The 4 Aircraft Leasing Companies Quietly Dominating The World’s Widebody Fleet

Simple Flying

Approximately half of all commercial aircraft in service worldwide are operated on lease rather than owned outright by the airline flying them. When a passenger boards a Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-900neo or a Ryanair Boeing 737 MAX 8, there is roughly a 50% chance that the aircraft belongs to a leasing company that purchased it from Airbus or Boeing and leases it to the airline under a long-term contract. The airline pays a monthly lease rate, operates the aircraft on its own routes with its own crews, and returns it to the lessor at the end of the term. The lessor retains ownership throughout and places the aircraft with another operator when the lease expires.

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