It was about time that we dedicated an episode of this podcast to the aircraft leasing industry!

Airlines and OEMs get most of the press, but some of the largest airliner fleet in the world belong, actually, to the leasing companies. Without aircraft lessors it would be impossible to imagine the present day commercial aviation industry.

Our guest for this episode is Marc Tembleque, SVP Portfolio Strategy at Avolon, one of the three largest leasing companies in the world, with close to 1,000 aircraft operational or on order.

What’s more, Marc is also the Head of Avolon-e, which is the division of Avolon that looks at novel technologies, particularly in the field of advanced air mobility and sustainable propulsion.

In fact, Avolon has been a pioneer among the A-List global leasing companies in investing in the nascent eVTOL industry. Avolon made a splash in the industry when it announced, in 2021, that it was ordering no less than 500 units of the VX4, an eVTOL being currently developed by Vertical Aerospace, an order with an estimated value of some $2 billion.

What is even more stunning is that Avolon managed, next, to place all 500 aircraft with several airlines and operators all over the globe, including carriers such as Japan Airlines, Air Asia, GOL and Air Greenland.

So, we will have the chance to speak with Marc about this specific project and the reasons that led Avolon to invest in eVTOLs and why it selected Vertical Aerospace in particular.

But more generally we talk also about how the leasing industry works, and how large lessors are facing the sustainability debate.

Since Avolon is also a partner of Airbus in the ZEROe project, a program to develop an hydrogen-powered airliner in which Marc is also involved, I didn’t miss the chance to ask him about the transition to cleaner propulsion technologies and how the switch to new technologies can affect the value of existing aircraft fleets.

So, quite a lot to discuss in this chat, because leasing firms play such a central role in the industry that there is rarely a trend that they don’t shape in some way or another.

So, tune in to listen to our conversation with Marc Tembleque!

Download this episode from:

Apple Podcasts / iTunes, Spotify or Google Podcasts

Things we talk about in this episode

Marc’s professional background and how he joined Avolon
The story of Avolon and how in a matter of a decade became one of the largest aircraft lessors in the world
How does leasing work and what role do lessors fulfill in the commercial aviation marketplace
How much does it cost to lease a commercial aircraft
Avolon-e, how Avolon is investing in clean aviation technologies and advanced air mobility
Why Avolon chose to invest in the Vertical Aerospace VX4 eVTOL
Avolon’s involvement in Airbus ZEROe hydrogen project
How the introduction of new, more sustainable technologies can affect the value of existing aircraft fleets