| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aircraft leasing |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder | Ali Ben Lmadani |
| Headquarters | Dublin, Ireland |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Website | ablaviation |
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.
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.
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]
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.
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.