PHOENIX, Arizona – March 3, 2025 – Al Wood, Chief Executive Officer of Aquila Air Capital, sat down with Hugh Davies of Airfinance Global during the ISTAT Americas 2025 conference to detail how Aquila was able to scale the business quickly in its first three years of operations to become a “household name” in the midlife-to-mature engine leasing space.
Aquila Air Capital was able to scale the business quickly in its first three years of operations to become a “household name” in the midlife-to-mature engine leasing space, chief executive officer Al Wood tells Airfinance Global in an interview.
New York-based, global alternative asset manager Wafra completed the acquisition of the Aquila Air Capital platform from Warburg Pincus on 13 December.
Apollo affiliated ATLAS SP Partners provided a credit facility to Wafra support the acquisition of Aquila and fund its future growth.
“They were the ideal first sponsor,” Wood recalls. “They were seasoned and successful investors in the space and were able to provide us a lot of strategic and operational assistance in the early days.
Wood says that the main rationale for the sale was to lower its cost to capital. “While we had plenty of capital under Warburg Pincus, it was expensive money. We needed to lower that cost of capital and get into more of an infrastructure-like investment fund as opposed to a traditional private equity fund.”
“This a cyclical industry. You don’t want to be forced to do things that didn’t line up with the cycle the business was in. We wanted more patient capital and to lower our cost of capital.”
The sale received significant interest from both strategic investors as well as financial sponsors during the process, with the sale narrowed down to four parties by autumn 2024, prior to ultimately settling on Wafra.
“ saw the complexities of the older technology engines and the need for having engine technical expertise, and they saw it as a way for the strategics to expand their products and service offering beyond traditional new aircraft leasing.”
Airfinance Global reported in August that interest in the midlife-to-mature engine leasing business was centred around existing financial investors in aviation.
“Wafra was one of our top candidates that we wanted to get interested in the business… they are the perfect mix of patient capital, lower cost to capital, and also not to be understated, is that they were experienced. They know the space, had invested in the sector before and have been able to move a lot quicker than some folks that didn’t have relative experience in the space.”
Evolving industry
Wood tells Airfinance Global that historically, and certainly pre-Covid-19, investors looked at engine leasing through the same lens as aircraft leasing, evaluating it as a more difficult form of aircraft leasing given the lack of experience in the space.
This was reflected in covenant packages and yield expectations from a lender perspective, he explains.
“Fast forward to today, I think the equity investors specifically see this as a truly differentiated business model compared to aircraft leasing, especially new aircraft leasing.
“They’ve really learned to respect that it is a different offering. It requires a different skill-set and serves a much wider customer base, as both airlines and freighters need this to round out their supply chain needs.”
Wood recalls that the pandemic had a lasting impact on the engine MRO ecosystem.
“There were significant labour pullbacks and labour reductions. The tribal labour knowledge left the space and has been difficult for the engine MRO community to rebuild.
“Just look at turnaround times… if an engine was a 60-day turnaround time pre-Covid, that same engine today could take six months-plus to repair it, and the simple math of it is that requires more spares. This means the supply chain is not nearly as efficient as it used to be.”
In addition, OEMs have struggled to deliver new material, which has put pressure on the used serviceable material market.
“The third-party repair vendors have struggled to deliver, so all of that is just complexity feeding into the engine overhaul market that is reducing turnaround times, increasing prices, and is requiring further spares and further needs for the airlines to augment their powerplant operations to have more engines in circulation,” Wood says.
He notes that this plays well into Aquila’s business model and is “why our utilisation is extremely high today”.
“It’s a trend we don’t expect to be recovered in months or even frankly, the next year or two – that this is going to take many years to come back into equilibrium and the challenges are not easy ones to fix.”
This is reflected in customers starting to request two-year extensions to mitigate the spare parts deficit.
“In our space, a two-year extension is a rare commodity. People usually want month-to-month leases or at the most a 12-month lease. Today, we’re seeing lease terms of two, three years being not uncommon whatsoever. Any engine that has remaining useful life is getting extended,” Wood continues.
How does that influence availability of engines in the wider airline ecosystem?
“Today, 78% of our lease portfolio is with investment-grade credits. That would not have been the case five years ago,” Wood says.
“We have three levers we can pull: term, price and credit. Right now, we’re very fortunate that we’re able to pull all three levers.”
