Aviation Capital Group Re-Leases Eight A320neo Aircraft in Colombia

Aviation Capital Group announced that it has signed leases with Avianca for eight Airbus A320neo aircraft. All eight aircraft are powered by CFM International LEAP-1A26 engines and are scheduled for delivery in 2023.

“We are excited about expanding our relationship with Avianca and seeing these aircraft continue to serve passengers in Colombia as well as across the Avianca network,” said Tom Baker, Chief Executive Officer and President of ACG.

“Avianca’s plan is to connect Colombia and Latin America with the world. We celebrate our growing partnership with ACG and the incorporation of these eight additional aircraft to Avianca’s fleet, which will then be composed of 150 aircraft - Passenger and Freighters,” said Adrian Neuhauser, President and CEO of Avianca.

Aviation Capital Group acquires portfolio of Airbus A320neo aircraft from funds managed by Air Lease Corporation

Aviation Capital Group has confirmed the acquisition of a portfolio of Airbus A320neo aircraft from funds managed by Air Lease Corporation. The portfolio comprises five aircraft, each of which is on lease to Spirit Airlines. The acquisition of these aircraft, which are powered by the ultra-efficient Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, complements ACG’s deliveries to Spirit Airlines from ACG’s order book with Airbus.

“We are pleased to announce this sale to ACG of five Airbus A320neo aircraft owned by funds that are exclusively managed by ALC,” said David Beker, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Head of Aircraft Sales & Trading of Air Lease Corporation. “We appreciate the close collaboration with the ACG team who worked effectively and efficiently to complete this transaction which was important to our investors.”

Rob Downes, SVP and Head of Aircraft Trading at ACG, commented, “We are delighted to close our first transaction with the ALC team, and equally delighted to further expand our strong relationship with a key customer in Spirit Airlines.”

TAAG Angola Airlines to lease four Airbus A220 aircraft from Aviation Capital Group

Aviation Capital Group, one of the world’s premier full-service aircraft asset managers with over 480 owned, managed and committed aircraft as of March 31, 2023, has announced it has entered into long-term leases with TAAG Angola Airlines for four new Airbus A220-300 aircraft. The aircraft are scheduled to be delivered to TAAG in 2025 from ACG’s order book with Airbus.

“On behalf of ACG, we’re truly honoured and proud to be a business partner of TAAG Angola Airlines, supporting its growth and expansion plans with the modern and environmentally friendly A220-300 aircraft. This state-of-the-art equipment, with its comfort, low noise and fuel economy characteristics will support TAAG’s mission to reopen markets, tap into new destinations and increase the connectivity options with more frequencies,” said Tom Baker, CEO and President of ACG.

“The incorporation of four new A220 aircraft under the agreement with ACG is a clear sign of our international credibility and a major milestone in renewing the TAAG fleet. We are deeply committed to growing the company by leveraging our market share and destination portfolio. Our passengers will benefit from higher connectivity options while planning their trips and a greater flight experience overall, as the Airbus A220 is a smart, tech-advanced equipment suitable for nowadays gadgets,” said Eduardo Fairen, CEO of TAAG Angola Airlines.

TAAG Angola Airlines was founded in 1938 and it is based in Luanda, Angola's capital city. For more than 80 years TAAG has connected Angolans with its key domestic and international markets. TAAG is the leading airline in the country, recognized worldwide for its strong high-yield market, having grown its current network to 14 domestic and 13 international destinations. Its fleet allows, in addition to passenger transport, air cargo services which have become essential for Angola´s growth and development.

Aviation Capital Group announces closing of $500 million senior unsecured notes

Aviation Capital Group announced the closing of its sale of $500 million aggregate principal amount of 6.375% senior unsecured notes due 2030. The Notes are recourse only to ACG and are not guaranteed by ACG’s parent company, any of ACG’s subsidiaries, or any third party. ACG intends to use the net proceeds from the Notes for general corporate purposes, including repayment of outstanding indebtedness and the purchase of commercial aircraft.

“We are pleased to announce the successful closing of our second bond issuance in 2023. Today’s issuance extends our debt maturity profile and illustrates our commitment to efficiently fund the business with prudent asset liability management,” said Matthew Novell, Vice President and Assistant Treasurer of ACG.

Aviation Capital Group is one of the world’s premier full-service aircraft asset managers with over 480 owned, managed and committed aircraft as of March 31, 2023, leased to roughly 95 airlines in approximately 45 countries. It was founded in 1989 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo Century Corporation. 

Aviation Capital Group extends $2.7 billion senior unsecured revolving credit facility

Aviation Capital Group has announced that it has extended the final maturity date of its senior unsecured revolving credit facility with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as an administrative agent, from June 3, 2026, to June 3, 2027. The commitments under this facility are from 22 financial institutions globally. Together with its $1.2 billion line of credit from Tokyo Century, ACG currently has approximately $3.9 billion of total revolving commitments.

