Full coverage: Aircraft leasing

When European sanctions hit aircraft leasing companies’ Russian contracts, they stood to lose everything. Co-ordinated industry and diplomatic lobbying resulted in their insurers being on the hook instead, new documents reveal.

Domhnall Slattery founded Avolon in 2010 as his own "Phoenix from the flames" after the financial crisis hit his investment business hard. He is retiring from a company among the largest in the global aircraft leasing industry.

Following recent missed payments on debts totalling $2.75 billion, bondholders including a British investment firm with Irish connections are considering their options against GTLK Europe.

Russia’s largest bank has sold its Irish aircraft leasing unit in the face of sanctions, with a new mystery backer appearing on its books. Meanwhile, Irish lessors threatened with the seizure of their Russian-based aircraft are combing through their insurance contracts.

As it pulls out of European banking markets, state-owned Sberbank is also unwinding finance arrangements for dozens of airliners leased to Russian clients out of a business park in Co Kildare.

Airlines have cut losses in 2021 but remain exposed to the pandemic and dependent on government supports. Yet KPMG's aviation finance chief Joe O'Mara explains that successive Covid-19 waves have revealed the aviation industry's ability to rebound.

Irish airline CityJet was already suffering before the Covid-19 lockdown grounded its fleet – and the pandemic made a bad situation much worse. New documents reveal the company’s torrid trading performance and its plan for survival.

The total funding required for new commercial aircraft over the next five years will top $800 billion. Ireland is a powerhouse in the sector, but it cannot take its position for granted, warns Joe O'Mara, head of aviation finance and leasing with KPMG.

AerCap boss Aengus Kelly runs a company with assets of $43.1bn. In this wide-ranging interview, he talks candidly about tax, education, business and why Brexit could be a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Ireland.

He worked for Tony Ryan and Fred Goodwin, built a global aviation giant and lost a fortune in the crash. Avolon boss Domhnal Slattery talks about success, failure and his fears for the Irish economy.