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Air Lease

al · NYSE Industrials
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FY2011 Annual Report · Air Lease
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Air LeAse CorporAtion
Annual report 2011

 1  

We have arrived.

     We took off in February 2010. in our first two years we have landed  

                        in the forefront of the aircraft leasing business. Our vision is unique.    

         Our experience is extensive and our performance is remarkable.  

                    We are air Lease Corporation and we have arrived. 

two years of achievement have brought ALC to the forefront of the 

aircraft leasing industry.

January
FIrSt NEw AIrCrAFt 
DELIvEry From ALC’S 
orDEr book

february
ALC IS LAUNCHED

July 
FArNboroUgH AIr 
SHow orDEr 

CompLEtED A $1.3 
bILLIoN prIvAtE 
pLACEmENt oF EqUIty

may
FIrSt AIrCrAFt 
DELIvEry

    $1.3
billion

prIvAtE pLACEmENt  
oF EqUIty

      $923

Million

INItIAL pUbLIC oFFErINg

december
40 AIrCrAFt IN FLEEt oN 
DECEmbEr 31, 2010

40 

aPrIl
INItIAL pUbLIC 
oFFErINg, LIStED  
oN tHE NySE (AL) 
rAISED $923 mILLIoN 
groSS proCEEDS

december
102 AIrCrAFt IN FLEEt oN 
DECEmbEr 31, 2011

102

JANUAry 

FEbrUAry 

 mArCH 

AprIL 

mAy 

JUNE 

JULy 

AUgUSt 

SEptEmbEr 

oCtobEr 

NovEmbEr 

  DECEmbEr

JANUAry 

FEbrUAry 

 mArCH 

AprIL 

mAy 

JUNE 

JULy 

AUgUSt 

SEptEmbEr 

oCtobEr 

NovEmbEr 

  DECEmbEr

2010

     $1.5
billion

  DEbt FACILIty

June
CLoSED A $1.5 bILLIoN 
DEbt FACILIty

2011

July
pArIS AIr 
SHow orDEr 

2

3

 
             We provide LeAsing 
       soLutions to the WorLd’s 
                                AirLines.

     We are also a strategic partner to our airline customers and assist them in modernizing,    

             our primary business is providing the world’s airlines with operating leases  

 on new aircraft from the major commercial aircraft manufacturers.

customizing, and maximizing the profitability of their fleets. We partner with the   

           manufacturers by not only purchasing their high quality aircraft but by offering  

    counsel on model specifications and configurations of future designs.

6  

 7  

 
 
 
Changing route networks. Market competition. Aircraft configurations. 

environmental factors. Fleet commonality. Airplane performance.  

Leasing is more than just a simple financial exercise – it takes a comprehensive 

understanding of aircraft capabilities and the competitive landscape.  

Airline requirements are constantly evolving, so ALC evaluates the mission 

requirements of tomorrow and helps advise the manufacturers on those 

future aircraft designs.

market comPetItIon 
prEmIUm AND bUSINESS trAFFIC

Low CoSt provIDErS  

rEgIoNAL opErA torS

FLAg CArrIErS

CoDE SHArES

ALLIANCES

LAbor CoNSIDErAtIoNS

LEISUrE AIrLINES

ImPactIng future  
manufacturer desIgns 
AIrbUS A320 NEo

boEINg 737 mAX

AIrbUS A350-Xwb

boEINg 787

aIrPort  
factors
gAtE AvAILAbILIty

tAkEoFF AND LANDINg SLot   
AvAILAbILIty

rUNwAy LENgtH AND wIDtH

tErmINAL SIzE AND StrUCtUrE

LANDINg wEIgHt FEES  

current  
aIrcraft choIces
mISSIoN rEqUIrEmENtS

LoAD FACtor

mAINtENANCE CoStS

FUEL bUrN

opErAtINg CoSt pEr SEAt mILE

CompEtItor’S AIrCrAFt  

fleet  
ratIonalIzatIon 
AIrCrAFt CommoNALIty

ENgINE CommoNALIty

FLEEt SImpLIFICAtIoN

envIronmental  
factors
EmISSIoNS tAXES

CArboN CrEDItS   
AND trADINg

NoISE rEgULAtIoNS

oPeratIng  
envIronment
roUtE LENgtH

tImE rEStrICtIoNS

wEAtHEr

ALtItUDE

6

7

       
               We hAve  ALreAdy LAnded  
in 33 Countries.

   that the future of our industry expands beyond developed nations to evolving markets,  

      With the growing demand for aircraft in the world’s emerging markets, it’s clear  

            making it truly global. While we are based in the united states,  

10  

 11  

       we have built a network of strong and growing relationships with airlines in  

 every geographic region of the world. 

 
  
 
 
diversification by region and country is critical to our portfolio strategy. 

We continually monitor concentration as a key measure of our risk 

management policy. in just our first full year of operation, we have 

established strong relationships in every corner of the globe.

north 
amerIca 
10 AIrCrAFt 

euroPe 
34 AIrCrAFt 

asIa PacIfIc 
35 AIrCrAFt 

latIn amerIca 
16 AIrCrAFt 

afrIca & mIddle east  
7 AIrCrAFt 

ChinA

indiA

sri LAnkA

JApAn

kAzAkhstAn

  MongoLiA

  neW zeALAnd

vietnAM 

AustrALiA

  MALAysiA

south koreA

thAiLAnd

itALy

FrAnCe

  gerMAny

the netherLAnds

spAin

CzeCh repubLiC

ireLAnd

  norWAy 

russiA

turkey

  united kingdoM

brAziL

  MexiCo

trinidAd & tobAgo

CoLoMbiA

  united stAtes 

CAnAdA

ethiopiA

kenyA

  united ArAb eMirAtes 

south AFriCA

10
10

11
11

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                  the number of airline relationships we have established in our  

    short history demonstrates our approach to fleet planning. in fact, no customer   

          accounted for more than 10% of our fleet by net book value. in the coming year,  

      we expect more and more airlines to look to us — and our pipeline of new  

                  aircraft — as an important source for further fleet expansion and renewal. 

                We hAve  
                                   deLivered  
    AirCrAFt to 55   
                                   AirLines.

            
diversification is a key 

component of our business 

strategy, so no one airline 

represents more than 10% of 

our fleet by net book value.

AEr LINgUS

AEromEXICo

AIr ArAbIA

AIr AStANA

AIr AUStrAL

AIr CANADA

AIr CHINA

AIr FrANCE

NorwEgIAN AIr 
SHUttLE

orIENt tHAI AIrLINES

SHANgHAI AIrLINES

SICHUAN AIrLINES

SkymArk AIrLINES

SoUtH AFrICAN 
AIrwAyS

AIr mACAU

SoUtHwESt AIrLINES

AIr NEw zEALAND

SpICEJEt

AIrASIA

AIrbErLIN 

ALItALIA

AvIANCA

SpIrIt AIrLINES

SprINg AIrLINES

SrILANkAN AIrLINES

SUN CoUNtry

CArIbbEAN AIrLINES

SUNEXprESS

CHINA SoUtHErN

SUNwINg AIrLINES

EtHIopIAN AIrLINES

tAm AIrLINES

EtIHAD 

goAIr

tHomAS Cook

trANSAEro AIrLINES

goL AIrLINES

trANSAvIA.Com 

HAINAN AIrLINES

trAvEL SErvICE

INtErJEt

JEJU AIr

trIp LINHAS AErEAS

UNItED CoNtINENtAL 

kENyA AIrwAyS

vIEtNAm AIrLINES

kINgFISHEr AIrLINES

vIrgIN AUStrALIA

kLm 

mIAt moNgoLIAN 
AIrLINES

mIHIN LANkA

voLArIS 

vUELINg

wEStJEt

XIAmEN AIrLINES

14 

16  

 17  

 18  

  WE hAvE onE of ThE WoRLd’s  
                       mosT EffIcIEnT fLEETs.

      Boeing. Airbus. Embraer. ATR. We’re providing many of the world’s  

                  airlines with operationally and environmentally efficient aircraft.  

It's one of the the world's most modern fleets — in fact, the average  

                           age of an Air Lease aircraft is just 3.6 years. 

20  

 21  

We do not intend to become the supermarket of 

aircraft lessors. ALC has a very focused product 

strategy to provide the most widely distributed 

and in demand aircraft types.   

narrowbodIes 79%
boEINg 737 ............................................. 37% 
AIrbUS A320 FAmILy ............................ 30%
E JEtS ...................................................... 12%

wIdebodIes 
AIrbUS A330-200 ................................... 11% 
boEINg 777 ............................................. 5% 
boEINg 767 ............................................. 3%

19%

turboProPs 
Atr 72-600 ............................................... 2%

2%

18

boeing 777-300er

twin aisle jetliner with range direct  
from New york to Hong kong

Engine option....................gE90-115b
Standard Configuration ...365 passengers
range (Nm) .......................7,930

eMbrAer 190

Superior range in the 91-120 seat  
regional jetliner category

Engine option....................CF34-10E
Standard Configuration ...114 passengers
range (Nm) .......................2,400

boeing 737-800

Single aisle jetliner with strong seat-cost benefits

Engine options..................CFm56-7b
Standard Configuration ...162 passengers
range (Nm) .......................3,115

Atr 72-600

New technology turboprob aircraft  
in the 70-seat segment

Engine option....................pw 127m
Standard Configuration ...72 passengers
range (Nm) .......................825

Airbus A320-200    

transatlantic performance capabillity brought 
to short-haul routes

Engine options..................CFm56-5b, v2500-A5
Standard Configuration ...150 passengers
range (Nm) .......................3,300

Airbus A330-200

versatile mid-sized widebody built to  
cover all-ranges

Engine options..................gE CF6-80E1,

pw4000,
rr trent 700

Standard Configuration ...253 passengers
range (Nm) .......................7,250

19

 
 
2011 fInancIal hIghlIghts

(in thousands, except per share amounts) 

Revenues      

Pretax income  

Pretax margin 

Net income  

Cash provided by operating activities  

Adjusted net income 1  

Adjusted EBITDA 1 

Net income per share:       

  Basic  

  Diluted 

Fy 2011 

$ 336,741

$  82,841

     24.6% 

$  53,232

$ 267,166

$  87,954

$ 290,168

   $ 

0.59

$ 

0.59

(1)   See notes 1 and 2 in “Selected Financial Data” for a discussion of the non-GAAP measures 

adjusted net income and adjusted EBITDA.

24  

 25  

 
 
to our shArehoLders

Air Lease Corporation was launched in February 2010 with one simple idea: apply 

everything we’ve learned from decades in this business and create the world’s premier 

aircraft lessor from a clean sheet of paper, geared for shareholder returns and the future  

of the airline industry.

in less than two years, we have built a fleet of 102 aircraft spread across 55 airline 

customers in 33 countries, with an average fleet age of 3.6 years and average lease maturity 

of 6.6 years. in 2011, we took our company public on the new york stock exchange under 

the trading symbol ‘AL.’ our financial results and key metrics are laid out in the pages before 

you, including our pretax profit margin of 24.6% and fully diluted eps of $.59 for 2011,  

which is our first full year in business. We are satisfied with our results to date, yet we 

believe those results will be further enhanced with the benefits of economies of scale and 

our growing financial strength.

26  

 27  

ALC’s aircraft and fleet strategy has been clear from the beginning – to offer the 

youngest, most fuel efficient, most environmentally friendly, most widely distributed aircraft 

available now, and in the future. We believe that this is the main way by which the majority of 

airlines will optimize their future. We think our view has been validated. During 2011 and early 

2012 we’ve witnessed unprecedented orders for new aircraft as fuel prices remain the biggest 

cost threat to airline prosperity, along with environmental pressures continuing to grow larger. 

ALC is now well-positioned to meet the needs of our airline customers with our current fleet, 

plus 217 new aircraft on order as of December 31, 2011 for delivery through 2020.

At the same time, much noise has been made about the airframe manufacturers’ 

record increases in production rates and the potential negative impact these increases might 

have on the global aircraft supply and demand equation in the face of softening economic 

conditions and airline profitability, particularly in some regions of the world such as Europe. 

While we anticipate that regional economic factors and reduced airline financial performance 

will have some negative impact on the order books of the airframe manufacturers, they 

remain significantly oversold compared to their production capabilities. The overall supply of 

new aircraft available to the marketplace for the next several years from the manufacturers 

remains limited, helping to make ALC an attractive leasing solution for airlines looking to 

procure the new aircraft they need to optimize their fleets, maximize their flexibility, and 

reduce their own financing risk.

Volatility is nothing new in the airline industry. Our team has managed through many 

cycles and industry conditions including aircraft oversupply and undersupply, high interest 

rates, airline bankruptcies, catastrophic events, pandemic outbreaks, and more. Yet, air 

transportation has become, and in our view will remain, the world’s form of long-distance 

 We beLieve our perForMAnCe WiLL  
                     Further ACCeLerAte With our groWing FinAnCiAL strength

mass transportation and an important engine of global commerce. We believe ALC’s fleet, 

aircraft strategy, and long-term order book strikes the right balance between growth and 

conservatism. Moreover, our low leverage balance sheet positions us well to take advantage 

of opportunities that may present themselves in the marketplace.

2011 also brought uncertainty and stress in the global capital markets, credit 

downgrades of multiple European countries, and the USA losing its AAA rating. Financing 

uncertainty reached a crescendo by the end of 2011, with banks in France, Spain, and Italy 

exiting dollar-based lending (the currency of aircraft finance). However, during 2011, ALC 

grew its banking group from 13 to 23 banks across the USA, Canada, Europe, and Asia, with 

17 of those banks providing unsecured financing as of December 31, 2011. We concentrated 

24  

25

on expanding our banking relationships in the Asia Pacific region, adding credit facilities 

from banks headquartered in Singapore, Japan, and Australia. We tapped the unsecured 

institutional private placement debt market in June 2011, and issued our first convertible 

unsecured bond in November 2011. As of December 31, 2011, ALC achieved an overall 

composite interest rate of 3.14% on our total debt portfolio, down from the previous year’s 

composite rate of 3.32%, and ended the year with a debt to equity ratio of 1.2 to 1.

We are pleased with our results, and proud of our dedicated team of management  

and employee shareholders, all of whom are consumed with a passion for this business.  

It is their in-depth knowledge of our customers’ requirements, and the needs of the industry, 

coupled with an entrepreneurial culture, the spark of a youthful company, the unbridled 

enthusiasm of its people, the commitment to deliver superior results (to our investors,  

and to our customers), and the unwavering belief in our business that form the core of  

ALC’s success.

In addition to our loyal and professional staff, we wish to express our gratitude and 

thanks to our Board of Directors for their outstanding guidance, to the many airline clients 

worldwide who have entrusted us with their business, to our shareholders and financiers 

whose confidence in ALC has been an essential ingredient to our success, and to our major 

airframe, engine, and component suppliers, all of whom have supported and validated our 

business growth trajectory.

Steven F. Udvar-HÁzy
ChAIrmAN AND ChIef exeCutIve OffICer

JoHn L. PLUeger
PreSIDeNt AND ChIef OPerAtINg OffICer

26  

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM 46

2011 REVIEW 28

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS 47

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS 48

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY 49

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS 50

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 51

SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA 63

2011 REVIEW

The  following  section  of  this  Annual  Report  consists  of  an
overview  of  Air  Lease  Corporation  (the  ‘‘Company’’)  and  a
review  of  our  business  in  2011.  The  2011  Review  and  the
Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes that
follow are intended to provide perspective on, and an under-
standing of, the Company’s consolidated financial condition
and results of operations for 2011.