Aviation Capital Group is one of the world’s premier full-service aircraft asset managers with over 480 owned, managed and committed aircraft as of March 31, 2023, leased to roughly 95 airlines in approximately 45 countries. It was founded in 1989 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo Century Corporation. 

Sylvia Li has joined Aviation Capital Group as Vice President of Aircraft Trading

Aviation Capital Group, one of the leading global full-service aircraft lessors has confirmed that Sylvia Li has joined the company as Vice President of Aircraft Trading (AT) who will be based out of ACG’s Dublin office, in Ireland. 

Sylvia Li brings a wealth of experience to ACG and will play a crucial leadership role within the AT function, collaborating with the Senior Vice President and Head of AT to design and implement strategic portfolio management initiatives and seize new investment opportunities.

Prior to joining ACG, Li served as the Senior Vice President of AT at BOC Aviation, based in its London office. Her extensive background in various roles over the past decade equipped her with valuable expertise and insights she brings to her new position at ACG. Sylvia Li holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in finance and accounting from the University of Melbourne in Australia.

“We are thrilled to welcome Sylvia to the aircraft trading team,” said Rob Downes, Senior Vice President and Head of Aircraft Trading at Aviation Capital Group. “Sylvia’s exceptional experience from her tenure at BOC Aviation will greatly contribute to our ongoing efforts to develop our aircraft trading business as a core strategic pillar for ACG.”

Scandinavian Airlines get a new Airbus A320neo.

Aviation Capital Group, a global leader in aircraft management and leasing have confirmed the delivery of one new Airbus A320neo aircraft on long-term lease to Scandinavian Airlines - SAS.

The jet is powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines and is the third of ten aircraft ACG is scheduled to deliver to the airline as part of a multiple-aircraft sale-leaseback deal between SAS and ACG. 

Frontier Airlines get another Airbus A321neo......

Frontier Airlines has taken a new Airbus A321neo jet on a long-term lease from the aircraft leasing giant Aviation Capital Group LLC.  The super fuel efficient Airbus aircraft is powered by the Pratt & Whitney GTF engines and is the third of seven A321neo aircraft scheduled to be delivered from ACG’s order book with Airbus. Traditional to Frontier Airlines, this A321neo will unveil a new special livery with “Sierra The Bighorn Sheep” painted on the tail.

Aviation Capital Group is one of the world’s premier full-service aircraft asset managers with approximately 470 owned, managed and committed aircraft as of December 31, 2022, leased to roughly 95 airlines in approximately 45 countries. It was founded in 1989 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo Century Corporation. 

One new Airbus A320neo aircraft delivered to Spirit Airlines.

Aviation Capital Group LLC (“ACG”) announced the delivery of one new Airbus A320neo aircraft on long-term lease to Spirit Airlines. Powered by the ultra-efficient Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, this is the second of four aircraft scheduled to deliver to the airline from ACG’s order book with Airbus.

Aviation Capital Group was founded in 1989 and is one of the world’s premier full-service aircraft asset managers with approximately 470 owned, managed and committed aircraft as of December 31, 2022, which are leased to approximately 95 airlines in approximately 45 countries. ACG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo Century Corporation.

Aviation Capital Group becomes a Gold Level sponsor of Airlink

Aviation Capital Group has confirmed its $50,000 sponsorship at the “Gold Level” to Airlink. Airlink is a rapid-response nonprofit organization that coordinates with airlines and non-governmental organizations (“NGOs”) to provide free airlift and logistical services to a network of over 150 humanitarian relief nonprofit organizations. Those NGOs support communities in the aftermath of natural and man-made disasters worldwide, such as the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the Türkiye-Syria border on February 6, 2023.

“ACG’s core values are grounded in social responsibility, and we are extremely proud to support Airlink as a Gold Level sponsor,” said Mahoko Hara, Executive Chair of ACG.  “Airlink continues to demonstrate its effectiveness in bringing together unique capabilities of the global aviation community to NGO partners to rapidly provide critical relief to communities in desperate need.”

“We’re very proud to continue our long-standing partnership with Airlink in support of its work and for this opportunity to partner with them in supporting vulnerable communities globally,” said Gordon Grant, Vice President and Head of ESG at ACG.

“We are deeply grateful to Aviation Capital Group and their team for their generous support of Airlink and our critical mission,” said Steve Smith, Airlink President and CEO. “Whenever Airlink seeks assistance from the aviation industry to support humanitarian operations, the response is always positive, I feel very proud to be a part of such a dynamic and compassionate sector.” 

