Lessor ACIA Aero Leasing has issued a request for proposal to purchase up to thirty ATR, Embraer, and De Havilland Canada aircraft. The Dublin-based company wants to grow its fleet to almost ninety aircraft as it sees opportunities for expansion. Lessor ACIA wants to grow fleet by thirty aircraft.
ACIA is a lesser-known leasing company that offers dry leases and long-term charter and ACMI contracts to passenger airlines. It also converts ATRs into full-freighter aircraft through its sister company IPR Conversions. The current portfolio consists of fifteen ATR 72s, six 42s, three Embraer 145LRs, seventeen Beechcraft 1900Ds, six Cessna C-208Bs, and two Let 410s. In September, ACIA announced the purchase of its first secondhand Embraer E190 that will be offered to customers after maintenance.
Ahead of Dubai Airshow, where ACIA is set to make more announcements coming Saturday, the lessor says it is looking for more aircraft. It’s keen on more ATR 72, Embraer E190s and E195s, and De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400s. The media statement doesn’t specify if ACIA’s request for proposal is for secondhand aircraft or new ones as well.
“We are excited by the recent growth and diversification of our portfolio and we are looking at further expansion opportunities to our fleet of ATR72s, Embraer jets, and adding our first Dash 8- 400s to meet the needs identified by our customers. We’re focused on enabling our existing and prospective customers to access the right solutions for their operations and help them manage capacity across their fleets,” CEO Mick Mooney says in a media statement.
At the 2019 Dubai Airshow, ACIA signed a conditional purchase agreement with DHC for three 8-400s that were due for delivery by late 2020 or early 2021. Since then, the Covid-crisis has intervened and De Havilland Canada decided to suspend production of the 8-400 until the market is recovering and it has found a new production site to replace Downsview. As a result, the three aircraft for ACIA are still in the backlog. ACIA said in 2019 that it was seeing the 8-400 as a long-term investment with strong primary and secondary lease rates.
ACIA Aero Leasing added some new customers to its portfolio earlier this year. In August, it announced agreements with Italian carrier Fly LeOne for a Beechcraft 1900D and with NXT Air in Bangladesh for an ATR 72 Freighter. Nigeria’s Green Air took delivery of three ATR 72-600s between April and June, while also placing four Rolls-Royce AE3007E engines for the Embraer 145 with Mexico’s TAR Aerolineas.
