Top 10 Aviation Finance Companies

Aviation is capital intensive. A modern narrow body can cost tens of millions of dollars, and wide bodies sit well above that range. Most airlines cannot and should not fund that volume of capex on balance sheet. That is why aviation finance companies and aircraft lessors sit at the center of the industry.

Depending on the source, between one third and over half of the global commercial fleet is now leased rather than owned outright. The aircraft leasing market itself is valued at around 180 to 200 billion dollars and is projected to keep growing as airlines seek fleet flexibility and lower upfront capital strain. Operating lessors provide that flexibility by ordering aircraft in bulk, raising capital across banks, capital markets, and private credit, and then placing aircraft with airlines through operating and finance leases.

How We Look At Aviation Finance Companies

Aviation finance is broad. It covers operating lessors, specialist leasing platforms, and bank lending teams. For this article we focus on operating lessors and leasing groups that influence aircraft availability, pricing, and structures worldwide. Key filters:

• Global or regional scale with meaningful fleets under management.
• Active order books with Airbus and Boeing or access to secondary market aircraft.
• Clear presence in operating leases, sale and leasebacks, and portfolio trading.
• Evidence of disciplined risk management through cycles.

The names below are well known to airlines, OEMs, and credit investors. They are the counterparties many carriers will meet first when they need lift without taking full ownership risk.

1. AerCap

AerCap is the largest aircraft lessor in the world by a wide margin, with a portfolio of thousands of aircraft, engines, and helicopters after its merger with GECAS. It has deep relationships with virtually every major airline and a broad mix of narrow bodies, wide bodies, and regional jets. Market data shows AerCap, together with a handful of other major lessors, controls a significant share of the global leased fleet.

AerCap is known for:

• Scale that allows it to negotiate aggressively with OEMs and pass pricing and availability advantages to airlines.
• Active asset management, including heavy use of sale and leaseback, portfolio sales, and ABS structures.
• Strong access to capital markets and diversified funding sources, which matters when cycles turn.

For airlines, AerCap is often the first call for large fleet programs. For investors, its results are a barometer of the health of the leasing sector as a whole.

2. SMBC Aviation Capital

SMBC Aviation Capital is headquartered in Ireland and backed by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation. It is one of the biggest lessors globally, with a fleet focused heavily on new generation narrow bodies and a strong presence across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Key strengths:

• Deep bank sponsorship that supports funding and risk appetite across cycles.
• Focus on popular narrow body types like the A320neo and 737 MAX, where liquidity is strongest.
• Active ESG messaging and a portfolio that trends toward younger, more fuel efficient aircraft.

As airlines rotate out of older jets and into newer models, SMBC Aviation Capital is well placed to support that fleet renewal while managing residual value risk.

3. Avolon

Avolon, also based in Ireland, sits in the top tier of global operating lessors with a fleet that runs into the high hundreds of aircraft. Recent acquisitions and portfolio deals have reinforced its scale and kept its average fleet age relatively young.

Avolon stands out for:

• Active portfolio growth through acquisitions, including entire platforms.
• Strong exposure to new technology aircraft that airlines prefer for fuel burn and emissions reasons.
• Willingness to support emerging fleet themes such as eVTOL at the strategic level.

For airlines, Avolon is a credible long term partner for both sale and leaseback transactions and direct operating leases, especially where modern narrow bodies are involved.

4. BOC Aviation

BOC Aviation, headquartered in Singapore and owned by Bank of China, is a leading Asia based lessor with a fleet of several hundred aircraft placed with airlines worldwide. Its roots in a major Chinese bank give it strong funding capacity and a clear link into Asian growth markets.

Notable features:

• Balanced portfolio with a tilt toward Asia Pacific carriers, where traffic growth is strong.
• Access to both domestic and international funding channels through Bank of China.
• Consistent ordering of new aircraft that keeps the fleet young and marketable.

For carriers looking to expand into Asian routes or partner with a lessor that understands the region, BOC Aviation is a natural candidate.

5. Air Lease Corporation

Air Lease Corporation is a U.S. based lessor founded by industry veteran Steven Udvar Hazy. It focuses on placing new aircraft on long term leases with airlines worldwide and has built a large order book with both Airbus and Boeing.

Current developments include a planned sale of Air Lease to a consortium led by Japanese and global investors, with SMBC Aviation Capital expected to manage the portfolio and order book after closing. That transaction will further consolidate the sector and expand the reach of the combined platform.