Aviation Capital Group delivers a new Airbus A320neo to SAS

Aircraft leasing giant - Aviation Capital Group has confirmed the delivery of one new Airbus A320neo aircraft on long-term lease to SAS Scandinavian Airlines. This aircraft is powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines and is the second of ten aircraft scheduled to deliver to the airline as part of a multiple-aircraft sale-leaseback transaction between ACG and SAS.

Aviation Capital Group was founded in 1989 and is one of the world’s premier full-service aircraft asset managers with approximately 470 owned, managed and committed aircraft as of December 31, 2022, which are leased to approximately 95 airlines in approximately 45 countries. ACG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo Century Corporation.

With summer just around the corner, SAS continues to ramp up by offering customers an additional 10 European routes as well as adding frequencies to popular Mediterranean destinations such as Alicante, Malaga, Mallorca, Split and Sicily. These additional destinations come on top of 20 new, previously announced routes.

SAS continues to plan for a busy summer to Italy with up to seven daily flights from Scandinavia to Milan and more flights from Copenhagen to Florence and Naples. SAS is adding more domestic flights from Oslo to Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim and Ålesund as well as more flights from Copenhagen to Ålesund. More seats and flights are also offered between Stockholm and Helsinki.

“We are delighted to welcome our passengers back and seeing the desire to travel continuing to rise. SAS is increasing capacity this summer, adding more routes and additional flights to popular destinations. We are also glad to return to beautiful Tokyo with three weekly flights in June and to launch our new routes to Newark,” says Erik Westman, EVP Network and Revenue Management.

Source  Business Wire / SAS

A new Airbus A321neo delivered to Frontier Airlines

Leasing giant Aviation Capital Group has delivered one new Airbus A321neo aircraft on long-term lease to Frontier Airlines. The jet is powered by the ultra-efficient Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, this is the second of seven A321neo aircraft scheduled to deliver to the airline from ACG’s order book with Airbus. 

Traditional to Frontier Airlines, this A321neo will unveil a new special livery with ‘Bori the Coqui Llanero’ painted on the tail.

Aviation Capital Group Announces Delivery of One A320neo to SAS

Aviation Capital Group announced the delivery of one new Airbus A320neo aircraft on long-term lease to Scandinavian Airlines. Featuring CFM International LEAP-1A engines, this is the first of ten aircraft scheduled to deliver to the airline as part of a multiple-aircraft sale-leaseback transaction between ACG and SAS.

“ACG is honoured to welcome SAS as a renewed strategic partner. We are delighted to support the SAS FORWARD transformation plan with this sale-leaseback transaction for this latest technology and fuel-efficient aircraft,” said Tom Baker, CEO and President of ACG.

“We continue to make progress with our transformation plan and these new sale-leaseback agreements are an important part of that – securing competitive financing for our renewed fleet of modern and fuel-efficient aircraft. We are pleased to renew our long-term strategic partnership with ACG, one of the world’s leading aircraft financing partners,” said Anko van der Werff, President and CEO of SAS.

Alan Mangels joins Aviation Capital Group as new Vice President of Marketing

Aviation Capital Group has confirmed that Alan Mangels has joined the company as Vice President of Marketing for ACG. Mr. Mangels was previously with CDB Aviation and also spent a number of years at Rolls-Royce and Airbus. Mr. Mangels will be responsible for covering the North American region.

ACG is delighted to announce the appointment of Alan Mangels as Vice President, Marketing,” said Carter White, Chief Revenue Officer. “Alan has an impressive track record of developing aircraft lease placement and sale-leaseback opportunities in the marketplace and we look forward to his future contributions to ACG. This appointment also continues to reflect the strong emphasis ACG places on the recruitment of top industry talent as we maintain a global sales and marketing team with experience across the core competencies of the aircraft operating leasing business to deliver long-term sustainable growth.”

“I am both humbled and honoured to be joining a team of such accomplished aviation professionals at ACG. I am also excited to work with our airline customers and further contribute to ACG’s growth and success,” said Alan Mangels.

Mahoko Hara, executive chair of Aviation Capital Group, honoured with the 2023 AWAR Trailblazer Award

Aviation Capital Group Executive Chair, Mahoko Hara, has received the 2023 Trailblazer Award from Advancing Women in Aviation Roundtable. 

AWAR is a non-profit corporation on a mission to engage with CEOs and other senior executives to build awareness and develop actionable strategies to promote the development and advancement of women leaders in the aviation industry. The award recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of women in aviation, their work in and around ESG, or who have personally broken the “glass ceilings” within their respective organizations.