He also notes that lease rates have done nothing but increase in the last four years, exasperated by the fact that older Boeing 737NGs, 757s and 767s are flying much longer than expected.
“I would have said a year ago that we may have been rapidly approaching the peak, but when there’s a fundamental vacuum where the thrust just does not exist, airlines have to obtain it in order to fly their routes, and they’re willing to increase what they pay.
“On the positive side, they know that these are very reliable, predictable engines, and they’re not going to have the technical problems,” Wood concludes.
Read the story on Aifinance Global’s website
(Courtesy of Airfinance Global)
Founded in 2021, Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”) is a specialty finance platform focused on providing aviation asset financing, as well as purchasing and leasing aircraft and engines. Led by a management team with decades of experience in the aerospace and aviation industries, Aquila is a trusted partner to all players in the value chain, from buyers and sellers of assets to operators in need of creative and timely solutions for their critical business needs. www.AquilaAirCapital.com
NEW YORK – December 16, 2024 – Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”), a leading engine lessor, announced today that Wafra Inc. (“Wafra”), a New York-based, global alternative asset manager, completed the acquisition of its platform from Warburg Pincus.
Wafra entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a controlling interest in Aquila on October 18, 2024. Since then, Wafra has received all customary regulatory approvals to complete the transaction.
“We are pleased to announce the successful closing of our platform’s acquisition by Wafra,” commented Al Wood, Chief Executive Officer of Aquila Air Capital. “This investment is a significant endorsement of our team’s hard work and the value our platform brings to the market. Our team is thrilled about the future growth prospects the partnership with Wafra will provide, enabling us to accelerate our expansion, introduce new offerings, and broaden our global customer base.”
“We are excited to close our acquisition of Aquila Air Capital and launch the next phase of its growth in partnership with Al and the entire Aquila team,” said Edward Tsai, Managing Director, Wafra. “The demand fundamentals for Aquila’s business in particular, and aviation equipment finance more broadly, are strong. Aquila is well positioned to continue successfully serving its global customer base.”
ATLAS SP Partners, the warehouse finance and securitized products business majority owned by Apollo funds, provided a credit facility to support the acquisition of Aquila and fund its future growth.
Evercore served as Aquila’s financial advisor, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel. Sidley Austin LLP served as legal counsel to Wafra.
About Wafra
Wafra is a global alternative investment manager with approximately $28 billion of assets under management across a range of alternative assets, including real assets, real estate, and strategic partnerships. By providing flexible and accretive capital solutions and focusing on long-term partnerships, Wafra aligns and partners with high quality asset owners, companies, and management teams. Headquartered in New York, Wafra has additional offices in London and Bermuda. www.wafra.com
For media enquiries:
Wafra
Prosek Partners
Pro-wafra@prosek.com
Aquila Air Capital
Al Wood
PR@AquilaAirCapital.com
Founded in 2021, Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”) is a specialty finance platform focused on providing aviation asset financing, as well as purchasing and leasing aircraft and engines. Led by a management team with decades of experience in the aerospace and aviation industries, Aquila is a trusted partner to all players in the value chain, from buyers and sellers of assets to operators in need of creative and timely solutions for their critical business needs. www.AquilaAirCapital.com
Global Alternative Asset Manager Acquires Engine Leasing Platform from Warburg Pincus
NEW YORK – October 18, 2024 – Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”), a leading engine lessor, announced today an investment from funds managed by Wafra Inc. (“Wafra”), a New York-based, global alternative asset manager. Wafra has entered into definitive documentation to acquire the Aquila platform from Warburg Pincus, a global growth investor. As part of the transaction, Wafra will acquire a controlling interest in Aquila and provide substantial capital to support Aquila’s continued growth, furthering its mandate to purchase, sell, finance, and lease aircraft, engines, and other aviation equipment. The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2024, pending receipt of customary regulatory approvals.
Founded in 2021 by Warburg Pincus, CEO Al Wood, and Kepler Hill Capital, Aquila was created to capitalize on a significant market opportunity in building a specialty finance franchise in commercial aerospace, with an initial focus on purchasing, financing, and leasing mid- to late-life aircraft and engines. Over the past three years, Aquila has grown into a full-service leasing platform with in-house origination, lease management, and technical oversight, becoming a trusted partner across the aviation asset value chain, from asset buyers and sellers to operators seeking innovative and timely business solutions.