BUSINESS

OVERVIEW
Air  Lease  Corporation,  a  Delaware  corporation  (the  ‘‘Com-
pany’’,  ‘‘ALC’’,  ‘‘we’’,  ‘‘our’’  or  ‘‘us’’),  is  an  aircraft  leasing
company that was launched in February 2010 by aircraft leas-
ing industry pioneer Steven F. Udvar-H´azy. We are principally
engaged in purchasing commercial aircraft which we, in turn,
lease  to  airlines  around  the  world  to  generate  attractive
returns on equity. As of December 31, 2011, we owned 102
aircraft of which 36 were new aircraft and 66 were used air-
craft  and  we  managed  two  aircraft.  Our  fleet  is  principally
comprised  of  fuel-efficient  and  newer  technology  aircraft,
consisting  of narrowbody (single-aisle) aircraft, such as the
Boeing  737-700/800, 
Embraer E190, select widebody (twin-aisle) aircraft, such as
the Boeing 777-300ER and the Airbus A330-200/300, and the
ATR  72-600  turboprop  aircraft.  We  manage  lease  revenues
and  take  advantage  of  changes  in  market  conditions  by
acquiring  a  balanced  mix  of  aircraft  types,  both  new  and
used. Our used aircraft are generally less than five years old.
All  of  the  aircraft  we  own  were  leased  as  of  December  31,
2011. Additionally, as of December 31, 2011, we had entered
into  binding  and  non-binding  purchase  commitments  to
acquire an additional 217 new aircraft through 2020.

the  Airbus  A319/320/321, 

We  lease  our  aircraft  to  airlines  pursuant  to  net  operating
leases that require the lessee to pay for maintenance, insur-
ance, taxes and all other aircraft operating expenses during
the lease term, which includes fuel, crews, airport and naviga-
tion charges, and insurance. The cost of an aircraft typically is
not fully recovered over the term of the initial lease. There-
fore, upon expiration or early termination of a lease, we retain
the benefit and assume the risk of the rent at which we can
re-lease the aircraft and its equipment or the price at which
we can sell the aircraft and its equipment.

We operate our business on a global basis, providing aircraft
to  airline  customers  in  every  major  geographical  region,
including  emerging  and  high-growth  markets  such  as  Asia,
the Pacific Rim, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern
Europe.  As  of  December  31,  2011,  we  have  entered  into
leases and future lease commitments with airlines in Austra-
lia,  Belarus,  Brazil,  Bulgaria,  Canada,  China,  Colombia,  the
Czech Republic, Ethiopia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia,
Ireland,  Italy,  Japan,  Kazakhstan,  Kenya,  Malaysia,  Mexico,
Mongolia,  the  Netherlands,  New  Zealand,  Norway,  Russia,
South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Trini-
dad & Tobago, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United King-
dom, the United States and Vietnam.

the While our primary business is to own and lease aircraft, we
also provide fleet management services to third parties for a
fee.  These  services  are  similar  to  those  we  perform  with
respect to our fleet, including leasing, re-leasing, lease man-
agement and sales services.

Our principal executive offices are located at 2000 Avenue of
the  Stars,  Suite  1000N,  Los  Angeles,  California  90067.  The
telephone  number  of  our  principal  executive  offices  is
(310) 
is
www.airleasecorp.com.

our  website 

553-0555 

address 

and 

We manage lease expirations in our fleet portfolio over vary-
ing time periods in order to minimize periods of concentrated
lease expirations and mitigate the risks associated with cycli-
cal variations in the airline industry. As of December 31, 2011,
the  weighted  average  lease  term  remaining  on  our  current
leases was 6.6 years, and we leased the aircraft in our portfo-
lio to 55 airlines in 33 countries. As of December 31, 2010, the
weighted average lease term remaining on our current leases
was 5.6 years, and we leased the 40 aircraft in our portfolio to
25 airlines in 15 countries.

OPERATIONS TO DATE
Current Fleet
As of December 31, 2011, our fleet consisted of 102 aircraft,
comprised  of  81  single-aisle  jet  aircraft,  19  twin-aisle
widebody aircraft and two turboprop aircraft, with a weighted
average age of 3.6 years.

Geographic Diversification
Over 90% of our aircraft are operated internationally based
on net book value. The following table sets forth the net book
value  and  percentage  of  the  net  book  value  of  our  aircraft

Country

($ in thousands)

France

China

Germany

28

29

portfolio  operating  in  the  indicated  regions  as  of  Decem-

equipment  revenue  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2011

ber 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010:

and the period from inception to December 31, 2010, based

on each airline’s principal place of business.

Region

($ in thousands)

Europe

Asia/Pacific

Latin America

North America

Africa and Middle East

December 31, 2011

December 31, 2010

Net book

Net book

value % of total

value % of total

$ 1,782,949

42.1% $

1,355,432

515,145

386,101

197,789

32.0

12.2

9.1

4.6

688,607

425,670

163,622

254,201

97,709

42.3%

26.1

10.0

15.6

6.0

Customer(1)

($ in thousands)

Air France

Air Berlin

Year Ended

December 31, 2011

For the period

from Inception to

December 31, 2010

Amount of

Amount of

rental revenue % of total

rental revenue % of total

$ 45,444

$ 29,642

13.7%

8.9%

$ 8,598

$ 15,153

15.1%

26.5%

Total

$ 4,237,416

100.0% $ 1,629,809

100.0%

(1)A customer is an airline with its own operating certificate.

At December 31, 2011 and 2010, we leased aircraft to cus-

AIRCRAFT ACQUISITION STRATEGY

tomers in the following regions:

Our long term aircraft asset acquisition strategy is focused on

December 31, 2011

December 31, 2010

Number of

Number of

customers(1) % of total

customers(1) % of total

acquiring  the  highest  demand  and  most  widely  distributed

modern  technology,  fuel  efficient  single-aisle  jet  aircraft,

Region

Europe

Asia/Pacific

Latin America

North America

Africa and Middle East

13

22

8

7

5

23.6%

40.0

14.6

12.7

9.1

6

8

4

4

3

24.0%

32.0

16.0

16.0

12.0

Total

55

100.0%

25

100.0%

(1)A customer is an airline with its own operating certificate.

The following table sets forth the dollar amount and percent-

age of our rental of flight equipment revenues attributable to

the indicated regions based on each airline’s principal place

of business:

Region

($ in thousands)

Europe

Asia/Pacific

Latin America

North America

Africa and Middle East

Year Ended

December 31, 2011

For the period

from Inception to

December 31, 2010

Amount of

Amount of

rental revenue % of total rental revenue % of total

$ 151,566

45.6%

$ 31,157

54.6%

93,237

30,714

39,350

17,852

28.0

9.2

11.8

5.4

11,933

4,953

6,309

2,723

20.9

8.7

11.0

4.8

twin-aisle  widebody  aircraft  and  turboprop  aircraft.  This

includes 

the  Boeing  737-800,  777-300ER, 

the  Airbus

A320/321,  A330-200/300  the  Embraer  E190  and  the  ATR

72-600  aircraft.  Our  business  model  is  based  on  ordering

these or similar types of aircraft directly from the manufactur-

ers and directly leasing these new aircraft to our customers.

We will opportunistically supplement our fleet with second-

ary purchases from other owners of aircraft and participate in

sale-leaseback  transactions  with  airlines;  however,  our  pri-

mary  strategy 

is 

to  acquire  new  aircraft 

from 

the

manufacturers.

In determining the needs of our lessees or prospective airline

customers, we evaluate each potential new and used aircraft

acquisition to determine if it supports our primary objective

of generating profits while maintaining desired fleet charac-

teristics. Our due diligence process takes into account:

(cid:2) the needs of our airline customers at the time of acquisition

and  their  anticipated  needs  at  the  end  of  typical  leasing

Total

$ 332,719

100.0%

$ 57,075

100.0%

As our aircraft portfolio grows, we anticipate that a growing

percentage of our aircraft will be located in the Asia/Pacific,

cycles;

the Latin America, and the Africa and Middle East regions.

(cid:2) an aircraft’s fit within our focused fleet based on its type,

The following table sets forth the revenue attributable to indi-

vidual  countries  representing  at  least  10%  of  our  rental  of

flight equipment revenue for the year ended December 31,

2011 and the period from inception to December 31, 2010,

based on each airline’s principal place of business.

Year Ended

December 31, 2011

For the period

from Inception to

December 31, 2010

Amount of

Amount of

rental revenue % of total

rental revenue % of total

$ 62,240

$ 39,603

$ 29,642

18.7%

11.9%

8.9%

$ 8,598

$ 6,091

$ 15,153

15.1%

10.7%

26.5%

The following table sets forth the revenue attributable to indi-

vidual airlines representing at least 10% of our rental of flight

price, age, market value, specifications and configuration,

condition  and  maintenance  history,  operating  efficiency

and potential for future redeployment; and

(cid:2) an  aircraft  model’s  reliability,  long-term  utility  for  airline

customers, and appeal to a large segment of the industry.

For  used  aircraft,  we  perform  detailed  technical  reviews  of

both the physical aircraft and its maintenance history to mini-

mize  our  risk  of  acquiring  an  aircraft  with  defects  or  other

service issues. In the case of new aircraft, we work directly

with  the  manufacturers  to  outfit  and  configure  the  aircraft

with our airline customers’ needs in mind. Our inspection of

new  aircraft  is  focused  on  ensuring  that  our  customers’

required specifications and modifications have been met.

We pursue acquisitions of additional aircraft through our rela- We may, in connection with the lease of used aircraft, agree to
contribute specific additional amounts to the cost of certain
tionships  with  aircraft  operators,  manufacturers,  financial
first major overhauls or modifications, which usually reflect
institutions, private investors and third-party lessors. We may
the usage of the aircraft prior to the commencement of the
also acquire aircraft for lease directly from manufacturers in
lease, and which are covered by the prior operator’s usage
the secondary market or pursuant to sale-leaseback transac-
fees.  We  may  be  obligated  under  the  leases  to  make  reim-
tions with aircraft operators. For new aircraft deliveries, we
bursements of maintenance reserves previously received to
will  often  separately  source  many  components,  including
lessees  for  expenses  incurred  for  certain  planned  major
seats,  safety  equipment,  avionics,  galleys,  cabin  finishes,
maintenance. We also, on occasion, may contribute towards
engines and other equipment, from the same providers used
aircraft  modifications  (e.g.,  winglets  and  new  interiors)  and
by aircraft manufacturers at a lower cost. Manufacturers such
recover any such costs over the life of the lease.
as  The  Boeing  Company  (‘‘Boeing’’)  and  Airbus  S.A.S.
(‘‘Airbus’’) will install this buyer furnished equipment in our
aircraft  during  the  final  assembly  process  at  their  facilities.
Through  this  use  of  our  purchasing  strategy,  we  are  better
able to modify the aircraft to meet our customer’s configura-
tion requirements and enhance lease and residual values.

LEASING PROCESS
Our management team identifies prospective lessees based
upon  industry  knowledge  and  long-standing  industry  rela-
tionships. We seek to meet the specific needs of our airline
customers  by  working  closely  with  potential  lessees  and,
where  appropriate,  developing  innovative  lease  structures
specifically tailored to address those needs. While we struc-
ture aircraft leases with our airline customers’ needs in mind,
we, nevertheless, anticipate that most of our leases will share
some common characteristics, including the following:

(cid:2) most of our leases will be for fixed terms, although, where
mutually beneficial, we may provide for purchase options
or termination or extension rights;

(cid:2) most of our leases will require advance monthly payments;

(cid:2) most of our leases will generally provide that the lessee’s
payment obligations are absolute and unconditional;

(cid:2) our  lessees  will  typically  be  required  to  make  lease  pay-
ments without deducting any amounts that we may owe to
the lessee or any claims that the lessee may have against
us;

(cid:2) most  of  our  leases  will  also  require  lessees  to  gross  up
lease payments to cover tax withholdings or other tax obli-
gations, other than withholdings that arise out of transfers
of the aircraft to or by us or due to our corporate structure;
and

(cid:2) our  leases  will  also  generally  require  that  our  lessees
indemnify us for certain other tax liabilities relating to the
leases  and  the  aircraft,  including,  in  most  cases,  value-
added tax and stamp duties.

The lessee is responsible for compliance with applicable laws
and regulations with  respect to the aircraft. We require our
lessees to comply with the standards of either the U.S. Fed-
eral Aviation Administration (‘‘FAA’’) or its equivalent in for-
eign  jurisdictions.  Generally,  we  receive  a  cash  deposit  as
security for the lessee’s performance of obligations under the
lease and the condition of the aircraft upon return. In addition,
most leases contain extensive provisions regarding our rem-
edies  and  rights  in  the  event  of  a  default  by  a  lessee.  The
lessee generally is required to continue to make lease pay-
ments  under  all  circumstances,  including  periods  during
which the aircraft is not in operation due to maintenance or
grounding.

Some  foreign  countries  have  currency  and  exchange  laws
regulating the international transfer of currencies. When nec-
essary, we require, as a condition to any foreign transaction,
that the lessee or purchaser in a foreign country obtains the
necessary approvals of the appropriate government agency,
finance ministry or central bank for the remittance of all funds
contractually  owed  in  U.S.  dollars.  We  attempt  to  minimize
our  currency  and  exchange  risks  by  negotiating  the  desig-
nated  payment  currency  in  our  leases  to  be  U.S.  dollars;
although,  where  appropriate,  we  may  agree  to  leases  with
payments  denominated  in  other  currencies.  All  guarantees
obtained  to  support  various  lease  agreements  are  denomi-
nated for payment in the same currency as the lease. To meet
the needs of certain of our airline customers, a relatively small
number of our leases may designate the payment currency to
be Euros. As the Euro to U.S. dollar exchange rate fluctuates,
airlines’  interest  in  entering  into  Euro-denominated  lease
agreements will change. After we agree to the rental payment
currency  with  an  airline,  the  negotiated  currency  typically
remains for the term of the lease. We occasionally may enter
into  contracts  to  mitigate  our  foreign  currency  risk,  but  we
expect that the economic risk arising from foreign currency
denominated leases will be immaterial to us.

Management obtains and reviews relevant business materi-

time to consider a broad set of alternatives with respect to the

als from all prospective lessees and purchasers before enter-

aircraft, including assessing general market and competitive

ing 

into  a 

lease  or  extending  credit.  Under  certain

conditions and preparing to re-lease or sell the aircraft. If a

circumstances, the lessee may be required to obtain guaran-

lessee fails to provide us with notice, the lease will automati-

tees or other financial support from an acceptable financial

cally  expire  at  the  end  of  the  term,  and  the  lessee  will  be

institution or other third parties. During the life of the lease,

required  to  return  the  aircraft  pursuant  to  the  conditions  in

situations may lead us to restructure leases with our lessees.

the  lease.  Our  leases  contain  detailed  provisions  regarding

When we repossess an aircraft leased in a foreign country, we

the  required  condition  of  the  aircraft  and  its  components

generally expect to export the aircraft from the lessee’s juris-

upon redelivery at the end of the lease term.

diction. In some very limited situations, the lessees may not

fully cooperate in returning the aircraft. In those cases, we will

INSURANCE

take  legal  action  in  the  appropriate  jurisdictions,  a  process

We require our lessees to carry those types of insurance that

that we expect would ultimately delay the return and export

are  customary  in  the  air  transportation  industry,  including

of the aircraft. In addition, in connection with the reposses-

comprehensive liability insurance, aircraft all-risk hull insur-

sion  of  an  aircraft,  we  may  be  required  to  pay  outstanding

ance and war-risk insurance covering risks such as hijacking,

mechanics’  liens,  airport  charges,  and  navigation  fees  and

terrorism  (but  excluding  coverage  for  weapons  of  mass

other amounts secured by liens on the repossessed aircraft.

destruction and nuclear events), confiscation, expropriation,

These  charges  could  relate  to  other  aircraft  that  we  do  not

seizure and nationalization. We generally require a certificate

own but were operated by the lessee.

MONITORING

of insurance from the lessee’s insurance broker prior to deliv-

ery of an aircraft. Generally, all certificates of insurance con-

tain a breach of warranty endorsement so that our interests

During the term of a lease, we monitor the operating perform-

are not prejudiced by any act or omission of the lessee. Lease

ance and the financial health of the lessee. Our net operating

agreements generally require hull and liability limits to be in

leases generally require the lessee to pay for maintenance,

U.S. dollars, which are shown on the certificate of insurance.

insurance,  taxes  and  all  other  aircraft  operating  expenses

during the lease term.

Insurance premiums are to be paid by the lessee, with cover-

age  acknowledged  by  the  broker  or  carrier.  The  territorial

We also closely follow the operating and financial perform-

coverage,  in  each  case,  should  be  suitable  for  the  lessee’s

ance  of  our  lessees  so  that  we  can  identify  early  on  those

area of operations. We generally require that the certificates

lessees that may be experiencing operating and financial dif-

of  insurance  contain,  among  other  provisions,  a  provision

ficulties.  This  assists  us  in  assessing  the  lessee’s  ability  to

prohibiting  cancellation  or  material  change  without  at  least

fulfill its obligations under the lease for the remainder of the

30 days’ advance written notice to the insurance broker (who

term  and,  where  appropriate,  restructure  the  lease  prior  to

would be obligated to give us prompt notice), except in the

the lessee’s insolvency or the initiation of bankruptcy or simi-

case of hull war insurance policies, which customarily only

lar  proceedings,  at  which  time  we  would  have  less  control

provide seven days’ advance written notice for cancellation

over, and would most likely incur greater costs in connection

and  may  be  subject  to  shorter  notice  under  certain  market

with, the restructuring of the lease or the repossession of the

conditions.  Furthermore,  the  insurance  is  primary  and  not

aircraft. To accomplish this objective, we maintain a high level

contributory,  and  we  require  that  all  insurance  carriers  be

of communication with the lessee and frequently evaluate the

required to waive rights of subrogation against us.

state of the market in which the lessee operates, including the

impact  of  changes  in  passenger  air  travel  and  preferences,

new  government  regulations,  regional  catastrophes  and

other unforeseen shocks to the relevant market.