“We are delighted to present Mahoko Hara with the 2023 AWAR Trailblazer Award,” said Emily Wicker, president of AWAR. “Her career long commitment to DE&I and her work to advance women in aviation are exemplary and provide a roadmap for others to follow. She is truly deserving of this award and an inspiration to others.”

Mahoko is the Executive Chairperson of ACG and is also a Senior Managing Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Tokyo Century Corporation (“TC”). Mahoko assumed the Executive Chair role in December 2019 following TC’s acquisition of ACG.

Mahoko joined TC in 2011 and has been responsible for strategic planning and cross-border M&A for TC’s specialty finance businesses with particular focus on the aviation sector. Prior to joining TC, Mahoko worked for Shinsei Bank and Citibank specializing in structured credit and asset finance. Prior to these roles, Mahoko was with Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank (now Mizuho Bank) fulfilling a variety of roles in corporate and investment banking, including several years in the London and New York offices.

Aviation Capital Group announces delivery of one A320neo to FlyArystan

Aviation Capital Group has announced the delivery of one new Airbus A320neo aircraft on long-term lease to FlyArystan. This aircraft, featuring Pratt & Whitney PW1127G-JM engines, is the second A320neo that ACG has delivered to FlyArystan as part of a multi-aircraft transaction with the airline.

Aviation Capital Group Announces Delivery of One A320neo to JetSMART

Aviation Capital Group have announced the delivery of one new Airbus A320neo aircraft on long-term lease to JetSMART. This aircraft featuring Pratt & Whitney PW1127GA-JM engines delivers from ACG’s order book with Airbus.

“We are pleased to continue developing our partnership with JetSMART with this A320neo delivery. We are honored to support JetSMART’s fleet expansion with this modern, fuel-efficient aircraft,” said Marine Benoit, ACG Vice President Marketing for the Latin American region.

“This new A320neo, with the most efficient and advanced technology, shows our commitment to the development of our sustainable ultra-low-cost business in South America. One more step closer to our goal of 100 aircraft by 2028,” said Estuardo Ortiz, CEO of JetSMART.

Aviation Capital Group deliver a Boeing 737-9 MAX to Copa Airlines

Aviation Capital Group LLC announced at the end of last week the delivery of one new Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft on long-term lease to Copa Airlines. This Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, powered by CFM International LEAP-1B engines, is part of a multiple-aircraft sale-and-lease-back transaction between ACG and Copa Airlines and is the ninth Boeing aircraft currently on lease from ACG to the airline.

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FlyArystan gets a new Airbus A320neo

Aviation Capital Group Announces Delivery of One A320neo to FlyArystan (Photo: Business Wire)

Aviation Capital Group confirmed the delivery of one new Airbus A320neo aircraft on long-term lease to FlyArystan. This aircraft, featuring Pratt & Whitney PW1127GA-JM engines, is the first A320neo that ACG has delivered to FlyArystan.

“ACG is very excited to be a partner of Air Astana and FlyArystan in this momentous occasion,” said Claudio Cheinquer, ACG Vice President Marketing for Central Asia, Middle East and Africa. “This is the airline’s first new A320neo from Airbus’ assembly line, and it marks a major milestone evidencing the airline’s successful growth trajectory.”

“FlyArystan is the first low-cost carrier in Central Asia. We operate more than 60 domestic and international destinations with a fleet of 11 A320s. With the arrival of our 12th aircraft, our first new Airbus A320neo, FlyArystan will expand our route network and will offer affordable flights to a larger market,” said Adrian Hamilton-Manns, Managing Director at FlyArystan. The increased seat capacity from 180 to 188 seats per aircraft is the most significant eco-project in the FlyArystan profile. This new aircraft, which we have named Leo, will be the first of 7 committed A320neo Family aircraft and will start the era of young generation fleet. The A320neo Family aircraft will enable us to lower fares and encourage more people to travel. It’s a very exciting time for FlyArystan.”

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Aviation Capital Group releases inaugural ESG report

Aviation Capital Group has released its first Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) Report, for the year ended December 31, 2021.

ACG is proud to prioritize sustainability and ESG responsibility. We are committed to researching and implementing ways to build a cleaner future, maintain a successful, sustainable business and retain a great work environment for our employees. The aviation industry has some important targets, and we are excited to be a part in reaching, and hopefully surpassing, those goals.

“On behalf of everyone at ACG, I am very pleased to present our inaugural ESG report, which details the Company’s focus on equity, engagement and sustainability,” commented Thomas Baker, CEO & President. “This report highlights specific initiatives we’ve developed to advance our ESG goals, as well as collaboration with others to work toward a better future. As we continue to build our ESG platform at ACG, we are excited to see the near- and long-term impact our actions have on our company, our communities and the aviation industry.”

The report can be found on our website at www.aviationcapital.com/investors/