“Our partnership with Aquila marks a strategic expansion in our infrastructure portfolio. Aquila has built a differentiated business focused on providing in-demand equipment solutions to its global customer base of high-quality airlines,” said Adel Alderbas, Chief Investment Officer, Wafra. Edward Tsai, Managing Director, Wafra, added, “This investment builds on our significant experience in transportation asset leasing and equipment finance, including in addition to aviation, intermodal, railcar, trailer, chassis, and shipping. By leveraging our expertise in transportation and related industries, coupled with flexible long-term capital, we look forward to partnering with Al and the talented Aquila team to enhance the company’s value proposition to customers and to accelerate its next stage of growth.”
“We are deeply grateful to Warburg Pincus for their belief in our vision and for supporting our growth over the last three and a half years,” said Al Wood, CEO of Aquila Air Capital. “This milestone is a strong endorsement of our team’s hard work and the value we bring to the market. Partnering with Wafra will enable us to accelerate our expansion, introduce new products and services, and broaden our customer base globally.”
“Under Al’s leadership, Aquila has become a market-leading aviation leasing and financing platform with unique technical expertise poised for continued growth,” said Dan Zamlong, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus. “By leveraging management’s deep experience in aviation finance and Warburg Pincus’ expertise in specialty finance and aerospace, we were able to build a scaled portfolio of aircraft and engines, providing a critical service to Aquila’s customers. We look forward to seeing the company’s continued growth with Wafra as its partner,” added Eric Friedman, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus.
Aquila will continue to operate as an independent business led by its current management team. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Atlas SP Partners, the warehouse finance and securitized products business majority owned by Apollo funds, will provide a credit facility to support the acquisition of Aquila and fund its future growth.
Evercore served as Aquila’s financial advisor, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided legal counsel. Sidley Austin LLP served as legal counsel to Wafra.
About Wafra
Wafra is a global alternative investment manager with approximately $28 billion of assets under management across a range of alternative assets, including real assets, real estate, and strategic partnerships. By providing flexible and accretive capital solutions and focusing on long-term partnerships, Wafra aligns and partners with high quality asset owners, companies, and management teams. Headquartered in New York, Wafra has additional offices in London and Bermuda. www.wafra.com
About Warburg Pincus
Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global growth investor. The firm has more than $83 billion in assets under management. The firm’s active portfolio of more than 225 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector, and geography. Warburg Pincus is an experienced partner to management teams seeking to build durable companies with sustainable value. Since its founding in 1966, Warburg Pincus has invested more than $117 billion in over 1,000 companies globally across its private equity, real estate, and capital solutions strategies. Warburg Pincus is one of the most active and successful private equity investors in aerospace and defense. The firm has invested over $3 billion in several aerospace & defense platforms covering multiple areas of the value chain including Accelya, Camp Systems, CPP, Extant Aerospace, Inmarsat, iNRCORE, Quest Global Services, TransDigm, and Wencor Group. As a leader in the financial services sector, the firm has invested over $11 billion across the full spectrum of the financial services landscape, including a significant focus on specialty finance over the last decade. Notable specialty finance investments include Ascentium Capital, AU Financiers, Cango, Exeter Finance, Mariner Finance, Max, Santander Consumer USA, and Triton. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.warburgpincus.com. Follow us on LinkedIn.
About Kepler Hill Capital
Kepler Hill Capital is a private equity investment firm focused on special situations including asset platforms, turnarounds, structured equity and distressed assets. Kepler Hill has extensive experience investing in the aviation industry.
For media enquiries:
Wafra
Prosek Partners
Pro-wafra@prosek.com
Aquila Air Capital
Al Wood
PR@AquilaAirCapital.com
Founded in 2021, Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”) is a specialty finance platform focused on providing aviation asset financing, as well as purchasing and leasing aircraft and engines. Led by a management team with decades of experience in the aerospace and aviation industries, Aquila is a trusted partner to all players in the value chain, from buyers and sellers of assets to operators in need of creative and timely solutions for their critical business needs. www.AquilaAirCapital.com
Debt Financing to Fuel Growth of Lessor’s Engine Leasing Business
NEW YORK – May 20, 2024 – Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”), a leading engine lessor focused on end-of-life solutions, announced the successful execution of new financing for $100 million, upsizing the lessor’s current term loan facility to $200 million.
