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ABL Aviation

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ABL Aviation
Company typePrivate
IndustryAircraft leasing
Founded2014 (2014)
FounderAli Ben Lmadani
HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Ali Ben Lmadani (founder and chief executive officer)
  • Finnian O'Neill (chief investment officer)
  • David Taylor (chief operating officer)
  • Donal O Shea (chief technical officer)
  • Eileen O'Donnell (chief financial officer)
Websiteablaviation.com

ABL Aviation is a global independent aircraft asset management company headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Founded in 2014, the company specializes in structuring and managing aircraft investments for institutional investors, with a focus on new generation and mid-life commercial aircraft. As of April 2025, ABL Aviation has deployed over $5.9 billion in capital and manages assets exceeding $6.6 billion across a portfolio of 108 aircraft.

ABL Aviation maintains offices in six global financial and aviation hubs: Dublin, New York, Casablanca, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.

History

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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

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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

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As of 2025, ABL Aviation is ranked 29th globally by fleet value and 4th worldwide by percentage of new generation aircraft, according to Airfinance Journal’s Leasing Top 50 report. The firm manages a diverse portfolio that includes aircraft models such as the Airbus A350, A320neo, A220, Boeing 787 series, 777-300ER, and regional jets like the Embraer E190 and ATR 72-600.

The company has structured and managed transactions with 30 airline partners globally, providing aircraft across a range of narrowbody, widebody, and cargo configurations.

Airbus

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  • Airbus A220-100 
  • Airbus A220-300[27] 
  • Airbus A320neo
  • Airbus A320ceo
  • Airbus A321-200
  • Airbus A321neo[28]
  • Airbus A321ceo
  • Airbus A350-900

Boeing

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  • Boeing 747-8F
  • Boeing 787-8
  • Boeing 787-9
  • Boeing 787-10
  • Boeing 737 MAX 8
  • B777-200LRF
  • Boeing 777-300ER

Embraer

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  • Embraer E190
  • Embraer E175

Bombardier

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  • Bombardier CRJ700

ATR

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  • ATR 72 600

Awards and Recognition

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In 2025, ABL Aviation received two accolades at the Aviation Achievement Awards hosted by MEA Business Magazine: "Aircraft Leasing Company of the Year" and "Innovative Aviation Finance Deal of the Year". The awards were accepted by David Taylor, Chief Operations Officer and Head of Middle East, during the ceremony held in Dubai  

In 2024, ABL Aviation, in collaboration with Turkish Airlines, was honored with the "JOLCO Deal of the Year" award at the Airline Economics Aviation 100 Global Leaders Awards. This recognition was for arranging the Japanese Operating Lease with Call Option (JOLCO) financing of two Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

Additionally, in 2024, Eileen O'Donnell, Chief Financial Officer of ABL Aviation, was named a recipient of the Airline Economics 40 Under 40 Award. This award recognizes the most talented individuals in the aviation finance and leasing sectors under the age of 40 .ABL  

Furthermore, ABL Aviation sponsored the inaugural Airline Economics Legends Awards in 2024, which honored the contributions and leadership of retiring aviation industry professionals. CEO Ali Ben Lmadani presented the awards during the ceremony held at Dublin's RDS.

References

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  1. ^ Hayhurst, Lee (2023-05-05). "Avia becomes Ireland's second-largest aviation business after Dublin HQ move". Aviation business news.
  2. ^ "ABL Launches in Casablanca, Becoming Africa's First Aircraft Leaser". moroccoworldnews. 2019-04-25.
  3. ^ "First U.S. aircraft leasing company to open in Africa". Aviator. 2018-01-29.
  4. ^ "ABL Aviation secures exclusive Japanese partner for JOL/JOLCO investment". Aviator Aero Newsroom. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  5. ^ "ABL Aviation secures Japanese partner for JOL/JOLCO investment". Aviation News Online. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  6. ^ "ABL Aviation creates JV for aircraft assets". Asian Aviation. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  7. ^ "ABL Aviation and Ellington Management Group form joint venture". GBP. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  8. ^ "ABL Aviation and Ellington Management Group establish joint venture". Aviator Aero Newsroom. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  9. ^ "ABL Aviation closes first A220-300 acquisition". Airfinance Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  10. ^ "Alaska sells A321neos to American". Airfinance Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  11. ^ "ABL Aviation's fifth A220-300 sale-and-leaseback deal with Air France". Freighter Trends. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  12. ^ "El Al and Israel welcome first SAF-powered flight". Air Cargo Week. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  13. ^ "ABL Aviation arranges equity JOLCO financing for eight A320s for LATAM". Aviation News Online. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  14. ^ "ABL Aviation announces the closing of the fourth A321neo to Pegasus Airlines". Aviator Aero Newsroom. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  15. ^ "ABL Aviation secures JOLCO financing of two A350s for Lufthansa". The Aviator Middle East. The Aviator ME. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  16. ^ "ABL Aviation closes Wizz Air A321neo financing". Airfinance Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  17. ^ "Turkish Airlines takes delivery of Airbus A350 from ABL Aviation". Aviation Source News. 13 July 2023. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  18. ^ "ABL Aviation closes A321neo JOLCO". Airfinance Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  19. ^ "ALI Sustainability Charter".
  20. ^ "Directory of Accredited Companies". Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA). Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  21. ^ "ABL Aviation joins the International Air Transport Association's Strategic Partnership Program". Casablanca Finance City. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  22. ^ "ABL Aviation est partenaire du symposium ISTAT EMEA". LeBrief.ma. 22 September 2022. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  23. ^ "Members". Aviation Working Group (AWG). Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  24. ^ "Groupement des Industries Marocaines Aéronautiques & Spatiales (GIMAS)". Le Temps Mag. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  25. ^ "ABL Aviation: The Rising Star of Africa's Aircraft Leasing Industry". Morocco World News. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  26. ^ "ABL Aviation Joins the International Air Transport Association's Strategic Partnership Program". Casablanca Finance City. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  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.
  28. ^ "ABL Aviation makes remote aircraft delivery". Aviation News Online. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
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