09 May 2025

#2 May 2025: Irish Aircraft Leasing Newsletter

Ashland Place Structures Two Tailored Financing Facilities for Sirius Aviation Capital

Ashland Place Finance has announced the successful completion of two new aircraft financing facilities for Sirius Aviation Capital Holdings Limited. The transaction supports two Airbus A320-200 aircraft currently on lease to ANA’s Peach Aviation in Japan and Volaris (Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación) in Mexico. These facilities reflect Ashland Place’s capability in structuring innovative and flexible capital solutions for mid-life assets leased to established global carriers.

Edward Coughlan, CEO of Sirius Aviation Capital, praised the partnership:

“Ashland Place is a trusted partner. We are pleased with Jennifer and her team’s deep expertise and ability to provide innovative, specialized financings.”

This deal underlines the growing trend of bespoke debt solutions in the mid-life leasing space, particularly for diversified global portfolios.

ACG to Acquire 20 Aircraft from Avolon in Strategic Portfolio Deal

Aviation Capital Group (ACG) has entered a definitive agreement with Avolon Aerospace Leasing Limited to acquire a 20-aircraft portfolio, comprising 16 narrowbodies (12 new technology) and 4 widebodies (all new technology). The average aircraft age is 4.1 years, with an average lease term of 8.4 years. These aircraft are on lease to 17 airlines across 16 countries, including six new customers for ACG, supporting its strategy to diversify its operator base and expand its footprint in growth markets.

Ross O’Connor, CFO of Avolon, commented:

“We are delighted to further strengthen our relationship with ACG with this 20-aircraft portfolio transaction. ACG has a proven capability to transact at scale, and we look forward to working closely together to complete the aircraft transfers in the coming months.”

This transaction is a win-win for both parties, with Avolon recycling capital for future investments and ACG expanding its new-tech footprint and customer base.

AviLease Finalises Eight-Aircraft A320neo Deal with Turkish Airlines

AviLease has signed a strategic agreement with Turkish Airlines to lease eight Airbus A320neo aircraft, as part of a long-term partnership aimed at supporting the airline’s growth and sustainability goals. Two of the aircraft have already been delivered, with the remaining six scheduled for delivery throughout 2025.

CEO Edward O’Byrne of AviLease stated:

“We thank the Turkish Airlines team for their partnership, and we are delighted to further strengthen our relationship. These aircraft will support Turkish Airlines’ growth plans while contributing to their fleet modernisation strategy and sustainability goals.”

This agreement is a further demonstration of AviLease’s agile placement strategy, providing fuel-efficient, in-demand narrowbody aircraft to global flag carriers with high utilisation needs.

Acumen’s Take

On Ashland Place’s Sirius Financing Facilities

This deal reflects a broader resurgence of structured finance solutions within the aircraft leasing sector, particularly for mid-life aircraft with global lessees. Ashland Place’s tailored approach aligns with current market conditions, where liquidity is tightening, and lenders are gravitating toward selective, relationship-driven deals. Sirius Aviation, by tapping into this funding, demonstrates strategic asset management discipline while maintaining fleet relevance across two diverse markets.

On ACG’s 20-Aircraft Acquisition from Avolon

This transaction reinforces ACG’s proactive portfolio development strategy, adding modern, leased aircraft with attractive remaining lease terms and global customer diversity. It’s a textbook example of opportunistic secondary market expansion, where Avolon monetises high-performing assets and ACG deepens customer relationships. The inclusion of 12 new-tech narrowbodies and 4 new-tech widebodies makes this an especially forward-looking move as the industry pivots further toward sustainability and fuel efficiency.

On AviLease’s Turkish Airlines Deal

AviLease continues to make quiet but powerful inroads into top-tier airline relationships, and this transaction with Turkish Airlines is proof of its rising relevance among the next-gen leasing platforms. By delivering A320neos—an aircraft central to Turkish’s regional and European growth strategy—AviLease strengthens its positioning in the narrowbody lease segment while helping its lessees decarbonise operations.
 

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