This year marks a significant milestone for the aircraft leasing industry and for AerCap, as they celebrate 50 years since the industry was founded here in Ireland.
In 1975, Guinness Peat Aviation was established in Shannon, by Tony Ryan, in partnership with the Guinness Peat Group and Aer Lingus. Ryan, a visionary entrepreneur, played a pivotal role in leading GPA, which laid the foundation for Ireland’s position as a global hub for aircraft leasing.
During the 1980s, GPA became the world’s largest commercial aircraft lessor. Many GPA employees subsequently went on to found or work for other aircraft lessors, including AerCap (a successor company of GPA), GECAS (which AerCap acquired from GE in 2021), and ILFC (which AerCap acquired from AIG in 2014).
Today, approximately 50% of the world’s commercial aircraft fleet is leased, and Irish lessors own and manage ~ $150 billion of assets.
AerCap has released this video marking the key milestones in this 50-year story. Enjoy!
