Acquisition Finalized of U.S. Aircraft Leasing Company, Air Lease Corporation- Rebranded as "Sumisho Air Lease," forming one of the world’s largest aircraft leasing platforms -

Sumitomo Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President and Chief Executive Officer: Shingo Ueno) today announced that, as of April 8 (EDT), it has completed all required procedures for the acquisition of U.S.-based aircraft leasing company Air Lease Corporation (hereinafter "Air Lease"), which was jointly pursued with co-investors SMBC Aviation Capital (Head Office: Dublin, Ireland; CEO: Peter Barrett), Apollo and Brookfield, as originally announced September 2025. On the same day (EDT), Air Lease was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange and taken private, and the business was renamed "Sumisho Air Lease."
As a result of the acquisition, Sumitomo Corporation Group’s aircraft leasing business has become one of the world’s largest in terms of the number of aircraft owned and serviced.

While air travel demand is expected to grow steadily over the medium to long term, airlines are increasingly focused on improving capital efficiency and accelerating fleet renewal with new-tech, environmentally advanced aircraft. Against this backdrop, the role of aircraft leasing companies is becoming increasingly important.

With Air Lease’s strong customer base and proven aircraft asset management capabilities, supplemented by Sumitomo Corporation’s long standing expertise in the commercial aviation sector and its global network, Sumisho Air Lease aims to enhance investment in new-tech and environmentally friendly aircraft, strengthen a stable earnings base and further bolster its financing capabilities through access to global capital markets. Through these initiatives, the company seeks to achieve sustainable growth and enhance corporate value over the medium to long term.

In addition, under a management team with extensive experience in the aircraft leasing industry, Sumisho Air Lease will further strengthen collaboration with the Sumitomo Corporation Group and SMBC Aviation Capital. Sumisho Air Lease will establish a comprehensive operating framework across aircraft procurement, lease structuring, portfolio management and sustainability initiatives, and further enhance its competitiveness in the global market.

This acquisition does not impact Sumitomo Corporation's full-year results for fiscal 2025. Impact on performance will be reflected in the full-year earnings forecast for fiscal year 2026, which will be disclosed at a later date.

Comment from Noriyuki Hiruta, Chief Executive Officer, Sumisho Air Lease Corporation

Today marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Sumisho Air Lease. As an established aircraft lessor with a modern, fuel‑efficient fleet and a strong investment‑grade profile, we are ideally placed to meet the evolving needs of airlines and investors in a rapidly changing market. With the backing of Sumitomo Corporation, SMBC Aviation Capital, Apollo and Brookfield, we have the scale, financial strength and industry expertise to deliver long‑term value while building trusted partnerships with our customers around the world.

Company Overview

Company Name	:	Sumisho Air Lease Corporation
Business Description	:	Acquisition, leasing and sale of commercial aircraft
Chief Executive Officer	:	Noriyuki Hiruta
Chief Commercial Officer	:	David Swan
Chief Financial Officer	:	Sabrina Lemmens

Related Release Sumitomo Corporation, SMBC Aviation Capital, Apollo and Brookfield to Acquire U.S.-Based Aircraft Leasing Company Air Lease Corporation

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