“We are very pleased to have successfully upsized our term loan facility. This increase will be used to fund future investments as our customer demand continues to grow daily,” commented Martin Ryan, Aquila Air Capital’s Vice President, Financial Planning and Analysis.
Deutsche Bank acted as Sole Structuring Agent and Underwriter for the financing.
“Deutsche Bank are pleased to have executed this upsize and support the next phase of growth for Aquila,” added Dominic Buncher, Director at Deutsche Bank.
Since 2021, Aquila has grown a portfolio of more than 100 assets, consisting of commercial engines on lease to more than 20 operators across the world. Aquila’s portfolio consists of CF6-80C2, CF6-80E, GE90-115B, CFM56-7B, CFM56-5B, PW4000, PW2000 and RB211-525E4.
Founded in 2021, Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”) is a specialty finance platform focused on providing aviation asset financing, as well as purchasing and leasing aircraft and engines. Led by a management team with decades of experience in the aerospace and aviation industries, Aquila is a trusted partner to all players in the value chain, from buyers and sellers of assets to operators in need of creative and timely solutions for their critical business needs. www.AquilaAirCapital.com
MIAMI – February 2024 – Chance Fowler, Aquila Air Capital’s VP of Portfolio Management, joined the panelists of Aviation Week Network’s Engine Leasing, Trading & Finance Americas (ELTF) conference in Miami to discuss the challenges facing OEMs as they struggle to produce enough engines to meet demand, while market participants are grappling with increased prices for new engines and rising maintenance costs for the older engines that must stay in service.
Excerpt from Aviation Week article:
[…] Fowler said a major challenge his private equity firm faces today is the uncertainty around shop visit turnaround times. “If something is going to take longer [and the length of time is known] and it costs more, that’s fine, we can underwrite that, but if you have a shop visit that’s supposed to take six months that ends up taking over year a year, it’s hard for us to explain to our shareholders” why such an investment should be made.
Fowler said that the arrival of a new market entrant in the aircraft engine sector “would be a welcome development.”
“Competition is good,” he added. […]
Read the full story on Aviation Week
Founded in 2021, Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”) is a specialty finance platform focused on providing aviation asset financing, as well as purchasing and leasing aircraft and engines. Led by a management team with decades of experience in the aerospace and aviation industries, Aquila is a trusted partner to all players in the value chain, from buyers and sellers of assets to operators in need of creative and timely solutions for their critical business needs. www.AquilaAirCapital.com
DUBLIN – February 2024 – Against the backdrop of this year’s Airline Economics Growth Frontiers Dublin conference, Cirium’s Oliver Clark spoke with Al Wood, Aquila Air Capital’s Chief Executive Officer, about his personal perspective on how the market dynamics in the engine leasing business had shifted in recent times.
Excerpt:
[…] Aquila Air Capital chief executive Al Wood tells Cirium that the lack of supply is driving pricing for serviceable engines.
The company’s portfolio consists of a combination of spare engines and aircraft on lease across the world. Aquila typically focuses on older engines, such as the GE Aerospace CF6, PW4000 and PW2000.
Wood says that since 2021 owners of certain engine types can expect a premium somewhere north of a 30% on pricing increases from 2021 to today.
“We don’t always like to admit it, but a 20-year old aeroplane is a really large engine stand, all the value is in the engines. So, you have to be a very engine savvy investor to do well on that side of the market.
“I can lease the two engines off the aeroplane for more than I can lease the whole aeroplane for today.”
Woods partnered with $85 billion private equity fund Warburg Pincus to launch Aquila in 2021. The initial investment thesis at the time was focused on pricing dislocation amid Covid.
“Especially on the back-end of the market, there was a lot of available material, there is a lot available aircraft, lots of spare engines, etc. and we could take those fleets, buy them at scale, and repurpose them really for the emerging freighter market.”
MRO CHALLENGES
Aquila’s Wood says that complexities of the engine MRO market – be it related to labour, parts supply and “unprecedented price increases that we’ve seen on piece parts” – are making serviceable engines more attractive.
“The largest leading indicator for my business is MRO. So, if something goes wrong in the engine MRO world, that’s when people call us for spare engines.
“Right now, we get 50 calls a day, and our portfolio is at 100% utilisation. Having done this for 30 years, there is not a lot of times I could say my portfolio was at 100% utilisation.