Air Lease is known for:

• Strong relationships with airlines that want early access to new types.
• Active portfolio management around production delays and delivery slots.
• Clear communication of fleet and order book strategy to the market.

6. DAE Capital

Dubai based DAE Capital has grown into a top tier global lessor with a large managed and owned fleet and a strong position in the Middle East. Backed by Dubai interests, it has used both organic growth and acquisitions to expand.

Strengths include:

• Strategic location between Europe, Asia, and Africa, which mirrors traffic flows.
• Active role in both operating leases and engine leasing.
• Willingness to partner with regional airlines that may be under served by Western platforms.

DAE Capital provides an important alternative for airlines in markets where traditional European and U.S. lessors may be less active.

7. Aviation Capital Group

Aviation Capital Group (ACG), based in the United States, is another well known operating lessor with global reach. It has long experience in sale and leaseback, portfolio management, and capital markets transactions, including aircraft ABS deals.

ACG brings:

• Depth in structuring aircraft backed debt and securitizations.
• Strong relationships with both airlines and fixed income investors.
• A portfolio that balances narrow bodies, wide bodies, and regional jets.

For airlines, ACG can be a flexible partner for financing individual aircraft, small batches, or larger fleet programs alike.

8. BBAM

BBAM is a specialist lessor with a long track record in mid life aircraft, freighters, and more complex structures. It is not always the first name that retail observers mention, but within the industry it is recognized as a serious platform, especially in cargo and conversion programs.

BBAM focuses on:

• Mid life narrow bodies and regional aircraft where pricing can be attractive.
• Freighter conversions to serve the growing cargo and e commerce market.
• Structured transactions and portfolio trades with other lessors and investors.

If an airline wants to free up capital tied in older aircraft or convert passenger jets into freighters, BBAM often appears on the shortlist.

9. ICBC Financial Leasing

ICBC Financial Leasing, part of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, runs a large aviation leasing book as part of a wider asset finance business. It plays a key role in financing aircraft for Chinese airlines and increasingly for carriers overseas.

Standout elements:

• Backing from one of the largest banks in the world.
• Access to Chinese domestic and export credit channels.
• Support for both narrow body and wide body fleets, including for Chinese OEM programs over time.

ICBC Leasing matters for global fleet planning because of the scale of the Chinese market and its role in allocating capital to local and foreign airlines.

10. AviLease

AviLease is a Saudi based leasing platform backed by the Public Investment Fund. Founded only a few years ago, it has moved quickly by acquiring an established aviation finance arm from a global bank and building its own order book with Boeing.

It is an example of how sovereign capital is entering aviation finance more aggressively:

• Investment grade ratings and access to dollar bond markets.
• Support for Saudi aviation ambitions, including new airlines and fleet growth.
• Interest in scaling up via acquisitions and portfolio deals, not just organic growth.

While younger than other names on this list, AviLease shows how regional capital pools can build serious aviation finance platforms in a short period of time when they bring balance sheet strength and strategic intent.

How Airlines And Investors Should Read This List

These ten companies are not the only credible aviation finance counterparties in the world. They are a core group that dominate headlines, OEM order books, and a large share of lease placements. Airlines will often work with several of them at once to balance pricing, covenant terms, and relationship risk.

A few practical observations:

• Scale helps, but it is not everything. Smaller specialist lessors and local banks can sometimes move faster on niche transactions.
• New technology narrow bodies remain the key asset class for many of these platforms, because liquidity for A320neo and 737 MAX families is strong.
• Credit discipline has improved after past cycles. Most leading lessors are selective about lessee risk, jurisdiction risk, and aircraft type.

For investors, aircraft leasing funds and ABS structures often reference these platforms either as sponsors, servicers, or peer benchmarks. For airlines, the real task is not just to know the big names, but to build a realistic fleet financing plan that matches their balance sheet and route strategy.

Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial, investment, legal, tax, or regulatory advice. References to specific companies are based on publicly available information and do not represent an endorsement or recommendation. Aviation finance transactions involve market, credit, operational, legal, and residual value risk. Financely is not a bank, lessor, broker dealer, or investment adviser. Any transaction support is provided on a best efforts advisory basis and is subject to eligibility, KYC and AML checks, sanctions screening, and formal engagement terms.