Premium Price and New Horizons
The buyout comes with a 31% premium over Air Lease’s average share price across the past year and about 7% over its record high closing last week. Investors responded quickly, with Air Lease stock surging 6.5% in Tuesday’s trading.
Founded by leasing legend Steven Udvar-Házy and longtime partner John Plueger, Air Lease has carved out a fleet stacked with next-generation aircraft. Once finalized in the first half of 2026, the company will fly under a new banner: Sumisho Air Lease.
Global Scale Takes Flight
Apollo and Brookfield’s capital infusion will supercharge Sumitomo’s aviation ambitions, vaulting its subsidiary SMBC Aviation Capital into an even higher echelon of the global leasing market. Executives described the acquisition as a reshaping of industry scale, capital access, and market power at a moment of soaring aircraft demand.
“Through this transaction, we will achieve greater scale and profitability, positioning the Sumitomo Corporation Group’s aircraft leasing business as one of the largest globally in terms of owned and managed aircraft,” said Takao Kusaka, CEO of Sumitomo’s transportation and construction systems group.
