In the world of commercial aviation, aircraft leasing companies (or lessors as they are more commonly known) are broadly seen as the industry's sleeping giants. While most of the attention of the markets is paid to legacy airlines like American Airlines or Delta Air Lines and some is also paid to aircraft manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus, aircraft lessors are quietly some of the most important companies in the industry. Get all the latest aviation news from Simple Flying! However, individual aircraft lessors are some of the industry's largest buyers of aircraft, meaning that they are some of the most important contributors to aircraft manufacturer revenue generation.
In 2024, AerCap, an Irish leasing giant, was the largest individual civilian customer of both Boeing and Airbus, purchasing more in aircraft than an individual airline. On the supply side of the equation, lessors are some of the most important contributors to commercial airlines, as they provide them with the capability to drastically increase or decrease capacity through short and medium-term leases. Airline leasing giants like AerCap have become key elements in shifting how airlines fundamentally do business.
Carriers like American Airlines and United Airlines have historically owned the vast majority of their fleets, something which has begun to change in recent years. Especially when it comes to low-cost carriers or younger airlines, leasing jets from a company like AerCap makes a lot of sense, as it allo.
