AIG and GE See Increase in Aircraft Leasing

GE, AIG See Air-Leasing Competition Heat Up
Just as established players in the aircraft-leasing business are getting back on their feet, scrappy start-ups are giving them a run for their money.
Given the disparity in size between the biggest and smallest competitors, it may not make much of a difference. The two key industry players, American International Group's (AIG) International Lease Finance Corp. and General Electric's (GE) GE Commercial Aviation Services, dominate the industry, with at least three times as many aircraft as their closest competitors.
The battle is interesting if only for the high-profile players -- as well as the profits involved in each leasing arrangement as demand has started to heat up.
GECAS and ILFC have been at the top of the aircraft-leasing space for a long time, making it difficult for new entrants to build a book of business. The two firms now boast 1,800 and 1,000 aircraft, respectively; the next largest competitors have 100 to 300 aircraft and smaller start-ups might have less than a dozen.