DUBLIN (Reuters) – Consolidation of the global aircraft leasing industry is likely to be accelerated by COVID-19, the head of one of the world’s five largest lessors, SMBC Aviation Capital, said in an interview on Tuesday.
“You were always going to see increasing levels of consolidation and… I believe it is likely that the events of the last 18 months are likely to probably accelerate that a bit,” Chief Executive Peter Barrett said.
Barrett, who estimated the leasing industry owns over 40% of the global passenger fleet, said that if any opportunities “present value and fit into our strategy, we’ll certainly have a look at them.”
(Reporting by Conor Humphries, editing by Louise Heavens)
