US lessor Aircastle has repossessed all 10 Airbus A320s it had leased to Avianca Brazil, following a months-long legal battle in the Brazilian courts.
On 12 April, Aircastle said it had repossessed the first of the 10 and expected to have all the aircraft in its possession by 14 April.
"We are pleased to have reached an important milestone in the transition of these aircraft to a new global operator," states Aircastle chief executive Mike Inglese in a news release today.
All 10 jets are committed to a “major international carrier”, are currently being transitioned, and are scheduled to be delivered within this quarter, Aircastle says.
The Stamford, Connecticut-based lessor, along with other companies in the sector, has been trying to take back its aircraft since December, when the carrier filed for bankruptcy protection. In February, Inglese said he believed Aircastle's A320s would be returned by "mid-April".
It was able to repossess its only widebody on lease to Avianca Brazil – a five-year-old Airbus A330 (MSN 1492) – prior to the airline's securing of bankruptcy protection. Cirium's Fleets Analyzer indicates that the jet is parked.
As of 31 December, Aircastle's owned and managed fleet comprised 261 aircraft leased to 81 customers across 44 countries.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
