Aircraft shortages turn into cash bonanza for some airlines
Aircraft shortages have allowed airlines like Frontier Airlines and Wizz Air to sell new planes to leasing companies at higher prices than they paid, resulting in gains of hundreds of millions of dollars. The tight airliner market has made sale-and-leaseback transactions more attractive, with US airlines accounting for a larger share of these deals. New aircraft prices are 20% higher than pre-pandemic levels, leading to soaring lease rates. Airlines are spending 30% more on aircraft leases than before the pandemic.