RE-LEASING OR DISPOSITION OF AIRCRAFT

Our lease agreements are generally structured to require les-

sees to notify us nine to 12 months in advance of the lease’s

expiration  if  a  lessee  desires  to  renew  or  extend  the  lease.

Requiring  lessees  to  provide  us  with  such  advance  notice

provides our management team with an extended period of

The stipulated loss value schedule under aircraft hull insur-

ance  policies  is  on  an  agreed-value  basis  acceptable  to  us

and usually exceeds the book value of the aircraft. In cases

where we believe that the agreed value stated in the lease is

not  sufficient,  we  make  arrangements  to  cover  such  defi-

ciency, which would include the purchase of additional ‘‘Total

Loss Only’’ coverage for the deficiency.

Aircraft hull policies generally contain standard clauses cov-

ering  aircraft  engines.  The  lessee  is  required  to  pay  all

30

31

The U.S. Patriot Act of 2001 (the ‘‘Patriot Act’’) prohibits finan-

EMPLOYEES

cial transactions by U.S. persons, including U.S. individuals,

As  of  December  31,  2011,  we  had  47  full-time  employees.

entities  and  charitable  organizations,  with  individuals  and

None of our employees are represented by a union or collec-

organizations designated as terrorists and terrorist support-

tive bargaining agreements. We believe our relationship with

ers by the U.S. Secretary of State or the U.S. Secretary of the

our employees to be positive, which is a key component of

Treasury.  We  comply  with  the  provisions  of  the  Patriot  Act

our  operating  strategy.  We  strive  to  maintain  excellent

and closely monitor our activities with foreign entities.

employee  relations.  We  provide  certain  employee  benefits,

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a law enforcement

agency  of  the  U.S.  Department  of  Homeland  Security,

enforces regulations related to the import of aircraft into the

United States for maintenance or lease and the importation of

parts into the U.S. for installation. We monitor our imports for

compliance  with  U.S.  Customs  and  Border  Protection

regulations.

The U.S. Bureau of Export Enforcement enforces regulations

related to the export of aircraft to other jurisdictions and the

export of parts for installation in other jurisdictions. We moni-

tor our exports for compliance with the U.S. Bureau of Export

Enforcement regulations.

Jurisdictions in which aircraft are registered as well as juris-

dictions in which they operate may impose regulations relat-

ing  to  noise  and  emission  standards.  In  addition,  most

countries’  aviation  laws  require  aircraft  to  be  maintained

under an approved maintenance program with defined pro-

cedures and intervals for inspection, maintenance and repair.

To the extent that aircraft are not subject to a lease or a lessee

is  not  in  compliance,  we  are  required  to  comply  with  such

requirements, possibly at our own expense.

We believe we are in compliance in all material respects with

all applicable governmental regulations.

including retirement, health, life, disability and accident insur-

ance plans.

ACCESS TO OUR INFORMATION

We  file  annual,  quarterly  and  current  reports,  proxy  state-

ments  and  other  information  with  the  Securities  and

Exchange Commission (the ‘‘SEC’’). We make our public SEC

filings  available,  at  no  cost,  through  our  website  at

www.airleasecorp.com  as  soon  as  reasonably  practicable

after the report is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the

SEC. We will also provide these reports in electronic or paper

format  free  of  charge  upon  written  request  made  to  our

investor  relations  department  at  2000  Avenue  of  the  Stars,

Suite 1000N, Los Angeles, California 90067. Our SEC filings

are also available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s

website at www.sec.gov. The public may also read and copy

any document we file with the SEC at the SEC’s public refer-

ence room located at 100 F Street NE, Washington, DC 20549.

Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information

on the operation of the public reference room.

deductibles. Furthermore, the hull war policies generally con-
tain full war risk endorsements, including, but not limited to,
confiscation (where available), seizure, hijacking and similar
forms of retention or terrorist acts.

The comprehensive liability insurance listed on certificates of
insurance generally include provisions for bodily injury, prop-
erty damage, passenger liability, cargo liability and such other
provisions  reasonably  necessary  in  commercial  passenger
and cargo airline operations. We expect that such certificates
of insurance list combined comprehensive single liability lim-
its of not less than $500.0 million for Airbus and Boeing air-
craft  and  $200.0  million  for  Embraer  S.A.  (‘‘Embraer’’)  and
Avions de Transport R´egional (‘‘ATR’’) aircraft. As a standard
in the industry, airline operator’s policies contain a sublimit
for third-party war risk liability in the amount of $50.0 million.
We  require  each  lessee  to  purchase  higher  limits  of  third-
party war risk liability or obtain an indemnity from its respec-
tive government.

In late 2005, the international aviation insurance market uni-
laterally introduced exclusions for physical damage to aircraft
hulls  caused  by  dirty  bombs,  bio-hazardous  materials  and
electromagnetic pulsing. Exclusions for the same type of per-
ils could be introduced into liability policies.

Separately,  we  purchase  contingent  liability  insurance  and
contingent hull insurance on all aircraft in our fleet and main-
tain other insurance covering the specific needs of our busi-
ness operations. We believe our insurance is adequate both
as to coverages and amounts.

We cannot assure stockholders that our lessees will be ade-
quately insured against all risks, that lessees will at all times
comply with their obligations to maintain insurance, that any
particular  claim  will  be  paid,  or  that  lessees  will  be  able  to
obtain adequate insurance coverage at commercially reason-
able rates in the future.

We maintain key man life insurance policies on our Chairman
and CEO and our President and Chief Operating Officer. Each
policy  is  in  the  amount  of  $2.0  million,  with  the  proceeds
payable to us and permitted to be used for general corporate
purposes.

COMPETITION
The leasing, remarketing and sale of aircraft is highly compet-
itive.  We  face  competition  from  aircraft  manufacturers,
banks, financial institutions, other leasing companies, aircraft
brokers and airlines. Competition for leasing transactions is
based on a number of factors, including delivery dates, lease
rates, terms of lease, other lease provisions, aircraft condition

and the availability in the marketplace of the types of aircraft
required to meet the needs of airline customers. We believe
we are a strong competitor in all of these areas.

GOVERNMENT REGULATION
The air transportation industry is highly regulated. We do not
operate  commercial  aircraft,  and  thus  may  not  be  directly
subject to many industry laws and regulations, such as regu-
lations of the U.S. Department of State (the ‘‘DOS’’), the U.S.
Department of Transportation, or their counterpart organiza-
tions in foreign countries regarding the operation of aircraft
for public transportation of passengers and property. As dis-
cussed below, however, we are subject to government regu-
lation  in  a  number  of  respects.  In  addition,  our  lessees  are
subject to extensive regulation under the laws of the jurisdic-
tions  in  which  they  are  registered  or  operate.  These  laws
govern,  among  other  things,  the  registration,  operation,
maintenance and condition of the aircraft.

We are required to register, and have registered, the aircraft
which we acquire and lease to U.S. carriers and to a number
of foreign carriers where, by agreement, the aircraft are to be
registered  in  the  United  States,  with  the  FAA,  or  in  other
countries, with such countries’ aviation authorities as applica-
ble. Each aircraft registered to fly must have a Certificate of
Airworthiness,  which  is  a  certificate  demonstrating  the  air-
craft’s compliance with applicable government rules and reg-
ulations  and  that  the  aircraft  is  considered  airworthy,  or  a
ferry  flight  permit,  which  is  an  authorization  to  operate  an
aircraft on a specific route. Our lessees are obligated to main-
tain the Certificates of Airworthiness for the aircraft they lease
and, to our knowledge, all of our lessees have complied with
this requirement. When an aircraft is not on lease, we main-
tain the certificate or obtain a certificate in a new jurisdiction.

Our involvement with the civil aviation authorities of foreign
jurisdictions consists largely of requests to register and dere-
gister our aircraft on those countries’ registries.

We are also subject to the regulatory authority of the DOS and
the U.S. Department of Commerce (the ‘‘DOC’’) to the extent
such authority relates to the export of aircraft for lease and
sale to foreign entities and the export of parts to be installed
on  our  aircraft.  In  some  cases,  we  are  required  to  obtain
export licenses for parts installed in aircraft exported to for-
eign countries.

The DOC and the U.S. Department of the Treasury (through its
Office of Foreign Assets Control) impose restrictions on the
operation of U.S.-made goods, such as aircraft and engines,
in sanctioned countries, as well as on the ability of U.S. com-
panies to conduct business with entities in those countries.

32

33

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE COMPANY
Set forth below is the current position of each of our executive officers as of March 9, 2012.

Name

Company Position

Steven F. Udvar-H´azy

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (since February 2010)

John L. Plueger

President, Chief Operating Officer and Director (since March 2010)

Grant A. Levy

Marc H. Baer

Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary (since April 2010)

Executive Vice President, Marketing (since April 2010)

Alex A. Khatibi

Executive Vice President (since April 2010)

Jie Chen

Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Asia (since August 2010)

Gregory B. Willis

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (since March 2012)

John D. Poerschke

Senior Vice President of Aircraft Procurement and Specifications (since March 2010)

DIRECTORS OF THE COMPANY
Set forth below is the principal occupation or employment of each of our directors as of March 9, 2012.

Name

Steven F. Udvar-H´azy

John L. Plueger

Robert A. Milton

Matthew J. Hart

Dr. Ronald D. Sugar

Wilbur L. Ross, Jr.

Antony P. Ressler

John G. Danhakl

Ian M. Saines

Principal Occupation or Employment

Air Lease Corporation
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Air Lease Corporation
President, Chief Operating Officer and Director

ACE Aviation Holdings, Inc., a holding company for Air Canada and other aviation interests
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Hilton Hotels Corporation, a global hospitality company
Former President and Chief Operating Officer

Northrop Grumman Corporation, a global security company
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

WL Ross & Co. LLC, a merchant banking firm
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Ares Management LLC, a global alternative asset manager
A Founding Member and Chairman of the Executive Committee

Leonard Green & Partners, L.P., a private equity firm
Managing Partner

Commonwealth Bank of Australia, a provider of integrated financial services
Group Executive, Institutional Banking and Markets

MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S

COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED

STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

table below sets forth for the indicated periods the high and

low sales prices for our Class A Common Stock as reported

on the NYSE. Our Class B Non-Voting Common Stock is not

currently listed on any national exchange or market system.

MARKET INFORMATION

Our  Class  A  Common  Stock  has  been  quoted  on  the  New

York  Stock  Exchange  (the  ‘‘NYSE’’)  under  the  symbol  ‘‘AL’’

since April 19, 2011. Prior to that time, there was no public

market for our stock. As of September 30, 2011, there were

98,885,131  shares  of  Class  A  Common  Stock  outstanding

held by approximately 148 holders of record, and 1,829,339

shares  of  Class  B  Non-Voting  Common  Stock  outstanding

held by one stockholder of record.

On March 8, 2012 the closing price of our Class A Common

Stock  was  $23.85  per  share  as  reported  by  the  NYSE.  The

PERFORMANCE GRAPH

Fiscal Year 2011 Quarters Ended:

June 30, 2011

September 30, 2011

December 31, 2011

DIVIDENDS

High

Low

$ 29.94

$ 23.02

25.36

23.95

18.32

17.24

The  Company  did  not  declare  or  pay  any  dividends  during

2011. The Board of Directors does not expect that the Com-

pany will pay any dividends or other distributions in the fore-

seeable future.

The graph below compares the cumulative return since April 19, 2011 of the Company’s Class A Common Stock, the S&P

Midcap  Index  and  a  customized  peer  group.  The  peer  group  consists  of  three  companies:  Aircastle  Limited  (NYSE:  AYR),

AerCap Holdings NV (NYSE: AER) and FLY Leasing Limited (NYSE: FLY). The peer group investment is weighted by market

capitalization  as  of  April  19,  2011,  and  is  adjusted  monthly.  An  investment  of  $100,  with  reinvestment  of  all  dividends,  is

assumed to have been made in our Class A Common Stock, in the peer group and in the S&P Midcap Index on April 19, 2011,

and the relative performance of each is tracked through December 31, 2011. The stock price performance shown in the graph is

not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.

Comparison of 9 Month Cumulative Total Return

Assumes Initial Investment of $100

December 31, 2011

$120

$100

$80

$60

$40

$20

$0

4/19/11

4/30/11

5/31/11

6/30/11

7/31/11

8/31/11

9/30/11

10/31/11

11/30/11

12/31/11

Air Lease Corporation

S&P Midcap 400 Index

Peer Group

15MAR201217272765

34

35

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND
ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

OVERVIEW
Our primary business is to acquire new and used popular and
fuel-efficient commercial aircraft from aircraft manufacturers
and other parties and to lease those aircraft to airlines around
the world. We supplement our leasing revenues by providing
management services to investors and/or owners of aircraft
portfolios,  for  which  we  will  receive  fee-based  revenue.
These services include leasing, re-leasing, and lease manage-
ment and sales services, with the goal of helping our clients
maximize lease and sale revenues. In addition to our leasing
activities and management services, and depending on mar-
ket  conditions,  we  expect  to  sell  aircraft  from  our  fleet  to
other  leasing  companies,  financial  services  companies  and
airlines.

On April 25, 2011, we completed an initial public offering of
our Class A Common Stock and listing of our Class A Com-
mon Stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the sym-
bol  ‘‘AL.’’  The  offering  was  upsized  by  20%  and  the
underwriters  exercised  their  over-allotment  option  in  full,
resulting in the sale of an aggregate of 34,825,470 shares of
Class  A  Common  Stock.  We  received  gross  proceeds  of
approximately $922.9 million.

During 2011, the Company raised an incremental $1.2 billion
in debt financing. This balance was comprised of $587.6 mil-
lion in unsecured financing, which included $120.0 million in
senior unsecured notes issued in a private placement to insti-
tutional  investors  and  $200.0  million  in  convertible  senior
notes. We ended the year with total unsecured debt outstand-
ing  of  $826.2  million.  The  Company’s  unsecured  debt  as  a
percentage of total debt increased from 14.6% as of Decem-
ber 31, 2010 to 31.7% as of December 31, 2011. As part of our
2012 financing strategy, the Company will continue to focus
on  raising  unsecured  financing,  of  which  we  have  already
raised $522.0 million during the first quarter of 2012.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, we entered into
binding  and  non-binding  commitments  to  acquire  up  to  83
additional  aircraft  from  Airbus,  Boeing  and  Embraer  for  an
estimated  aggregate  purchase  price  (including  adjustment
for anticipated inflation) of approximately $5.0 billion. Deliv-
eries of the additional aircraft are scheduled to commence in

2012 and to continue through 2020. From Airbus, we agreed
to purchase one additional Airbus A321 aircraft and entered
into  a  non-binding  memorandum  of  understanding  for  the
purchase  of  50  Airbus  A320/321  NEO  aircraft  and  we  have
cancellation  rights  with  respect  to  14  of  the  50  Airbus
A320/321 NEO aircraft. From Boeing, we agreed to purchase
an  additional  18  Boeing  737-800  aircraft,  five  Boeing
777-300ER aircraft and entered into a memorandum of under-
standing for the purchase of four Boeing 787-9 aircraft. From
Embraer, we agreed to purchase an additional five Embraer
E190 aircraft.

We  continued  successful  lease  placements  of  new  aircraft
from our order book throughout 2011 ending the year with
contracts  for  the  lease  of  100%  of  the  aircraft  delivering  in
2012, 90.3% of the aircraft delivering in 2013 and 84.6% of
the aircraft delivering in 2014.

OUR FLEET
We  have  continued  to  build  one  of  the  world’s  youngest,
most fuel-efficient aircraft operating lease portfolios. During
the  year  ended  December  31,  2011,  we  acquired  an  addi-
tional 62 aircraft ending the year with a total of 102 aircraft (of
which  36  were  new  aircraft  and  66  were  used  aircraft).  We
also  managed  two  aircraft  as  of  December  31,  2011.  Our
weighted  average  fleet  age  as  of  December  31,  2011  was
3.6 years.