“Previously when we bought an engine it would have taken me 90 days to place that engine with a good credit. I’ve got a contracted lease on it before I buy it in today’s world. So, it’s got a home the day it shows up on our dock.”
Wood notes that many skilled employees left the OEMs and MRO shops amid Covid and because many have not returned “tribal knowledge has left our industry.
“You are talking about an incredibly skilled labour force that those folks have to rebuild. And that’s not a small task. So, when you look at all that perfect storm, no question demand is high, no question pricings [are] the highest I’ve ever seen in my career, I do not see a material change downward. For a number of years, this is not a problem that will fix itself in 12 months,” he says, adding: “it’s just math.”
“The engine OEMs will always have an incentive to maintain their own products. They all have that capability. Frankly, they’re very good at it, especially for that first 10-year teething period.
“There is airworthiness bulletins, there’s upgrades, there’s always the teething processes of a new engine. And whether it’s Rolls-Royce, GE, Pratt, CFMI, they are all incentivised to keep that business as long as they can. I don’t see that as a major inhibitor to supply in the space, though, we have them calling us for spare engines just as much as we do the airlines. Everyone is in need of thrust in today’s world.” […]
Read the full story on Cirium
Founded in 2021, Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”) is a specialty finance platform focused on providing aviation asset financing, as well as purchasing and leasing aircraft and engines. Led by a management team with decades of experience in the aerospace and aviation industries, Aquila is a trusted partner to all players in the value chain, from buyers and sellers of assets to operators in need of creative and timely solutions for their critical business needs. www.AquilaAirCapital.com
DUBLIN – January 29, 2024 – Against the backdrop of this year’s Airline Economics Growth Frontiers Dublin conference, Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”), a leading lessor focused on end-of-life solutions, announced the addition of a new member to its Commercial Analysis and Pricing team, Eoin Connaughton as AVP, Commercial Analysis and Pricing.
Connaughton will be based out of the company’s Irish office, focusing on the analysis, structuring, and pricing of transactions for various aircraft and engine types in collaboration with the Commercial and Origination teams.
“We are thrilled to be adding Eoin to our expanding global team, as we continue to execute on our strategy to be a trusted partner to all players in the value chain, while zeroing in on solutions to enhance the economic returns of transactions,” says Al Wood, Aquila Air Capital’s Chief Executive Officer.
Connaughton joins Aquila from SMBC Aviation Capital (“SMBC”), where most recently he served as VP, Commercial Analysis, working closely with the Trading team to identify and calculate the pricing of aircraft for sale and to advance the overall Trading strategy. He also assisted the Technical, Finance, Risk, and Legal teams to ensure all transactions were appropriately structured, accurately priced, and completed in a timely fashion. Prior to SMBC, he was Business Analyst at Goshawk Aviation, where he acted as Functional Lead for all trading and corporate finance transactions and opportunities. Connaughton started his aviation finance career with Standard Chartered Bank as an analyst.
“I am delighted to have recently joined Aquila Air Capital. This is a great opportunity for me to join at such a pivotal point in the company’s expansion and growth. I am excited to be able to bring my extensive knowledge and skillset to assist in the expansion of the current leasing and trading platform,” commented Eoin Connaughton as AVP, Aquila Air Capital’s Commercial Analysis and Pricing.
Connaughton received a diploma in Aviation Leasing and Finance from the Law Society of Ire-land, a professional diploma in Data Analytics from University College Dublin, and a diploma in Actuarial Techniques, including his designation as Associate Actuary and certificate in Finance and Investments, from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Science degree from University College Dublin. Connaughton serves on the Board of Directors and Credit Committee of Naomh Breandan Credit Union’s Loughrea Branch.
Founded in 2021, Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”) is a specialty finance platform focused on providing aviation asset financing, as well as purchasing and leasing aircraft and engines. Led by a management team with decades of experience in the aerospace and aviation industries, Aquila is a trusted partner to all players in the value chain, from buyers and sellers of assets to operators in need of creative and timely solutions for their critical business needs. www.AquilaAirCapital.com
Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”), a leading specialty aviation finance platform, announced today the appointment of Lisa Cardinali as Technical Records Director.
“We warmly welcome Lisa to Aquila and look forward to applying her extensive background in technical records management as well as aircraft inspections and maintenance, documentation, regulatory compliance, and reporting. She will greatly benefit our technical operations and make meaningful contributions to the implementation of our technical department’s policies, procedures, and controls,” said Al Wood, Aquila Air Capital’s Chief Executive Officer.
