasing and management company with a portfolio of commercial jet aircraft leased to airline customers globally. It is a direct competitor to Aircastle in narrow-body leasing, with comparable customer targeting across flag carriers and LCCs.
• Avolon Aerospace: Avolon is a Dublin-based, investment grade-rated global aircraft lessor with a large portfolio of commercial jet aircraft. It competes head-to-head with Aircastle for narrow-body placements with LCCs and emerging-market airlines, and shares the same Irish operating footprint.
• AerCap Holdings: AerCap is the world's largest aircraft lessor with a fleet of ~3,500+ aircraft. It is the most direct competitor to Aircastle in commercial jet leasing, serving the same airline customer base with overlapping narrow-body and wide-body portfolios, and was co-litigant with Aircastle in the Russia-related UniCredit dispute.
• BOC Aviation: BOC Aviation is a Singapore-based global aircraft lessor listed in Hong Kong and majority-owned by Bank of China. It operates a comparable fleet of narrow-body and wide-body commercial aircraft leased to airlines worldwide, directly overlapping with Aircastle's portfolio and customer segments.
• Jackson Square Aviation: Jackson Square Aviation is a San Francisco-based commercial aircraft lessor focused on narrow-body aircraft leased to airlines worldwide. It competes directly with Aircastle for placements of new-technology 737 MAX and A320neo family aircraft.
• Dubai Aerospace Enterprise: Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) is a global aircraft leasing company with a portfolio of commercial aircraft including narrow-body and wide-body jets. It is a direct competitor to Aircastle in the global airline customer market, with comparable scale and asset focus.
• Air Lease Corporation: Air Lease Corporation is a publicly listed (NYSE: AL) US-based aircraft leasing company with a modern fleet concentrated in the same new-technology narrow-body types (737 MAX, A320neo family) that anchor Aircastle's portfolio, serving a similar mix of flag carriers and LCCs globally.
• Goshawk Aviation: Goshawk is a Dublin-based aircraft lessor with a portfolio focused on narrow-body commercial aircraft leased to airlines globally. Aircastle's CRO David Odlum previously served as Head of Risk at Goshawk, underscoring direct competitive overlap in customer base and asset class.
• Aviation Capital Group: Aviation Capital Group (ACG) is a US-based commercial aircraft lessor majority-owned by Tokyo Century Corporation. It operates a directly comparable narrow-body-focused fleet leased to airlines worldwide, competing with Aircastle for the same airline customer relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aircastle

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds13 records

Investors17 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Aircastle