Portfolio  metrics  of  our  fleet  as  of  December  31,  2011  and
2010 are as follows:

($ in thousands)

Fleet size
Weighted average fleet age
Weighted average remaining lease term
Aggregate fleet cost

December 31,
2011(1)

December 31,
2010

102
3.6 years
6.6 years
$ 4,368,985

40
3.8 years
5.6 years
$ 1,649,071

(1)We acquired our existing fleet of 102 aircraft from 24 separate owners and
operators of aircraft, 51 of which were subject to existing operating leases
originated  by  12  different  aircraft  lessors.  The  individual  transactions
ranged  in  size  from  one  to  eight  aircraft,  and  from  $22.3  million  to
$330.2 million, respectively. The 51 existing operating leases were with 39
different airline customers. Of the 51 aircraft that we acquired from other
aircraft lessors, none of the aircraft represented an entire portfolio (i.e., a
group of aircraft characterized by risk, geography or other common fea-
tures) of the respective seller lessor, and none of the seller lessors sold
their  aircraft  as  part  of  a  plan  to  exit  their  respective  aircraft  leasing
businesses.  With  respect  to  these  transactions,  we  did  not  acquire  any
information technology systems, infrastructure, employees, other assets,
services, financing or any other activities indicative of a business.

The following table sets forth the net book value and percent-

Our lease placements are progressing in line with expecta-

age of the net book value of our aircraft portfolio operating in

tions.  As  of  December  31,  2011  we  have  entered  into  con-

the indicated regions as of December 31, 2011 and 2010:

tracts for the lease of new aircraft scheduled to be delivered

Region

($ in thousands)

Europe

Asia/Pacific

Latin America

North America

Africa and Middle East

December 31, 2011

December 31, 2010

Net book

Net book

value % of total

value % of total

$ 1,782,949

42.1% $

1,355,432

515,145

386,101

197,789

32.0

12.2

9.1

4.6

688,607

425,670

163,622

254,201

97,709

42.3%

26.1

10.0

15.6

6.0

Total

$ 4,237,416

100.0% $ 1,629,809

100.0%

The  following  table  sets  forth  the  number  of  aircraft  we

leased by aircraft type as of December 31, 2011 and 2010:

as follows:

Delivery year

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Thereafter

Total

Number of Number

Aircraft

Leased % Leased

45

31

26

24

20

71

45

28

22

5

—

—

100.0%

90.3

84.6

20.8

—

—

217

100

46.1%

102

100.0%

100.0%

petitive  pressures,  labor  actions,  pilot  shortages,  insurance

Aircraft Type

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Thereafter Total

affect our revenues and income.

Aircraft Type

Airbus A319-100

Airbus A320-200

Airbus A321-200

Airbus A330-200

Boeing 737-700

Boeing 737-800

Boeing 767-300ER

Boeing 777-200ER

Boeing 777-300ER

Embraer E175

Embraer E190

ATR 72-600

Total

December 31, 2011

December 31, 2010

Number of

Number of

aircraft % of total

aircraft % of total

6.9%

17.5%

7

21

11

30

3

8

3

1

4

2

2

10

20.6

2.9

10.8

7.8

29.4

2.9

1.0

3.9

2.0

9.8

2.0

7

8

2

2

5

14

—

—

2

—

—

—

40

20.0

5.0

5.0

12.5

35.0

—

—

5.0

—

—

—

As of December 31, 2011, we had contracted to buy 217 new

aircraft for delivery through 2020, with an estimated aggre-

gate  purchase  price  (including  adjustments  for  inflation)  of

$11.0 billion for delivery as follows:

Airbus A320/321-200

Airbus A320/321 NEO(1)(2)

Airbus A330-200/300

Boeing 737-800

Boeing 777-300ER

Boeing 787-9(1)

Embraer E175/190

ATR 72-600

Total

10

13

12

7

3

17

12

2

14

3

6

4

3

12

1

2

17

8

45

47

20

4

42

50

79

9

5

4

18

10

(1)As  of  December  31,  2011,  the  Airbus  A320/321  NEO  aircraft  and  the

Boeing 787-9 aircraft were subject to non-binding memoranda of under-

standing for the purchase of these aircraft.

31

26

24

20

71

217

AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY AND SOURCES OF REVENUES

Our  revenues  are  principally  derived  from  operating  leases

with scheduled and charter airlines. As of December 31, 2011

and December 31, 2010, we derived more than 90% of our

revenues from airlines domiciled outside of the U.S., and we

anticipate  that  most  of  our  revenues  in  the  future  will  be

generated from foreign lessees. The airline industry is cycli-

cal, economically sensitive, and highly competitive. Airlines

and related companies are affected by fuel price volatility and

fuel  shortages,  political  and  economic  instability,  natural

disasters, terrorist activities, changes in national policy, com-

costs, recessions, health concerns and other political or eco-

nomic  events  adversely  affecting  world  or  regional  trading

markets. Our airline customers’ ability to react to, and cope

with,  the  volatile  competitive  environment  in  which  they

operate,  as  well  as  our  own  competitive  environment,  will

Demand for air travel has consistently grown in terms of both

the  number  of  aircraft  and  passenger  traffic  over  the  last

40 years. The industry has remained resilient over time, while

enduring the effects of both business cycle downturns and

external events. Today, air travel has penetrated most world

regions, with the highest growth now coming from emerging

markets  and  economies.  The  long-term  outlook  for  an

increasing number of aircraft remains robust due primarily to

casts  that  there  will  be  almost  24,000  aircraft  in  service  by

2015, an increase of almost 5,000 over the level at the begin-

ning of 2011.

The airline industry is cyclical and generally grows along with

the  economy.  Historically,  there  has  been  a  strong  positive

correlation between changes in world Gross Domestic Prod-

uct, measured in U.S. dollars, and changes in passenger traf-

fic (as indicated by revenue passenger kilometers (‘‘RPK’’), an

industry-standard measure of passengers flown where each

(2)We have cancellation rights with respect to 14 of the Airbus A320/321 NEO

increased  passenger  traffic.  AVITAS,  Inc.  (‘‘AVITAS’’)  fore-

aircraft.

36

37

RPK  represents  one  kilometer  traveled  by  a  paying
customer).

fleet transactions necessary to facilitate growth of commer-
cial air transport.

The  business  cycle  effects  are  such  that  RPK  declines  or
softens within recessionary periods. However, aircraft inven-
tory has trended upward consistently, regardless of the eco-
nomic cycle, as many aircraft are delivered during downturns
despite reduced passenger travel.

Long-term passenger traffic growth is expected to be under-
pinned by projected growth in demand from emerging mar-
kets.  Travel  growth  remains  concentrated  in  the  emerging
markets of the Asia/Pacific region, Latin America and the Mid-
dle  East  while  the  more  mature  markets  in  the  U.S.  and
Europe  have  slower  growth  rates  overall.  According  to
AVITAS, the percentage of world traffic attributable to emerg-
ing markets has been continuously increasing since the early
1990s.  For  example,  in  1990,  the  Asia/Pacific  region  repre-
sented  about  17%  of  the  world’s  passenger  traffic,  and  its
share was estimated to be approximately 29% in 2010. Since
1990,  China’s  passenger  traffic  has  grown  approximately
15%  annually  on  average  to  403  billion  RPKs  in  2010.  Cur-
rently, China’s passenger traffic is the second highest in the
world.

AVITAS  expects  to  see  considerably  higher  growth  in  2011
through 2015 in the Asia/Pacific region, the Middle East and
Latin America, as compared to North America and Europe. In
fact, AVITAS forecasts that by 2015 passenger traffic in the
Asia/Pacific  region  will  surpass  passenger  traffic  in  North
America.

International  Air  Transport  Association  (‘‘IATA’’)  projects
some profit weakening in 2012 as a result of relatively high
fuel  costs  and  softening  of  passenger  traffic  and  yields.  In
addition, IATA believes the most significant risk currently fac-
ing airline profitability for 2012 is the economic turmoil that
would  result  from  a  failure  of  governments  to  resolve  the
Eurozone sovereign debt crisis. While IATA is projecting air-
line industry profits of approximately $3.5 billion in 2012, it is
also  indicating  that  there  is  a  significant  risk  that  the  debt
crisis in the Eurozone, if unresolved, could lead to a banking
crisis and cause more widespread economic weakness. IATA
projects that a scenario of this nature could cause the world-
wide  airline  industry  to  experience  losses  of  as  much  as
$8.3 billion.

Despite  industry  cyclicality  and  current  stress,  we  remain
optimistic  about  the  long-term  future  of  air  transportation
and, more specifically, the growing role that the aircraft leas-
ing industry, and ALC specifically, provides in facilitating the

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

OVERVIEW
As  we  grow  our  business,  we  envision  funding  our  aircraft
purchases through multiple sources, including cash raised in
our  prior  equity  offerings,  cash  flow  from  operations,  the
Warehouse  Facility,  additional  unsecured  debt  financing
through banks and the capital markets, credit facilities, and
government-sponsored  export  guaranty  and 
lending
programs.

We  have  substantial  cash  requirements  as  we  continue  to
expand our fleet through our purchase commitments. How-
ever, we believe that we will have sufficient liquidity to satisfy
the operating requirements of our business through the next
twelve months.

Our liquidity plans are subject to a number of risks and uncer-
tainties, including those described in ‘‘Item 1A. Risk Factors’’
in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities
and  Exchange  Commission  on  March  9,  2012.  Macro-eco-
nomic  conditions  could  hinder  our  business  plans,  which
could, in turn, adversely affect our financing strategy.

DEBT
Our debt financing was comprised of the following at Decem-
ber 31, 2011 and 2010:

($ in thousands)

Secured

Term financings
Warehouse facility

Unsecured

Term financings
Convertible senior notes
Revolving credit facilities

December 31,
2011

December 31,
2010

$ 735,285
1,048,222

$ 223,981
554,915

1,783,507

778,896

268,209
200,000
358,000

826,209

13,085
—
120,000

133,085

911,981
—

Total secured and unsecured debt financing
Less: Debt discount

2,609,716
(6,917)

Total debt

$2,602,799

$ 911,981

Selected interest rates and ratios:

Composite interest rate(1)
Composite interest rate on fixed debt(1)
Percentage of total debt at fixed rate

3.14%
4.28%
24.3%

3.32%
3.83%
1.40%

(1)This  rate  does  not  include  the  effect  of  upfront  fees,  undrawn  fees  or

issuance cost amortization.

Secured Term Financing

compared to $554.9 million as of December 31, 2010. As of

During the year ended December 31, 2011, ten of our wholly-

December 31, 2011, the Company had pledged 38 aircraft as

owned subsidiaries entered into separate secured term facili-

collateral with a net book value of $1.6 billion. As of Decem-

ties, with recourse to the Company, aggregating $548.8 mil-

ber 31, 2010, the Company had pledged 23 aircraft as collat-

lion and one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries entered into a

eral  with  a  net  book  value  of  $930.0  million.  The  Company

$14.5 million, non-recourse, secured term facility.

had pledged cash collateral and lessee deposits of $86.9 mil-

The outstanding balance on our secured term facilities was

$735.3 million and $224.0 million at December 31, 2011 and

December  31,  2010,  respectively.  In  connection  with  these

facilities, the Company pledged $1.1 billion and $336.8 mil-

lion in aircraft collateral as of December 31, 2011 and 2010,

respectively.

Warehouse Facility

On May 26, 2010, ALC Warehouse Borrower, LLC, one of our

wholly-owned  subsidiaries,  entered  into  the  Warehouse

Facility,  which  is  a  non-recourse,  revolving  credit  facility  to

finance the acquisition of aircraft. On April 1, 2011, the Com-

pany executed an amendment to the Warehouse Facility that

took effect on April 21, 2011. This facility, as amended, pro-

lion  and  $48.3  million  at  December  31,  2011  and  Decem-

ber 31, 2010, respectively. We intend to continue to utilize the

Warehouse  Facility  to  finance  aircraft  acquisitions  through

2012, as this facility provides us with ample liquidity to make

opportunistic acquisitions of aircraft on short notice.

Unsecured Term Financings

During  the  year  ended  December  31,  2011,  the  Company

entered 

into  14  unsecured  term  facilities  aggregating

$141.6 million. We ended 2011 with a total of 16 unsecured

term  facilities.  The  total  amount  outstanding  under  our

unsecured term facilities was $148.2 million and $13.1 million

as  of  December  31,  2011  and  December  31,  2010,

respectively.

vides us with financing of up to $1.25 billion, modified from

In  June  2011,  the  Company  issued  $120.0  million  in  senior

the original facility size of $1.5 billion. We are able to draw on

unsecured notes in a private placement to institutional inves-

this  facility,  as  amended,  during  an  availability  period  that

tors. The notes have a five-year term and a coupon of 5.0%.

ends in June 2013. Prior to the amendment of the Warehouse

Facility,  the  Warehouse  Facility  accrued  interest  during  the

Convertible Senior Notes

availability period based on LIBOR plus 3.25% on drawn bal-

In  November  2011,  the  Company  issued  $200.0  million  in

ances  and  at  a  fixed  rate  of  1.00%  on  undrawn  balances.

aggregate  principal  amount  of  3.875%  convertible  senior

Following  the  amendment,  the  Warehouse  Facility  accrues

notes  due  2018  (the  ‘‘Convertible  Notes’’)  in  an  offering

interest  during  the  availability  period  based  on  LIBOR  plus

exempt from registration under the Securities Act. The Con-

2.50%  on  drawn  balances  and  at  a  fixed  rate  of  0.75%  on

vertible  Notes  bear  interest  at  a  rate  of  3.875%  per  annum

undrawn balances. Pursuant to the amendment, the advance

and are convertible at the option of the holder into shares of

level  under  the  facility  was  increased  from  65%  of  the

our Class A Common Stock at a price of $30.23 per share.

appraised value of the aircraft pledged and 50% of the cash

pledged to the Warehouse Facility to 70% of the appraised

value of the aircraft pledged and 50% of the cash pledged to

the Warehouse Facility. The outstanding drawn balance at the

end of the availability period may be converted at our option

to an amortizing, four-year term loan with an interest rate of

LIBOR plus 3.25% for the initial three years of the term and

margin step-ups during the remaining year that increase the

interest  to  LIBOR  plus  4.75%.  As  a  result  of  amending  the

Warehouse Facility, we recorded an extinguishment of debt

charge  of  $3.3  million  from  the  write-off  of  deferred  debt

issue  costs  when  the  amendment  became  effective  on

April 21, 2011.

Unsecured Revolving Credit Facilities

The  Company  ended  2011  with  a  total  of  13  revolving

unsecured  credit  facilities  aggregating  $358.0  million,  each

with a borrowing rate of LIBOR plus 2.00%. The total amount

outstanding  under  our  revolving  credit 

facilities  was

$358.0  million  and  $120.0  million  as  of  December  31,  2011

and December 31, 2010, respectively.

LIQUIDITY

We  finance  the  acquisition  of  our  aircraft  through  available

cash  balances,  internally  generated  funds  and  debt  financ-

ings. As of December 31, 2011, we had available liquidity of

$483.6 million comprised of unrestricted cash of $281.8 mil-

During 2011, the Company drew a net $493.3 million under

lion and undrawn balances under our Warehouse Facility of

the Warehouse Facility and incrementally pledged $660.7 mil-

$201.8 million.

lion in aircraft collateral. As of December 31, 2011, the Com-

pany had borrowed $1.0 billion under the Warehouse Facility

38

39

Our financing plan for 2012 is focused on continuing to raise
unsecured debt in the global bank market and through inter-
national and domestic capital markets transactions, reinvest-
ing  cash  flow  from  operations  and  through  government
guaranteed loan programs from the ECAs in support of our
new Airbus aircraft deliveries and Ex-Im Bank in support of
our new Boeing aircraft deliveries and direct financing from
BNDES/SBCE in support of our new Embraer deliveries.

In the first quarter of 2012, the Company entered into debt
facilities and obtained financing commitments for $855.0 mil-
lion.  This  included  eight  unsecured  debt  facilities  totaling
$522.0  million,  comprised  of:  $155.0  million  in  senior
unsecured notes issued in a private placement to institutional
investors;  $200.0  million  in  short-term  unsecured  bridge
financing from two members of our banking group in connec-
tion with the closing of four ECA supported aircraft deliveries;
$105.0 million in unsecured term financing and $62.0 million
of seller financing.

