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Air Lease Corporation

A Los Angeles-based aircraft leasing company that buys new commercial jets straight from manufacturers and rents them to airlines around the world, letting carriers grow their fleets without the huge upfront cost of buying planes. It was founded in 2010 by Steven Udvar-Házy, the aviation industry's so-called "godfather of leasing," who had earlier built the giant lessor ILFC and launched Air Lease after leaving it. The company's name is a plain description of its business: buying and leasing airliners.