ABL Aviation
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aircraft leasing |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Dublin, Ireland |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Ali Ben Lmadani (Chief Executive Officer and Founder), Finnian O'Neill (Chief Investment Officer), Anas Bounahmidi (Chief Technical Officer), Eileen O'Donnell (Chief Financial Officer), Michael Weiss (Chief Strategy Officer) |
| Website | ablaviation |
ABL Aviation is a full-service aircraft asset management firm that provides "tailored leasing" and services to aviation investors and lessees, focusing on commercial aircraft. The company has its head office in Dublin, and other offices in New York, Casablanca, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.
History
[edit]Ali Ben Lmadani founded ABL Aviation in December 2014 as a company specializing in Ground Support Equipment (GSE).[citation needed] He had worked with an investment bank on Wall Street, handling deals for airlines like Emirates and Singapore Airlines.[citation needed] From 2016 to 2017, ABL Aviation concentrated on the "mid-life" aircraft segment.
The company moved its headquarters to Dublin, Ireland.[when?][1] Then, additional offices were opened in Casablanca,[2] Morocco,[3] Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Hong Kong, China.
In December 2018, ABL Aviation partnered with a Japanese conglomerate,[4] a financial conglomerate in Japan, to use Japanese Operating Lease (JOL) and Japanese Operating Lease with Call Option (JOLCO) financing structures.[5] The partnership concentrated on investments in new and midlife aircraft for commercial passenger and freight sectors.
Between 2020 and 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, ABL Aviation and Ellington Management Group established a joint venture with a target of $800 million in aircraft assets by deploying capital and offering exposure to directly sourced deals in the global aviation industry.[6][7][8]
ABL Aviation partnered with airlines, such as Delta Airlines,[9] Alaska Airlines,[10] American Airlines, Air France,[11] VietJet Air, El Al,[12] LATAM Airlines,[13] Pegasus Airlines,[14] Lufthansa, KLM,[15] Wizz Air,[16] Turkish Airlines,[17] Volaris, Eva Air,[18] T'Way Air, Virgin America, Atlas Air, Iberia Air and S7 Airlines.
Membership
[edit]ABL Aviation is a member of the Aircraft Leasing Ireland (ALI) Sustainability Charter.[19] The company also holds memberships in several associations, such as the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA),[20] International Air Transport Association (IATA),[21] International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT),[22] Aviation Working Group (AWG),[23] Groupement des Industries Marocaines Aéronautiques & Spatiales (GIMAS)[24] and Casablanca Finance City (CFC).[25][26]
Fleet
[edit]As of November 2023, ABL Aviation managed and originated a fleet of 78 Airbus and Boeing aircraft:
- Airbus A220-100
- Airbus A220-300[27]
- Airbus A320neo
- Airbus A321-200
- Airbus A321neo[28]
- Airbus A350-900
- Boeing 787-8
- Boeing 787-9
- Boeing 787-10
- B777-200LRF
References
[edit]- ^ Hayhurst, Lee (2023-05-05). "Avia becomes Ireland's second-largest aviation business after Dublin HQ move". Aviation business news.
- ^ "ABL Launches in Casablanca, Becoming Africa's First Aircraft Leaser". moroccoworldnews. 2019-04-25.
- ^ "First U.S. aircraft leasing company to open in Africa". Aviator. 2018-01-29.
- ^ "ABL Aviation secures exclusive Japanese partner for JOL/JOLCO investment". Aviator Aero Newsroom. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation secures Japanese partner for JOL/JOLCO investment". Aviation News Online. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation creates JV for aircraft assets". Asian Aviation. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation and Ellington Management Group form joint venture". GBP. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation and Ellington Management Group establish joint venture". Aviator Aero Newsroom. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation closes first A220-300 acquisition". Airfinance Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "Alaska sells A321neos to American". Airfinance Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation's fifth A220-300 sale-and-leaseback deal with Air France". Freighter Trends. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "El Al and Israel welcome first SAF-powered flight". Air Cargo Week. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation arranges equity JOLCO financing for eight A320s for LATAM". Aviation News Online. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation announces the closing of the fourth A321neo to Pegasus Airlines". Aviator Aero Newsroom. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation secures JOLCO financing of two A350s for Lufthansa". The Aviator Middle East. The Aviator ME. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation closes Wizz Air A321neo financing". Airfinance Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "Turkish Airlines takes delivery of Airbus A350 from ABL Aviation". Aviation Source News. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation closes A321neo JOLCO". Airfinance Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ALI Sustainability Charter".
- ^ "Directory of Accredited Companies". Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA). Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation joins the International Air Transport Association's Strategic Partnership Program". Casablanca Finance City. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation est partenaire du symposium ISTAT EMEA". LeBrief.ma. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "Members". Aviation Working Group (AWG). Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "Groupement des Industries Marocaines Aéronautiques & Spatiales (GIMAS)". Le Temps Mag. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation: The Rising Star of Africa's Aircraft Leasing Industry". Morocco World News. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation Joins the International Air Transport Association's Strategic Partnership Program". Casablanca Finance City. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation Announces Fifth A220-300 Sale-And-Leaseback To Air France, With Six More Aircraft Deliveries Planned". Aviator Aero Newsroom. 18 September 2023. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
- ^ "ABL Aviation makes remote aircraft delivery". Aviation News Online. Retrieved 2024-02-27.