As  of  March 9,  2012,  we  had  obtained  long-term  funding
commitments from the ECAs and a banking group to provide

export guaranteed financing for eight of our Airbus deliveries
in 2012, aggregating to approximately $340.0 million in sov-
ereign  guaranteed  financing.  Additionally,  we  approached
Ex-Im Bank for support related to three aircraft and BNDES for
12  aircraft,  aggregating  $410.0  million  in  government  sup-
ported export financing.

Lastly, during the first quarter of 2012, a wholly-owned sub-
sidiary of the Company entered into a secured term facility to
finance  the  acquisition  of  aircraft.  This  facility  provided  the
Company with $192.8 million, which we will use to refinance
eight  aircraft  previously  financed  through  the  Warehouse
Facility creating additional availability under our Warehouse
Facility.

We  will  continue  to  focus  our  financing  efforts  throughout
2012  on  expanding  our  unsecured  borrowing  base  supple-
mented by internally generated funds and government sup-
ported export financing.

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS
Our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2011 are as follows:

($ in thousands)

Long-term debt obligations(1)(2)
Interest payments on debt outstanding(3)
Purchase commitments
Operating leases

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Thereafter

Total

$

196,374 $
50,467
1,926,515
1,441

480,852 $
44,674
1,525,660
2,325

457,816 $
34,848
1,417,023
2,395

330,520 $
29,056
1,381,288
2,467

671,009 $
21,222
950,515
2,541

473,145 $ 2,609,716
209,582
11,125,311
31,869

29,315
3,924,310
20,700

Total

$ 2,174,797 $ 2,053,511 $ 1,912,082 $ 1,743,331 $ 1,645,287 $ 4,447,470 $ 13,976,478

(2)Adjusted EBITDA is a measure of financial and operational performance

(1)As of December 31, 2011, the Company had $1.0 billion of debt outstanding under the Warehouse Facility which will come due beginning in June 2013. The
outstanding drawn balance at the end of the availability period may be converted at the Company’s option to an amortizing, four-year term loan and has
been presented as if such option were exercised in the contractual obligation schedule above.

(2)As of December 31, 2011, the Company had $358.0 million of debt outstanding under our revolving unsecured credit facilities. The outstanding drawn
balances may be rolled until the maturity date of each respective facility and have been presented as such in the contractual obligation schedule above.

(3)Future interest payments on floating rate debt are estimated using floating rates in effect at December 31, 2011.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

had entered into a binding lease commitment but for which

delivery occurred during February 2011.

Year Ended

from Inception to

December 31, 2011 December 31, 2010

For the period

Interest and other income

Interest  and  other  income  totaled  $4.0  million  for  the  year

$ 332,719

$ 57,075

ended December 31, 2011 compared to $1.3 million for the

4,022

336,741

1,291

58,366

period  from  inception  to  December  31,  2010.  During  2011,

the  Company  provided  short-term  bridge  financing  for  the

44,862

11,062

fee  and  interest  income.  In  addition,  the  Company  earned

acquisition of an aircraft for which we earned $1.9 million in

$0.5 million in servicing fee revenue with respect to the two

(in thousands, except share data)

Revenues

Rental of flight equipment

Interest and other

Total revenues

Expenses

Interest

Amortization of discounts and

deferred debt issue costs

Extinguishment of debt

Amortization of convertible debt

discounts

Interest expense

Depreciation of flight equipment

Selling, general and administrative

Stock-based compensation

Total expenses

Income (loss) before taxes

Income tax (expense) benefit

9,481

3,349

—

57,692

112,307

44,559

39,342

253,900

82,841

(29,609)

4,883

—

35,798

51,743

19,262

24,232

24,044

119,281

(60,915)

8,875

Net income (loss)

$ 53,232

$ (52,040)

Other Financial Data:

Adjusted net income(1)

Adjusted EBITDA(2)

$ 87,954

$ 290,168

$

2,520

$ 32,973

(1)Adjusted net income is a measure of financial and operational perform-

ance that is not defined by GAAP. See note 1 in ‘‘Selected Financial Data’’

elsewhere in this Annual Report for a discussion of adjusted net income

as  a  non-GAAP  measure  and  a  reconciliation  of  this  measure  to  net

income (loss) and cash flows from operations.

that  is  not  defined  by  GAAP.  See  note  2  in  ‘‘Selected  Financial  Data’’

elsewhere in this Annual Report for a discussion of adjusted EBITDA as a

non-GAAP measure and a reconciliation of this measure to net income

(loss) and cash flows from operations.

2011 Compared to 2010

Rental revenue

As of December 31, 2011, we had acquired 102 aircraft at a

total cost of $4.4 billion and recorded $332.7 million in rental

revenue  for  the  year  then  ended,  which  included  overhaul

revenue of $11.0 million. In the prior year, as of December 31,

2010, we had acquired 40 aircraft at a total cost of $1.6 billion

and recorded $57.1 million in rental revenue for the period

from inception to December 31, 2010, which included over-

haul revenue of $3.6 million. The increase in rental revenue

aircraft we manage.

Interest expense

Interest  expense  totaled  $57.7  million  for  the  year  ended

December 31, 2011 compared to $51.7 million for the period

from inception to December 31, 2010. The change was pri-

marily due to an increase in our outstanding debt balances

resulting in a $33.8 million increase in interest, an increase of

$4.6 million in amortization of our deferred debt issue costs

and  a  $3.3  million  charge  for  the  extinguishment  of  debt

associated  with  the  modification  of  the  Warehouse  Facility,

offset by a one-time $35.8 million charge for the amortization

of convertible debt discounts recorded during 2010.

The  $35.8  million  charge  in  2010  was  a  one-time,  equity-

neutral charge. This charge was a result of our issuance of

$60.0 million of convertible notes at 6.0%, on May 7, 2010, to

funds  managed  by  Ares  Management  LLC  and  Leonard

Green & Partners, L.P. and members of our management and

board of directors (and their family members or affiliates) and

simultaneously  entering  into  a  forward  purchase  arrange-

ment  with  such  funds  managed  by  Ares  Management  LLC

and  Leonard  Green  &  Partners,  L.P.  to  purchase  shares  at  a

discounted price.

We expect that our interest expense will increase as our aver-

age debt balance outstanding continues to increase.

Our overall composite interest rate decreased from the prior

year as a result of our credit spreads on new debt issuances

continuing to tighten, combined with a low, short-term inter-

est rate environment.

was  attributable  to  the  acquisition  and  lease  of  additional

Depreciation expense

aircraft. The full impact on rental revenue for aircraft acquired We recorded $112.3 million in depreciation expense of flight

during the period will be reflected in subsequent periods.

All of the aircraft in our fleet were leased as of December 31,

2011. All of the aircraft in our fleet were leased as of Decem-

ber 31, 2010, except for one aircraft with respect to which we

equipment for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared

to $19.3 million for the period from inception to December 31,

2010.  The  increase  in  depreciation  expense  for  2011,  com-

pared to 2010, was attributable to the acquisition of additional

aircraft.

40

41

The  full  impact  on  depreciation  expense  for  aircraft  added
during the year will be reflected in subsequent periods.

Selling, general and administrative expenses
We recorded selling, general and administrative expenses of
$44.6  million  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2011  com-
pared  to  $24.2  million  for  the  period  from  inception  to
December  31,  2010.  Selling,  general  and  administrative
expense  represents  a  disproportionately  higher  percentage
of revenues during our initial years of operation. As we con-
tinue to add new aircraft to our portfolio, we expect selling,
general  and  administrative  expense  to  continue  decreasing
as a percentage of our revenue.

adjusted net income for 2011, compared to 2010, was primar-
ily  attributable  to  the  acquisition  and  lease  of  additional
aircraft.

Adjusted net income is a measure of financial and operational
performance  that  is  not  defined  by  GAAP.  See  note  1  in
‘‘Selected Financial Data’’ elsewhere in this Annual Report for
a discussion of adjusted net income as a non-GAAP measure
and a reconciliation of this measure to net income (loss) and
cash flows from operations.

Adjusted EBITDA
We recorded adjusted EBITDA of $290.2 million for the year
ended December 31, 2011 compared to $33.0 million for the
period from inception to December 31, 2010. The change in
adjusted EBITDA for 2011, compared to 2010, was primarily
attributable to the acquisition and lease of additional aircraft.

Stock-based compensation expense
Stock-based compensation expense totaled $39.3 million for
the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to $24.0 million
for  the  period  from  inception  to  December  31,  2010.  This
increase is primarily a result of timing as the full impact on
stock-based compensation expense for grants made during
the second quarter of 2010, partially offset by the effects of
the  expense  recognition  pattern  related  to  our  restricted
stock unit grants, which are front end loaded. We determine
the fair value of our grants on the grant date and will recog-
nize  the  value  of  the  grants  as  expense  over  the  vesting OFF-BALANCE SHEET
period, with an offsetting increase to equity.

Adjusted  EBITDA  is  a  measure  of  financial  and  operational
performance  that  is  not  defined  by  GAAP.  See  note  2  in
‘‘Selected Financial Data’’ elsewhere in this Annual Report for
a discussion of adjusted EBITDA as a non-GAAP measure and
a reconciliation of this measure to net income (loss) and cash
flows from operations.

ARRANGEMENTS

Taxes
The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2011
was 35.7% compared to 14.6% for the period from inception
to December 31, 2010. The change in effective tax rate for the
respective  periods  is  primarily  a  result  of  a  one-time
$35.8 million charge for the amortization of convertible debt
discounts  recorded  in  2010  which  is  not  deductible  for  tax
purposes.

Net income (loss)
For  the  year  ended  December  31,  2011,  the  Company
reported consolidated net income of $53.2 million, or $0.59
per  diluted  share,  compared  to  a  consolidated  net  loss  of
$52.0 million, or $1.32 per diluted share, for the period from
inception to December 31, 2010. The increase in net income
for 2011, compared to 2010, was primarily attributable to the
acquisition and lease of additional aircraft.

Adjusted net income
We recorded adjusted net income of $88.0 million for the year
ended December 31, 2011 compared to $2.5 million for the
period from inception to December 31, 2010. The change in

We have not established any unconsolidated entities for the
purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or for
other  contractually  narrow  or  limited  purposes.  We  have,
however, from time to time established subsidiaries and cre-
ated  partnership  arrangements  or  trusts  for  the  purpose  of
leasing aircraft or facilitating borrowing arrangements.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

We believe the following critical accounting policies can have
a  significant  impact  on  our  results  of  operations,  financial
position and financial statement disclosures, and may require
subjective and complex estimates and judgments.

Lease revenue
We lease flight equipment principally under operating leases
and report rental income ratably over the life of each lease.
Rentals received, but unearned, under the lease agreements
are recorded in ‘‘Rentals received in advance’’ on our Consol-
idated  Balance  Sheet  until  earned.  The  difference  between
the rental income recorded and the cash received under the
provisions of the lease is included in ‘‘Lease receivables,’’ as a
component  of  ‘‘Other  assets’’  on  our  Consolidated  Balance

42

43

Sheet. An allowance for doubtful accounts will be recognized

Estimating  when  we  are  virtually  certain  that  Contingent

for past-due rentals based on management’s assessment of

Rental payments will not be reimbursed requires judgments

collectability.  Our  management  team  monitors  all  lessees

to be made as to the timing and cost of future maintenance

with past due lease payments (if any) and discusses relevant

events. In order to determine virtual certainty with respect to

operational and financial issues facing those lessees with our

this  contingency,  our  Technical  Asset  Management  depart-

marketing  executives  in  order  to  determine  an  appropriate

ment analyzes the terms of the lease, utilizes available cost

allowance for doubtful accounts. In addition, if collection is

estimates  published  by  the  equipment  manufacturers,  and

not reasonably assured, we will not recognize rental income

thoroughly evaluates an airline’s Maintenance Planning Doc-

for amounts due under our lease contracts and will recognize

ument (‘‘MPD’’). The MPD describes the required inspections

revenue for such lessees on a cash basis. Should a lessee’s

and the frequency of those inspections. Our Technical Asset

credit quality deteriorate, we may be required to record an

Management department utilizes this information, combined

allowance for doubtful accounts and/or stop recognizing rev-

with their cumulative industry experience, to determine when

enue until cash is received, both of which could have a mate-

major Qualifying Events are expected to occur for each rele-

rial  impact  on  our  results  of  operations  and  financial

vant component of the aircraft, and translates this informa-

condition.

Our  aircraft  lease  agreements  typically  contain  provisions

which require the lessee to make additional rental payments

based  on  either  the  usage  of  the  aircraft,  measured  on  the

basis  of  hours  or  cycles  flown  per  month  (a  cycle  is  one

take-off  and  landing),  or  calendar-based  time  (‘‘Contingent

Rentals’’).  These  payments  represent  contributions  to  the

tion into a determination of how much we will ultimately be

required  to  reimburse  to  the  lessee.  We  record  Contingent

Rental revenue as the aircraft is operated when we determine

that a Qualifying Event will occur outside the non-cancellable

lease  term  or  after  we  have  collected  Contingent  Rentals

equal to the amount that we expect to reimburse to the lessee

as the aircraft is operated.

cost  of  major  future  maintenance  events  (‘‘Qualifying

Should such estimates be inaccurate, we may be required to

Events’’)  associated  with  the  aircraft  and  typically  cover

reverse revenue previously recognized. In addition, if we can

major  airframe  structural  checks,  engine  overhauls,  the

no longer make accurate estimates with respect to a particu-

replacement  of  life  limited  parts  contained  in  each  engine,

lar lease, we will stop recognizing any Contingent Rental rev-

landing gear overhauls and overhauls of the auxiliary power

enue until the end of such lease.

unit.  These  Contingent  Rentals  are  generally  collected

monthly based on reports of usage by the lessee or collected

as fixed monthly rates.

All of our lease agreements are triple net leases whereby the

lessee  is  responsible  for  all  taxes,  insurance,  and  aircraft

maintenance. In the future, we may incur repair and mainte-

In accordance with our lease agreements, Contingent Rentals

nance expenses for off-lease aircraft. We recognize overhaul

are subject to reimbursement to the lessee upon the occur-

expense in our Consolidated Statement of Operations for all

rence  of  a  Qualifying  Event.  The  reimbursable  amount  is

such expenditures.

capped by the amount of Contingent Rentals received by the

Company, net of previous reimbursements. The Company is

only required to reimburse for Qualifying Events during the

lease  term.  The  Company  is  not  required  to  reimburse  for

routine  maintenance  or  additional  maintenance  costs

incurred during a Qualifying Event. All amounts of Contingent

Rentals unclaimed by the lessee at the end of the lease term

are retained by the Company.

We record as rental revenue the portion of Contingent Rent-

als that we are virtually certain we will not reimburse to the

lessee as a component of ‘‘Rental of flight equipment’’ in our

Consolidated  Statement  of  Operations.  Contingent  Rentals

which  we  may  be  required  to  reimburse  to  the  lessee  are

reflected in our overhaul reserve liability, as a component of

‘‘Security deposits and maintenance reserves on flight equip-

ment leases’’ in our Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Lessee-specific modifications such as those related to modifi-

cations of the aircraft cabin are expected to be capitalized as

initial direct costs and amortized over the term of the lease

into  rental  revenue  in  our  Consolidated  Statement  of

Operations.

Flight equipment

Flight equipment under operating lease is stated at cost less

accumulated  depreciation.  Purchases,  major  additions  and

modifications, and interest on deposits during the construc-

tion phase are capitalized. We generally depreciate passen-

ger aircraft on a straight-line basis over a 25-year life from the

date of manufacture to a 15% residual value. Changes in the

assumption of useful lives or residual values for aircraft could

have  a  significant  impact  on  our  results  of  operations  and

financial condition. At the time flight equipment is retired or

on audit, based on the technical merits of the position. Recog-

whereas we have used floating-rate debt to finance a signifi-

nized  income  tax  positions  are  measured  at  the  largest

cant portion of our aircraft acquisitions. As of December 31,

amount  that  has  a  probability  of  more  than  50%  of  being

2011, we had $2.0 billion in floating-rate debt. As of Decem-

realized.  Changes 

in  recognition  or  measurement  are

ber  31,  2010,  we  had  $898.9  million  in  floating-rate  debt.  If

reflected  in  the  period  in  which  the  change  in  judgment

interest rates increase, we would be obligated to make higher

occurs. As our business develops, we may take tax positions

interest  payments  to  our  lenders.  If  we  incur  significant

that have a probability of less than 50% of being sustained on

fixed-rate debt in the future, increased interest rates prevail-

audit  which  will  require  us  to  reserve  for  such  positions.  If

ing in the market at the time of the incurrence of such debt

these  tax  positions  are  audited  by  a  taxing  authority,  there

would  also  increase  our  interest  expense.  If  our  composite

can be no assurance that the ultimate resolution of such tax

rate  were  to  increase  by  1.0%,  we  would  expect  to  incur

positions will not result in further losses. Such losses could

additional interest expense on our existing indebtedness as

have  a  significant  impact  on  our  results  of  operations  and

of December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, of approxi-

financial condition.

mately $20.0 million and $9.0 million, each on an annualized

basis, which would put downward pressure on our operating

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE

margins.

DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Market risk represents the risk of changes in value of a finan-

cial instrument, caused by fluctuations in interest rates and

foreign exchange rates. Changes in these factors could cause

fluctuations in our results of operations and cash flows. We

are exposed to the market risks described below.

INTEREST RATE RISK

The nature of our business exposes us to market risk arising

from changes in interest rates. Changes, both increases and

decreases, in our cost of borrowing, as reflected in our com-

posite interest rate, directly impact our net income. Our lease

rental  stream  is  generally  fixed  over  the  life  of  our  leases,

FOREIGN EXCHANGE RATE RISK

The Company attempts to minimize currency and exchange

risks  by  entering  into  aircraft  purchase  agreements  and  a

majority of lease agreements and debt agreements with U.S.

dollars  as  the  designated  payment  currency.  Thus,  most  of

our revenue and expenses are denominated in U.S. dollars.

As of December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, 3.5% and

3.7%, respectively, of our lease revenues were denominated

in Euros. As our principal currency is the U.S. dollar, a contin-

uing weakness in the U.S. dollar as compared to other major

currencies should not have a significant impact on our future

operating results.

sold,  the  cost  and  accumulated  depreciation  are  removed
from the related accounts and the difference, net of proceeds,
is recorded as a gain or loss.

share-based payment awards granted have been equity clas-
sified awards. We account for such awards by estimating the
grant date fair value of the award as calculated by the Black-
Scholes-Merton (‘‘BSM’’) option pricing model and amortiz-
ing that value on a straight-line basis over the requisite ser-
vice period less any anticipated forfeitures. The estimation of
the  fair  value  of  share-based  awards  requires  considerable
judgment, particularly since we were a private company until
April 2011, with a short history of operations. Key estimates
we make in determining the fair value of an award include the
fair  value  of  our  Common  Stock,  the  expected  term  of  the
award and the volatility of our Common Stock. To date, we
have  principally  used  transaction  prices  from  sales  of  our
Common Stock to determine the fair value of our Common
Stock. As we have a limited history, we have used the simpli-
fied averaging approach to estimating the expected term of
the award. We have estimated the volatility of our Common
Stock by using the average historic volatility of a peer group
of companies. For future awards, we will be required to con-
tinue  to  make  such  subjective  judgments,  and  while  we
intend to continue to use the approach discussed above to
make key estimates, there can be no assurance that changes
in  such  estimates  will  not  have  a  significant  impact  to  our
results of operations in the future.

Our  management  team  evaluates  on  a  quarterly  basis  the
need  to  perform  an  impairment  test  whenever  facts  or  cir-
cumstances indicate a potential impairment has occurred. An
assessment  is  performed  whenever  events  or  changes  in
circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an aircraft
may not be recoverable. Recoverability of an aircraft’s carry-
ing amount is measured by comparing the carrying amount
of the aircraft to future undiscounted net cash flows expected
to be generated by the aircraft. The undiscounted cash flows
consist of cash flows from currently contracted leases, future
projected lease rates and estimated residual or scrap values
for  each  aircraft.  We  develop  assumptions  used  in  the
recoverability  analysis  based  on  our  knowledge  of  active
lease contracts, current and future expectations of the global
demand  for  a  particular  aircraft  type,  and  historical  experi-
ence in the aircraft leasing market and aviation industry, as
well  as  information  received  from  third-party  industry
sources.  The  factors  considered  in  estimating  the  undis-
counted cash flows are affected by changes in future periods
due  to  changes  in  contracted  lease  rates,  economic  condi-
tions, technology and airline demand for a particular aircraft
type. In the event that an aircraft does not meet the recover-
ability test, the aircraft will be recorded at fair value in accor- We  use  the  asset  and  liability  method  of  accounting  for
dance with our Fair Value Policy, resulting in an impairment
income taxes. Under the asset and liability method, deferred
charge.  Deterioration  of  future  lease  rates  and  the  residual
income  taxes  are  recognized  for  the  tax  consequences  of
values  of  our  aircraft  could  result  in  impairment  charges
‘‘temporary  differences’’  by  applying  enacted  statutory  tax
which could have a significant impact on our results of opera-
rates  applicable  to  future  years  to  differences  between  the
tions and financial condition. To date, we have not recorded
financial  statement  carrying  amounts  and  the  tax  basis  of
any impairment charges.
existing assets and liabilities. The effect on deferred taxes of a
change in the tax rates is recognized in income in the period
that  includes  the  enactment  date.  We  record  a  valuation
allowance  for  deferred  tax  assets  when  the  probability  of
realization  of  the  full  value  of  the  asset  is  less  than  50%.
Based  on  the  timing  of  reversal  of  deferred  tax  liabilities,
future  anticipated  taxable  income  based  on  lease  and  debt
arrangements in place at the balance sheet date and tax plan-
ning  strategies  available  to  us,  our  management  considers
the  deferred  tax  asset  recoverable.  Should  events  occur  in
the future that make the likelihood of recovery of deferred tax
assets less than 50%, a deferred tax valuation allowance will
be required that could have a significant impact on our results
of operations and financial condition.

We record flight equipment at fair value if we determine the
carrying value may not be recoverable. We principally use the
income  approach  to  measure  the  fair  value  of  aircraft.  The
income approach is based on the present value of cash flows
from contractual lease agreements and projected future lease
payments,  including  contingent  rentals,  net  of  expenses,
which extend to the end of the aircraft’s economic life in its
highest and best use configuration, as well as a disposition
value  based  on  expectations  of  market  participants.  These
valuations  are  considered  Level  3  valuations,  as  the  valua-
tions contain significant non-observable inputs.

Income taxes

Stock-based compensation
To compensate and incentivize our employees and directors,
we  grant  stock-based  compensation  awards.  To  date,  we
have  granted  stock  options  and  restricted  stock  units.  All

We recognize the impact of a tax position, if that position has
a probability of greater than 50% that it would be sustained

44

45

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED
PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Board of Directors and Shareholders
Air Lease Corporation:

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Air Lease Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31,
2011 and 2010, and the related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the year ended
December  31,  2011  and  the  period  from  inception  to  December  31,  2010.  These  consolidated  financial  statements  are  the
responsibility  of  the  Company’s  management.  Our  responsibility  is  to  express  an  opinion  on  these  consolidated  financial
statements based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).
Those  standards  require  that  we  plan  and  perform  the  audit  to  obtain  reasonable  assurance  about  whether  the  financial
statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts
and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant
estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit
provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In  our  opinion,  the  consolidated  financial  statements  referred  to  above  present  fairly,  in  all  material  respects,  the  financial
position of Air Lease Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, and the results of their operations and
their cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2011 and the period from inception to December 31, 2010, in conformity with
U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

7JAN201013030300

San Francisco, California
March 9, 2012

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

($ in thousands, except share data)

Assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Restricted cash

Flight equipment subject to operating leases

Less accumulated depreciation

Deposits on flight equipment purchases

Deferred debt issue costs — less accumulated amortization of $17,500 and $4,754 as of

December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively

Deferred tax asset

Other assets

Total assets

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

Accrued interest and other payables

Debt financing

Rentals received in advance

Deferred tax liability

Security deposits and maintenance reserves on flight equipment leases

Total liabilities

Shareholders’ Equity

outstanding

2010, respectively

Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued or

Class A Common Stock, $0.01 par value; authorized 500,000,000 shares; issued and

outstanding 98,885,131 and 63,563,810 shares at December 31, 2011 and December 31,

Class B Non-Voting Common Stock, $0.01 par value; authorized 10,000,000 shares; issued

and outstanding 1,829,339 shares

Paid-in capital

Retained earnings (accumulated deficit)

Total shareholders’ equity

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

(See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements)

December 31, 2011

December 31, 2010

$

281,805

$

328,821

96,157

4,368,985

(131,569)

4,237,416

405,549

47,609

—

96,057

48,676

1,649,071

(19,262)

1,629,809

183,367

46,422

8,875

30,312

$ 5,164,593

$ 2,276,282

$

54,648

2,602,799

284,154

26,017

20,692

$

22,054

911,981

109,274

8,038

—

$ 2,988,310

1,051,347

—

984

18

2,174,089

1,192

2,176,283

—

636

18

1,276,321

(52,040)

1,224,935

$ 5,164,593

$ 2,276,282

46

47

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

($ in thousands, except share data)

Revenues

Rental of flight equipment

Interest and other

Total revenues

Expenses

Interest

Amortization of discounts and deferred debt issue costs

Extinguishment of debt

Amortization of convertible debt discounts

Interest expense

Depreciation of flight equipment

Selling, general and administrative

Stock-based compensation

Total expenses

Income (loss) before taxes

Income tax (expense) benefit

Net income (loss)

Net income (loss) per share of Class A and Class B Common Stock:

Basic

Diluted

Weighted-average shares outstanding:

Basic

Diluted

(See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements)

($ in thousands, except share data)

Balance at inception

Class A Common Stock issuance

Class B conversion to Class A

Issuance of warrants

Conversion of convertible notes

Convertible debt discounts

Stock based compensation

Net (loss)

Balance at December 31, 2010

Class A Common Stock issuance

Issuance of restricted stock units

Stock based compensation

Net income

Balance at December 31, 2011

Tax withholdings on stock based compensation

(See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements)

Preferred Stock

Common Stock

Class A

Class B Non-Voting

Common Stock

Shares

Amount

Shares

Amount

Shares

Amount

Paid-in

Capital

Retained

Earnings

$ —

— $ —

— 55,750,972

558

$ — $

— $

— $

— 1,026,082

— 1,026,640

— 6,308,844

45 (4,479,505)

63

(45)

— 4,479,505

— 3,333,333

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

33

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

— 34,825,470

348

843,975

— (348,124)

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

124,852

—

5,578

59,967

35,798

24,044

866,882

—

(8,456)

39,342

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

$ — 98,885,131

$ 984

1,829,339

$ 18 $ 2,174,089 $

1,192 $ 2,176,283

—

53,232

$ — 63,563,810

$ 636

1,829,339

$ 18 $ 1,276,321 $ (52,040) $ 1,224,935

— (52,040)

(52,040)

Total

—

124,915

—

5,578

60,000

35,798

24,044

867,230

—

(8,456)

39,342

53,232

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Year Ended
December 31, 2011

For the period
from Inception to
December 31, 2010

$

332,719

$

57,075

Class B Non-Voting Common Stock issuance

4,022

336,741

44,862

9,481

3,349

—

57,692

112,307

44,559

39,342

253,900

82,841

(29,609)

53,232

0.59

0.59

$

$

$

1,291

58,366

11,062

4,883

—

35,798

51,743

19,262

24,232

24,044

119,281

(60,915)

8,875

(52,040)

(1.32)

(1.32)

$

$

$

89,592,945

90,416,346

39,511,045

39,511,045

48

49

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

($ in thousands)

Operating Activities
Net income (loss)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation of flight equipment
Stock-based compensation
Deferred taxes
Amortization of discounts and deferred debt issue costs
Extinguishment of debt
Amortization of convertible debt discounts
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Other assets
Accrued interest and other payables
Rentals received in advance

Net cash provided by operating activities

Investing Activities

Acquisition of flight equipment under operating lease
Payments for deposits on flight equipment purchases
Acquisition of furnishings, equipment and other assets

Net cash used in investing activities

Financing Activities

Issuance of common stock and warrants
Tax withholdings on stock based compensation
Issuance of convertible notes
Net change in unsecured revolving facilities
Proceeds from debt financings
Payments in reduction of debt financings
Restricted cash
Debt issue costs
Security deposits and maintenance reserve receipts
Security deposits and maintenance reserve disbursements

Net cash provided by financing activities

Net increase (decrease) in cash
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

Supplemental Disclosure of Cash Flow Information

Cash paid during the period for interest, including capitalized interest of $10,390 at

December 31, 2011 and capitalized interest of $1,769 at December 31, 2010

Supplemental Disclosure of Noncash Activities

Buyer furnished equipment, capitalized interest and deposits on flight equipment
purchases applied to acquisition of flight equipment under operating leases

Conversion of convertible notes to Class A Common Stock

(See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements)

Year Ended
December 31, 2011

For the period
from Inception to
December 31, 2010

$

53,232

$

(52,040)

112,307
39,342
29,567
9,481
3,349
—

(17,438)
19,347
17,979

267,166

(2,529,901)
(360,587)
(86,668)

(2,977,156)

867,230
(8,456)
193,000
238,000
1,344,530
(84,796)
(47,481)
(13,933)
180,862
(5,982)

2,662,974

(47,016)
328,821

281,805

51,986

190,013
—

$

$

$
$

19,262
24,044
(8,875)
4,883
—
35,798

(8,040)
18,864
8,038

41,934

(1,649,071)
(183,367)
(19,082)

(1,851,520)

1,157,133
—
60,000
120,000
796,921
(4,940)
(48,676)
(51,305)
109,274
—

2,138,407

328,821
—

328,821

12,723

—
60,000

$

$

$
$

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

POLICIES

ORGANIZATION

the Company had no such allowance, and no leases were on

a cash basis.

All of the Company’s lease agreements are triple net leases

aircraft maintenance. In the future, we may incur repair and

maintenance  expenses  for  off-lease  aircraft.  We  recognize

overhaul expense in our Consolidated Statement of Opera-

NOTE 1.

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING

whereby the lessee is responsible for all taxes, insurance, and

Air Lease Corporation (the ‘‘Company’’, ‘‘ALC’’, ‘‘we’’, ‘‘our’’

tions for all such expenditures. In many operating lease con-

or  ‘‘us’’)  was  incorporated  in  the  State  of  Delaware  and

tracts, the lessee is obligated to make periodic payments of

licensed to operate in the State of California. We commenced

supplemental maintenance rent, which is calculated with ref-

operations in February 2010 and elected a fiscal year end of

erence  to  the  utilization  of  the  airframe,  engines  and  other

December  31.  The  Company  is  principally  engaged  in  the

major  life-limited  components  during  the  lease.  In  these

leasing  of  commercial  aircraft  to  airlines  throughout  the

leases, we will make a payment to the lessee to compensate

world.  We  supplement  our  leasing  revenues  by  providing

the  lessee  for  the  cost  of  the  actual  major  maintenance

fleet management and remarketing services to third parties.

incurred, up to the maximum of the amount of supplemental

We typically provide many of the same services that we per-

maintenance rental payments made by the lessee during the

form for our fleet, including leasing, releasing, lease manage-

lease  term.  These  payments  are  made  upon  the  lessee’s

ment and sales services for which we charge a fee, with the

presentation of invoices evidencing the completion of such

objective  of  assisting  our  clients  to  maximize  lease  or  sale

qualifying  major  maintenance.  The  Company  records  as

revenues.

PRINCIPLES OF CONSOLIDATION

rental revenue, the portion of supplemental maintenance rent

that is virtually certain will not be reimbursed to the lessee.

Supplemental maintenance rental payments which we may

The Company consolidates financial statements of all entities

be  required  to  reimburse  to  the  lessee  are  reflected  in  our

in which we have a controlling financial interest, including the

overhaul reserve liability, as a component of Security depos-

account  of  any  Variable  Interest  Entity  in  which  we  have  a

its and overhaul reserves on flight equipment leases in our

controlling  financial  interest  and  for  which  we  are  thus  the

Consolidated Balance Sheet.

primary beneficiary. All material intercompany balances are

eliminated in consolidation.