Lisa joined Aquila from Arizona-based ITS, where she most recently held the role of Quality and Technical Records Manager. Since 2017, Lisa has also been the owner of The Records Engine LLC, a consulting practice focused on providing aviation clients with technical record management services for their aircraft, engine, APU, and landing gear-related requirements. Prior to that, she was Quality Assurance Manager at AvAir and Senior Analyst at AeroTurbine, Inc. Lisa started her aviation career at United Parcel Service as UPS Aircraft Records Supervisor. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Training and Development from the University of Louisville.
“I am looking forward to my new role with Aquila, where I can utilize my extensive knowledge and background in the aviation industry to help provide meaningful solutions for lease management and technical oversight,” commented Cardinali.
Founded in 2021, Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”) is a specialty finance platform focused on providing aviation asset financing, as well as purchasing and leasing aircraft and engines. Led by a management team with decades of experience in the aerospace and aviation industries, Aquila is a trusted partner to all players in the value chain, from buyers and sellers of assets to operators in need of creative and timely solutions for their critical business needs. www.AquilaAirCapital.com
Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”), a leading specialty aviation finance platform, announced today the addition of a new member to its transaction and origination team, Matthew White as Vice President of Originations.
White, who will be based out of the company’s Dublin office, will focus on the origination and execution of leasing, sales and trading opportunities for a wide range of aircraft and engine types in collaboration with clients in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region.
“We are very pleased to welcome Matthew to our team at an exciting time in our accelerating growth journey,” says Al Wood, Aquila Air Capital’s Chief Executive Officer. “With over a decade of experience, specializing in aircraft and engine leasing across a large and diverse portfolio of aviation assets, Matthew’s background is a perfect fit for our fast-growing platform.”
White joins Aquila from AerSale Aviation Limited, where he spent 11 years, serving most recently as Vice President – Leasing & Trading and previously as Senior Director Engine Trading. Prior to that, he was Sales & Lease Placement Executive at ORIX Corporation. He started his aviation career at Jetbird.
“I am delighted and excited to join Aquila and I am looking forward to working with the wider Aquila team to continue to expand the current leasing and trading platform,” says Matthew White, Aquila Air Capital’s Vice President of Originations.
Founded in 2021, Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”) is a specialty finance platform focused on providing aviation asset financing, as well as purchasing and leasing aircraft and engines. Led by a management team with decades of experience in the aerospace and aviation industries, Aquila is a trusted partner to all players in the value chain, from buyers and sellers of assets to operators in need of creative and timely solutions for their critical business needs. www.AquilaAirCapital.com
Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”), a leading specialty aviation finance platform, announced today that the company was the exclusive sponsor of the ISTAT Foundation’s Mentorship Program reception at the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (“ISTAT”) Americas 2023 conference in San Diego, California.
During the reception, ISTAT members shared their invaluable experiences and insights with students who desire to enhance their networking skills, learn more about the aviation industry, and receive guidance on their educational and career direction.
“At Aquila, we are big advocates for industry-wide efforts to promote the advancement of and investment in future generations of leaders in our aviation community. We were very pleased to provide financial support for this year’s mentorship program reception and serve as mentors. We congratulate the ISTAT Foundation on their continued success in helping the next generation of aviation finance executives make their dreams a reality,” commented Al Wood, Aquila Air Capital’s Chief Executive Officer.
Wood served as a mentor at this year’s conference, coaching Tyler Warner who is pursuing a Master of Science degree in Business Analytics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“I’m so glad to have attended ISTAT Americas 2023. The experience is unparalleled with its unique combination of deal-making, mentorships, and networking opportunities. I want to personally give a shout-out to our ISTAT Foundation sponsor and my personal mentor Al Wood. The mood and intensity that first-time ISTAT attendees felt was incredible,” said Tyler Warner.
Founded in 2021, Aquila Air Capital (“Aquila”) is a specialty finance platform focused on providing aviation asset financing, as well as purchasing and leasing aircraft and engines. Led by a management team with decades of experience in the aerospace and aviation industries, Aquila is a trusted partner to all players in the value chain, from buyers and sellers of assets to operators in need of creative and timely solutions for their critical business needs. www.AquilaAirCapital.com