An Airbus A321 is being assembled in the final assembly line hangar at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile, Alabama. Air Lease, founded by Steven Udvar-Házy, agreed to a $7.4 billion buyout deal by a group of investors including Sumitomo, SMBC Aviation Capital, Apollo, and Brookfield. The investor group values Air Lease at about $28.2 billion, with shareholders receiving $65 per share.

Aircraft leasing firms like Air Lease help airlines save cash by renting planes instead of buying them outright. Due to factors like the Covid-19 pandemic, supply chain issues, and reduced production, rental rates for aircraft have reached record highs. The aircraft leasing business, which owns more than half of the world’s passenger jets, has seen growth from 51% in 2009 to 58% currently.

As airlines reconsider flight capacity due to oversupply, Spirit Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time. The take-private deal for Air Lease reflects industry consolidation trends and is expected to help the companies scale. Air Lease, the fifth-largest lessor, plans to close the deal in the first half of 2026, with the new company based in Dublin.

Read more at CNBC: Airplane leasing world shrinks with $7.4 billion takeover of Air Lease