Lessee-specific modifications are expected to be capitalized

as initial direct costs and amortized over the term of the lease

into  rental  revenue  in  our  Consolidated  Statement  of

RENTAL OF FLIGHT EQUIPMENT

The Company leases flight equipment principally under oper-

Operations.

ating leases and reports rental income ratably over the life of

each lease. Rentals received, but unearned, under the lease

agreements are recorded in Rentals received in advance on

the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet until earned. The

difference between the rental income recorded and the cash

received  under  the  provisions  of  the  lease  is  included  in

Lease  receivables,  as  a  component  of  Other  assets  on  the

Company’s  Consolidated  Balance  Sheet.  An  allowance  for

doubtful  accounts  will  be  recognized  for  past-due  rentals

based  on  management’s  assessment  of  collectability.  Man-

agement monitors all lessees with past due lease payments

and discuss relevant operational and financial issues facing

those lessees with its marketing executives in order to deter-

mine an appropriate allowance for doubtful accounts. In addi-

tion, if collection is not reasonably assured, the Company will

not recognize rental income for amounts due under the Com-

pany’s  lease  contracts  and  will  recognize  revenue  for  such

lessees on a cash basis. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010,

INITIAL DIRECT COSTS

The  Company  records  as  period  costs  those  internal  and

other costs incurred in connection with identifying, negotiat-

ing  and  delivering  aircraft  to  the  Company’s  lessees.

Amounts paid by us to lessees, or other parties, in connection

with the lease transactions are capitalized and amortized as a

reduction to lease revenue over the lease term.

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

The  Company  considers  cash  and  cash  equivalents  to  be

cash  on  hand  and  highly  liquid  investments  with  original

maturity dates of 90 days or less.

RESTRICTED CASH

Restricted cash consists of pledged security deposits, main-

tenance  reserves,  and  rental  payments  related  to  secured

aircraft financing arrangements.

50

51

FLIGHT EQUIPMENT
Flight equipment under operating lease is stated at cost less
accumulated  depreciation.  Purchases,  major  additions  and
modifications, and interest on deposits during the construc-
tion phase are capitalized. The Company generally depreci-
ates passenger aircraft on a straight-line basis over a 25-year
life  from  the  date  of  manufacture  to  a  15%  residual  value.
Changes in the assumption of useful lives or residual values
for aircraft could have a significant impact on the Company’s
results of operations and financial condition.

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
Fair  value  is  the  amount  that  would  be  received  to  sell  an
asset  or  paid  to  transfer  a  liability  in  an  orderly  transaction
between market participants at the measurement date. The
Company  measures  the  fair  value  of  certain  assets  on  a
non-recurring  basis,  principally  our  flight  equipment,  when
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (‘‘GAAP’’) requires
the application of fair value, including events or changes in
circumstances  that  indicate  that  the  carrying  amounts  of
assets may not be recoverable.

At the time flight equipment is retired or sold, the cost and
accumulated  depreciation  are  removed  from  the  related
accounts and the difference, net of proceeds, is recorded as a
gain or loss on our Consolidated Statement of Operations.

Management evaluates on a quarterly basis the need to per-
form  an  impairment  test  whenever  facts  or  circumstances
indicate a potential impairment has occurred. An assessment
is performed whenever events or changes in circumstances
indicate  that  the  carrying  amount  of  an  aircraft  may  not  be
recoverable. Recoverability of an aircraft’s carrying amount is
measured by comparing the carrying amount of the aircraft to
future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated
by the aircraft. The undiscounted cash flows consist of cash
flows from currently contracted leases, future projected lease
rates and estimated residual or scrap values for each aircraft.
We develop assumptions used in the recoverability analysis
based  on  our  knowledge  of  active  lease  contracts,  current
and future expectations of the global demand for a particular
aircraft type, and historical experience in the aircraft leasing
market and aviation industry, as well as information received
from third-party industry sources. The factors considered in
estimating  the  undiscounted  cash  flows  are  affected  by
changes in future periods due to changes in contracted lease
rates, economic conditions, technology and airline demand
for a particular aircraft type. In the event that an aircraft does
not meet the recoverability test, the aircraft will be recorded
at  fair  value  in  accordance  with  the  Company’s  Fair  Value
Policy, resulting in an impairment charge. Our Fair Value Pol-
icy is described below under ‘‘Fair Value Measurements’’. As
of December 31, 2011 and 2010, no impairment charges have
been incurred to date.

CAPITALIZED INTEREST
The Company may borrow funds to finance deposits on new
flight equipment purchases. The Company capitalizes inter-
est expense on such borrowings. The capitalized amount is
calculated  using  our  composite  borrowing  rate  and  is
recorded as an increase to the cost of the flight equipment on
our Consolidated Balance Sheet.

The Company records flight equipment at fair value when we
determine  the  carrying  value  may  not  be  recoverable.  The
Company principally uses the income approach to measure
the  fair  value  of  flight  equipment.  The  income  approach  is
based  on  the  present  value  of  cash  flows  from  contractual
lease  agreements  and  projected  future  lease  payments,
including contingent rentals, net of expenses, which extend
to the end of the aircraft’s economic life in its highest and best
use  configuration,  as  well  as  a  disposition  value  based  on
expectations  of  market  participants.  These  valuations  are
considered Level 3 valuations, as the valuations contain sig-
nificant non-observable inputs.

INCOME TAXES
The Company uses the asset and liability method of account-
ing  for  income  taxes.  Under  the  asset  and  liability  method,
deferred  income  taxes  are  recognized  for  the  tax  conse-
quences  of  ‘‘temporary  differences’’  by  applying  enacted
statutory  tax  rates  applicable  to  future  years  to  differences
between  the  financial  statement  carrying  amounts  and  the
tax  basis  of  existing  assets  and  liabilities.  The  effect  on
deferred taxes of a change in the tax rates is recognized in
income in the period that includes the enactment date. The
Company  records  a  valuation  allowance  for  deferred  tax
assets when the probability of realization of the full value of
the  asset  is  less  than  50%.  The  Company  recognizes  the
impact  of  a  tax  position,  if  that  position  is  more  than  50%
likely to be sustained on audit, based on the technical merits
of  the  position.  Recognized  income  tax  positions  are  mea-
sured at the largest amount that is greater than 50% likely to
be  realized.  Changes  in  recognition  or  measurement  are
reflected  in  the  period  in  which  the  change  in  judgment
occurs.

The Company recognizes interest and penalties for uncertain
tax positions in income tax expense.

DEFERRED COSTS
The Company incurs debt issue costs in connection with debt
financings. Those costs are deferred and amortized over the

life  of  the  specific  loan  using  the  effective  interest  method

The Company’s secured obligations as of December 31, 2011

and charged to interest expense. The Company also incurs

and 2010 are summarized below:

costs  in  connection  with  equity  offerings.  Such  costs  are

($ in thousands)

deferred  until  the  equity  offering  is  completed  and  either

Nonrecourse

netted  against  the  equity  raised,  or  expensed  if  the  equity

offering is abandoned.

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

Stock-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date

based  on  the  fair  value  of  the  award.  The  Company  recog-

nizes  compensation  costs  for  shares  that  are  expected  to

vest, on a straight-line basis, over the requisite service period

of the award.

USE OF ESTIMATES

from those estimates.

RECLASSIFICATION

The  preparation  of  financial  statements  in  conformity  with

GAAP requires management to make estimates and assump-

tions that affect the amounts reported in the financial state-

ments  and  accompanying  notes.  Actual  results  could  differ

Certain amounts have been reclassified in the 2010 financial

statements to conform to 2011 presentation.

NOTE 2.

DEBT FINANCING

The Company’s consolidated debt as of December 31, 2011

and 2010 are summarized below:

($ in thousands)

Secured

Term financings

Warehouse facility

Unsecured

Term financings

Convertible senior notes

Revolving credit facilities

Total unsecured debt financing

Total secured and unsecured

debt financing

Less: Debt discount

268,209

200,000

358,000

826,209

2,609,716

(6,917)

13,085

—

120,000

133,085

911,981

—

Total debt

$ 2,602,799

$ 911,981

At December 31, 2011, we were in compliance in all material

respects with the covenants in our debt agreements, includ-

and 2010, respectively.

ing our financial covenants concerning debt-to-equity, tangi-

ble net equity and interest coverage ratios.

WAREHOUSE FACILITY

Recourse

Total

Number of aircraft pledged as

collateral

Net book value of aircraft

pledged as collateral

December 31, 2011

December 31, 2010

$ 1,076,965

706,542

$ 1,783,507

$

$

573,222

205,674

778,896

54

29

$ 2,692,652

$ 1,266,762

SECURED TERM FINANCINGS

The  Company  funds  some  aircraft  purchases  through

secured  term  financings.  Wholly-owned  subsidiaries  of  the

Company will borrow through secured bank facilities to pur-

chase an aircraft. The aircraft are then leased by the wholly-

owned subsidiaries to airlines. The Company may guarantee

the  obligations  of  the  wholly-owned  subsidiaries  under  the

loan agreements. The loans may be secured by a pledge of

the  shares  of  the  subsidiary,  the  aircraft,  the  lease  receiv-

ables, security deposits, maintenance reserves or a combina-

tion thereof.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, ten of our wholly-

owned subsidiaries entered into separate secured term facili-

ties, with recourse to the Company, aggregating $548.8 mil-

lion and one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries entered into a

$14.5 million, non-recourse, secured term facility. In connec-

tion with these facilities, the Company pledged $816.6 million

under  our  secured  term  facilities  as  of  December  31,  2011

was  comprised  of  $184.3  million  fixed  rate  debt  and

$550.9 million floating rate debt, with interest rates ranging

from  4.28%  to  5.36%  and  LIBOR  plus  1.5%  to  LIBOR  plus

3.6%,  respectively.  The  outstanding  balance  under  our

secured  term  facilities  as  of  December  31,  2010  was  com-

prised entirely of floating rate debt with interest rates ranging

from LIBOR plus 2.6% to LIBOR plus 3.0%. In connection with

these  facilities,  the  Company  pledged  $1.1  billion  and

$336.8 million in aircraft collateral as of December 31, 2011

On May 26, 2010, ALC Warehouse Borrower, LLC, one of our

wholly-owned  subsidiaries,  entered  into  the  Warehouse

Facility,  which  is  a  non-recourse,  revolving  credit  facility  to

finance the acquisition of aircraft. On April 1, 2011, the Com-

pany executed an amendment to the Warehouse Facility that

December 31, 2011 December 31, 2010

in aircraft collateral.

Total secured debt financing

1,783,507

778,896

December  31,  2010,  respectively.  The  outstanding  balance

$

735,285

1,048,222

$ 223,981

554,915

The outstanding balance on our secured term facilities was

$735.3 million and $224.0 million at December 31, 2011 and

52

53

took effect on April 21, 2011. This facility, as amended, pro-
vides us with financing of up to $1.25 billion, modified from
the original facility size of $1.5 billion. We are able to draw on
this  facility,  as  amended,  during  an  availability  period  that
ends in June 2013. Prior to the amendment of the Warehouse
Facility,  the  Warehouse  Facility  accrued  interest  during  the
availability period based on LIBOR plus 3.25% on drawn bal-
ances  and  at  a  fixed  rate  of  1.00%  on  undrawn  balances.
Following  the  amendment,  the  Warehouse  Facility  accrues
interest  during  the  availability  period  based  on  LIBOR  plus
2.50%  on  drawn  balances  and  at  a  fixed  rate  of  0.75%  on
undrawn balances. Pursuant to the amendment, the advance
level  under  the  facility  was  increased  from  65%  of  the
appraised value of the aircraft pledged and 50% of the cash
pledged to the Warehouse Facility to 70% of the appraised
value of the aircraft pledged and 50% of the cash pledged to
the Warehouse Facility. The outstanding drawn balance at the
end of the availability period may be converted at our option
to an amortizing, four-year term loan with an interest rate of
LIBOR plus 3.25% for the initial three years of the term and
margin step-ups during the remaining year that increase the
interest  to  LIBOR  plus  4.75%.  As  a  result  of  amending  the
Warehouse Facility, we recorded an extinguishment of debt
charge  of  $3.3  million  from  the  write-off  of  deferred  debt
issue  costs  when  the  amendment  became  effective  on
April 21, 2011.

During 2011, the Company drew a net $493.3 million under
the Warehouse Facility and incrementally pledged $660.7 mil-
lion in aircraft collateral. As of December 31, 2011, the Com-
pany had borrowed $1.0 billion under the Warehouse Facility
compared to $554.9 million as of December 31, 2010. As of
December 31, 2011, the Company had pledged 38 aircraft as
collateral with a net book value of $1.6 billion. As of Decem-
ber 31, 2010, the Company had pledged 23 aircraft as collat-
eral  with  a  net  book  value  of  $930.0  million.  The  Company
had pledged cash collateral and lessee deposits of $86.9 mil-
lion  and  $48.3  million  at  December  31,  2011  and  Decem-
ber 31, 2010, respectively. We intend to continue to utilize the
Warehouse  Facility  to  finance  aircraft  acquisitions  through
2012, as this facility provides us with ample liquidity to make
opportunistic acquisitions of aircraft on short notice.

UNSECURED TERM FINANCINGS
The  Company  funds  some  aircraft  purchases  through
unsecured term financings.

In  June  2011,  the  Company  issued  $120.0  million  in  senior
unsecured notes in a private placement to institutional inves-
tors. The notes have a five-year term and a coupon of 5.0%.

During  the  year  ended  December  31,  2011,  the  Company
entered into 13 additional unsecured term facilities aggregat-
ing $121.6 million with terms ranging from one to five years
with  fixed  interest  rates  ranging  from  3.0%  to  4.3%  and  a
three-year $20.0 million unsecured term facility at a floating
rate of LIBOR plus 3.95%. We ended 2011 with a total of 16
unsecured term facilities all of which bear interest at a rate of
LIBOR  plus  2.0%.  The  total  amount  outstanding  under  our
unsecured term facilities was $148.2 million and $13.1 million
as  of  December  31,  2011  and  December  31,  2010,
respectively.

In  April  2010,  the  Company  borrowed  $2.0  million  under  a
promissory note agreement with an entity controlled by the
Company’s Chairman and CEO. Interest due under the prom-
issory note was based on LIBOR plus 3.50%, compounded
annually. This note matured on June 4, 2010, upon the suc-
cessful offering of the Company’s common stock pursuant to
Rule 144A, Regulation S, and Regulation D of the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended.

In February 2010, the Company borrowed $250,000 under a
promissory note agreement with an entity controlled by the
Company’s Chairman and CEO. Interest due under the prom-
issory  note  was  at  an  annual  rate  of  3.00%,  compounded
quarterly. This note matured on June 4, 2010, upon the suc-
cessful offering of the Company’s common stock pursuant to
Rule 144A, Regulation S, and Regulation D of the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended.

CONVERTIBLE SENIOR NOTES
During  the  year  ended  December  31,  2011,  the  Company
issued  $200.0  million  in  aggregate  principal  amount  of
3.875% convertible senior notes due 2018 (the ‘‘Convertible
Notes’’)  in  an  offering  exempt  from  registration  under  the
Securities Act. The Convertible Notes were sold to Qualified
Institutional  Buyers  in  reliance  upon  Rule  144A  under  the
Securities Act. The Convertible Notes are senior unsecured
obligations  of  the  Company  and  bear  interest  at  a  rate  of
3.875%  per  annum,  payable  semi-annually  in  arrears  on
June 1 and December 1 of each year, commencing on June 1,
2012. The Convertible Notes are convertible at the option of
the holder into shares of our Class A Common Stock at a price
of $30.23 per share.

On May 7, 2010, two investors (the ‘‘Early Investors’’) agreed
to lend the Company $50.0 million, and certain members of
the Company’s management (and their respective families or
affiliates) and Board of Directors agreed to lend the Company
$10.0 million, pursuant to convertible promissory note agree-
ments. Interest accrued under the notes at an annual rate of

6.00%  and  was  payable  quarterly  in  cash.  The  notes  were

offsetting increase to Paid-in capital on the Company’s Con-

automatically converted on June 4, 2010, in satisfaction of the

solidated  Balance  Sheet.  The  Company  fully  amortized  this

lenders’  obligations  to  purchase  shares  of  the  Company’s

debt  discount  into  Interest  expense  on  the  Consolidated

common stock at a price equal to $18.00 per share, in connec-

Statement of Operations upon the conversion of the notes.

tion with the successful offering of the Company’s common

stock pursuant to Rule 144A, Regulation S, and Regulation D

UNSECURED REVOLVING CREDIT FACILITIES

of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

The Company funds some aircraft purchases through revolv-

to  December  31,  2010,  including  $50.0  million  of  the  Com-

and December 31, 2010, respectively.

On May 7, 2010, the Early Investors contingently committed

to purchase $250.0 million of the Company’s common stock

at the lesser of (i) $18.00 per share and (ii) 90% of the offering

price per share upon the completion of the Company’s com-

mon stock offering pursuant to Rule 144A, Regulation S, and

Regulation D of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, prior

pany’s common stock that would be acquired upon conver-

sion of the convertible promissory notes. On June 4, 2010,

the  Early  Investors  purchased  $250.0  million  of  the  Com-

pany’s  common  stock  at  a  price  equal  to  $18.00  per  share

upon the completion of the Company’s common stock offer-

ing, including $50.0 million of the Company’s common stock

that was acquired upon conversion of the convertible promis-

sory notes.

ing unsecured credit facilities.

The  Company  ended  2011  with  a  total  of  13  revolving

unsecured  credit  facilities  aggregating  $358.0  million,  each

with a borrowing rate of LIBOR plus 2.00%. The total amount

outstanding  under  our  revolving  credit 

facilities  was

$358.0  million  and  $120.0  million  as  of  December  31,  2011

Maturities of debt outstanding as of December 31, 2011 are

MATURITIES

as follows:

($ in thousands)

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Years ending December 31,

$

196,374

480,852

457,816

330,520

671,009

473,145

$ 2,609,716

The Early Investors simultaneously entered into a convertible

note agreement and a contingent stock purchase agreement.

The Company allocated the proceeds received between the

Thereafter

Total(1)(2)

convertible note and the stock purchase agreement based on

their relative fair value at issuance. An independent appraiser

determined that the relative aggregate fair value of the con-

vertible notes and stock purchase agreement was $35.4 mil-

lion  and  $14.6  million,  respectively.  Consequently  the

Company recorded a $14.6 million discount at the issuance of

the  convertible  notes,  with  an  offsetting  increase  to  Paid-in

capital on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet. The

Company  fully  amortized  this  debt  discount  into  Interest

expense on the Consolidated Statement of Operations upon

the conversion of the notes.

The  Company  evaluated  the  conversion  option  within  the

convertible notes to determine whether the conversion price

was beneficial to the note holders. For the convertible notes

issued  to  the  Early  Investors,  management  measured  the

intrinsic  value  in  the  conversion  option  based  on  the  pro-

ceeds allocated to the convertible debt after proceeds were

allocated to the contingent stock purchase agreement. As a

result,  the  Company  determined  that  the  beneficial  conver-

sion features within the convertible notes was $21.2 million.

The Company recorded the beneficial conversion feature as a

discount  at  the  issuance  of  the  convertible  notes,  with  an

(1) As of December 31, 2011, the Company had $1.0 billion of debt outstanding

under the Warehouse Facility which will come due beginning in June 2013. The

outstanding  drawn  balance  at  the  end  of  the  availability  period  may  be  con-

verted at the Company’s option to an amortizing, four-year term loan and has

been presented as such in the maturity schedule, above.

(2) As of December 31, 2011, the Company had $358.0 million of debt outstanding

under  our  revolving  unsecured  credit  facilities.  The  outstanding  drawn  bal-

ances may be rolled until the maturity date of each respective facility and have

been presented as such in the maturity schedule, above.

NOTE 3.

INTEREST EXPENSE

The following table shows the components of interest for the

year ended December 31, 2011 and the period from inception

to December 31, 2010:

($ in thousands)

Interest on borrowings

Less capitalized interest

Interest

Amortization of discounts and deferred

debt issue costs

Extinguishment of debt

Amortization of convertible debt

discounts

Interest expense

Year ended from inception to

December 31, 2011 December 31, 2010

For the period

$

55,252

$ 12,831

(10,390)

44,862

9,481

3,349

(1,769)

11,062

4,883

—

—

35,798

$

57,692

$ 51,743

54

55

SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

NOTE 4.
In  2010,  the  Company  authorized  500,000,000  shares  of
Class A Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share, of which
98,885,131 and 63,563,810 shares were issued and outstand-
ing  as  of  December  31,  2011  and  2010,  respectively.  As  of
December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company had authorized
10,000,000  shares  of  Class  B  Non-Voting  Common  Stock,
$0.01  par  value  per  share,  of  which  1,829,339  shares  were
issued  and  outstanding.  The  rights  and  obligations  of  the
holders of Class A and Class B Non-Voting Common Stock are
identical, except with respect to voting rights and conversion
rights.  The  holders  of  Class  A  Common  Stock  possess  all
voting power, and are not convertible into Class B Non-Voting
Common Stock.

Each share of Class B Non-Voting Common Stock is converti-
ble into one share of Class A Common Stock at the option of
the  holder,  and  is  automatically  converted  at  the  time  it  is
transferred to a third party unaffiliated with such initial holder,
subject to the transfer restrictions.

As of December 31, 2011 and 2010 the Company had autho-
rized  50,000,000  shares  of  preferred  stock,  $0.01  par  value
per share, of which no shares were issued or outstanding.

On  June  4,  2010,  the  Company  issued  482,625  warrants  to
two institutional investors (the ‘‘Committed Investors’’). The
warrants have a seven-year term and an exercise price of $20
per share. The Company uses the BSM option pricing model
to determine the fair value of warrants. The fair value of war-
rants was calculated on the date of grant by an option-pricing
model using a number of complex and subjective variables.
These  variables  include  expected  stock  price  volatility  over
the  term  of  the  warrant,  projected  exercise  behavior,  a
risk-free interest rate and expected dividends. The warrants

have a fair value at the grant date of $5.6 million. The warrants
are classified as an equity instrument and the proceeds from
the  issuance  of  common  stock  to  the  Committed  Investors
was split between the warrants and the stock based on fair
value of the warrants and recorded as an increase to Paid-in
capital on the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

On April 25, 2011, we completed an initial public offering of
our Class A Common Stock and listing of our Class A Com-
mon Stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the sym-
bol  ‘‘AL.’’  The  offering  was  upsized  by  20%  and  the
underwriters  exercised  their  over-allotment  option  in  full,
resulting in the sale of an aggregate of 34,825,470 shares of
Class  A  Common  Stock.  We  received  gross  proceeds  of
approximately $922.9 million.

RENTAL INCOME
NOTE 5.
At  December  31,  2011  minimum 
future  rentals  on
non-cancelable  operating  leases  of  flight  equipment,  which
have been delivered as of December 31, 2011, are as follows:

($ in thousands)

Years ending December 31,
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Thereafter

Total

$

481,636
453,889
415,206
374,257
323,270
267,123

$ 2,315,381

The Company earned $ 11.0 million and $3.6 million in contin-
gent rentals based on our lessees’ usage of the aircraft for the
year ended December 31, 2011 and the period from inception
to December 31, 2010, respectively.

The following table shows the scheduled lease terminations (for the minimum noncancelable period which does not include
contracted unexercised lease extension options) by aircraft type for our operating lease portfolio as of December 31, 2011:

Aircraft type

Airbus A319-100
Airbus A320-200
Airbus A321-200
Airbus A330-200
Boeing 737-700
Boeing 737-800
Boeing 767-300ER
Boeing 777-200ER
Boeing 777-300ER
Embraer E175-200
Embraer E190-100
ATR 72-600

Total

56

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Thereafter

Total

2

1

1

3
3

1
3
2

2
7
1

1
2

9

1
2
2
1
2
3

1

4

12

10

12

12

2
12
1
9
3
7

4
2
10
2

52

7
21
3
11
8
30
3
1
4
2
10
2

102

NOTE 6.

CONCENTRATION OF RISK

GEOGRAPHICAL AND CREDIT RISKS

As  of  December  31,  2011,  all  of  the  Company’s  revenues

were  generated  by  leasing  flight  equipment  to  foreign  and

domestic airlines, and currently the Company leases aircraft

to 55 lessees in 33 countries compared to 25 lessees in 15

countries as of December 31, 2010.

Over 90% of our aircraft are operated internationally based

on net book value. The following table sets forth the net book

value  and  percentage  of  the  net  book  value  of  our  aircraft

portfolio  operating  in  the  indicated  regions  as  of  Decem-

ber 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010:

Region

($ in thousands)

Europe

Asia/Pacific

Latin America

North America

Africa and Middle East

December 31, 2011

December 31, 2010

Net book

Net book

value % of total

value % of total

$ 1,782,949

42.1% $

1,355,432

515,145

386,101

197,789

32.0

12.2

9.1

4.6

688,607

425,670

163,622

254,201

97,709

42.3%

26.1

10.0

15.6

6.0

Total

$ 4,237,416

100.0% $ 1,629,809

100.0%

At December 31, 2011 and 2010, we leased aircraft to cus-

tomers in the following regions:

Region

Europe

Asia/Pacific

Latin America

North America

Africa and Middle East

Total

December 31, 2011

December 31, 2010

Number of

Number of

customers(1) % of total

customers(1) % of total

13

22

8

7

5

23.6%

40.0

14.6

12.7

9.1

6

8

4

4

3

24.0%

32.0

16.0

16.0

12.0

As our aircraft portfolio grows, we anticipate that a growing

percentage of our aircraft will be located in the Asia/Pacific,

the Latin America, and the Africa and Middle East regions.

The following table sets forth the revenue attributable to indi-

vidual  countries  representing  at  least  10%  of  our  rental  of

flight equipment revenue for the year ended December 31,

2011 and the period from inception to December 31, 2010,

based on each airline’s principal place of business.

Country

($ in thousands)

France

China

Germany

Year Ended

December 31, 2011

For the period

from Inception to

December 31, 2010

Amount of

Amount of

rental revenue % of total

rental revenue % of total

$ 62,240

$ 39,603

$ 29,642

18.7%

11.9%

8.9%

$ 8,598

$ 6,091

$ 15,153

15.1%

10.7%

26.5%

The following table sets forth the revenue attributable to indi-

vidual airlines representing at least 10% of our rental of flight

equipment  revenue  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2011

and the period from inception to December 31, 2010, based

on each airline’s principal place of business.

Customer(1)

($ in thousands)

Air France

Air Berlin

Year Ended

December 31, 2011

For the period

from Inception to

December 31, 2010

Amount of

Amount of

rental revenue % of total

rental revenue % of total

$ 45,444

$ 29,642

13.7%

8.9%

$ 8,598

$ 15,153

15.1%

26.5%

(1)A customer is an airline with its own operating certificate.

CURRENCY RISK

The Company attempts to minimize currency and exchange

risks  by  entering  into  aircraft  purchase  agreements  and  a

(1)A customer is an airline with its own operating certificate.

dollars as the designated payment currency.

55

100.0%

25

100.0%

majority of lease agreements and debt agreements with U.S.

The following table sets forth the dollar amount and percent-

age of our rental of flight equipment revenues attributable to

the indicated regions based on each airline’s principal place

NOTE 7.

INCOME TAXES

The provision for income taxes consists of the following:

of business:

Region

($ in thousands)

Europe

Asia/Pacific

Latin America

North America

Africa and Middle East

Year Ended

December 31, 2011

For the period

from Inception to

December 31, 2010

Amount of

Amount of

rental revenue % of total rental revenue % of total

$ 151,566

45.6%

$ 31,157

54.6%

93,237

30,714

39,350

17,852

28.0

9.2

11.8

5.4

11,933

4,953

6,309

2,723

20.9

8.7

11.0

4.8

($ in thousands)

Current:

Federal

State

Foreign

Deferred:

Federal

State

Foreign

Total

$ 332,719

100.0%

$ 57,075

100.0%

Year Ended

December 31, 2011

For the Period

from Inception to

December 31, 2010

$

$

—

—

49

29,102

458

—

—

—

—

(8,547)

(328)

—

Income tax (expense) benefit

$ 29,609

$ (8,875)

57

Differences  between  the  provision  for  income  taxes  and
income taxes at the statutory federal income tax rate are as
follows:

Year Ended
December 31, 2011

For the Period
from Inception to
December 31, 2010

($ in thousands)

Amount Percent

Amount

Percent

Income taxes at statutory federal rate
State income taxes, net of federal

$ 28,997 35.0% $ (21,320) (35.0)%

income tax effect

298

0.3

(213)

(0.4)

Nondeductible interest — convertible

note
Other

— —
0.4

314

12,529
129

20.6
0.2

$ 29,609 35.7% $

(8,875) (14.6)%

The  Company’s  net  deferred  tax  assets  (liabilities)  are  as
follows:

($ in thousands)

Assets (Liabilities)

Equity compensation
Net operating losses
Rents received in advance
Accrued bonus
Other
Aircraft depreciation

Year Ended
December 31, 2011

For the Period
from Inception to
December 31, 2010

$

16,057
12,000
9,163
3,043
3,730
(64,685)

$

8,616
5,726
2,920
2,575
489
(11,451)

Total (liabilities) assets

$ (20,692)

$

8,875

At December 31, 2011 and 2010, the Company has net oper-
ating loss carry-forwards (NOLs) for federal and state income
tax purposes of $37.8 million and $17.8 million, respectively,
which are available to offset future taxable income in future
periods  and  begin  to  expire  in  2030.  The  Company  recog-
nizes tax benefits associated with stock-based compensation
directly to stockholders’ equity only when realized. Accord-
ingly, deferred tax assets are not recognized for net operating

NOTE 8.

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

loss  carryforwards  resulting  from  windfall  tax  benefits.  A
windfall tax benefit occurs when the actual tax benefit real-
ized upon an employee’s disposition of a share-based award
exceeds the cumulative book compensation charge associ-
ated with the award. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the
Company has windfall tax benefits of $3.7 million and zero,
respectively, included in its U.S. net operating loss carryfor-
ward, but not reflected in deferred tax assets. The Company
uses a with-and-without approach to determine if the excess
tax deductions associated compensation costs have reduced
income taxes payable.

The  Company  has  not  recorded  a  deferred  tax  valuation
allowance  as  of  December  31,  2010  as  realization  of  the
deferred  tax  asset  is  considered  more  likely  than  not.  In
assessing the realizability of the deferred tax assets manage-
ment considered whether future taxable income will be suffi-
cient during the periods in which those temporary differences
are deductible or before NOLs expire. Management consid-
ers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected
taxable  income  and  tax  planning  strategies  in  making  this
assessment. Management anticipates the timing differences
on aircraft depreciation will reverse and be available for off-
setting  the  reversal  of  deferred  tax  assets.  As  of  Decem-
ber  31,  2011  and  2010  the  Company  has  not  recorded  any
liability for unrecognized tax benefits.

The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. and various
state  and  foreign  jurisdictions.  The  Company  is  subject  to
examinations by the major tax jurisdictions for the 2010 tax
year and forward.

AIRCRAFT ACQUISITION
As of December 31, 2011, we had contracted to buy 217 new aircraft for delivery through 2020 as follows:

Aircraft Type

Airbus A320/321-200
Airbus A320/321 NEO(1)(2)
Airbus A330-200/300
Boeing 737-800
Boeing 777-300ER
Boeing 787-9(1)
Embraer E175/190
ATR 72-600

Total

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Thereafter

Total

lease term at December 31, 2011 are as follows:

10

6
4

17
8

45

13

3
12

1
2

31

12

7

12
2

14
3

3

17

47

20

4

42
50
9
79
5
4
18
10

26

24

20

71

217

(1)As of December 31, 2011, the Airbus A320/321 NEO aircraft and the Boeing 787-9 aircraft were subject to non-binding memoranda of understanding for the

purchase of these aircraft.

(2)We have cancellation rights with respect to 14 of the Airbus A320/321 NEO aircraft.

Commitments for the acquisition of these aircraft and other

reflects the potential dilution that would occur if securities or

equipment at an estimated aggregate purchase price (includ-

other  contracts  to  issue  common  stock  were  exercised  or

ing adjustments for inflation) of approximately $11.0 billion at

converted into common stock; however, potential common

December 31, 2011 are as follows:

($ in thousands)

Years ending December 31,

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Thereafter

Total

1,525,660

1,417,023

1,381,288

950,515

3,924,310

$ 11,125,311

We  have  made  non-refundable  deposits  on  the  aircraft  for

which we have commitments to purchase of $405.5 million

and  $183.4  million  as  of  December  31,  2011  and  Decem-

ber 31, 2010, respectively, which are subject to manufacturer

performance  commitments.  If  we  are  unable  to  satisfy  our

purchase  commitments,  we  may  be  forced  to  forfeit  our

deposits. Further, we would be exposed to breach of contract

claims by our lessees and manufacturers.

OFFICE LEASE

equivalent shares are excluded if the effect of including these

shares would be anti-dilutive. The Company’s two classes of

common stock, Class A and Class B Non-Voting, have equal

$ 1,926,515

rights  to  dividends  and  income,  and  therefore,  basic  and

diluted  earnings  per  share  are  the  same  for  each  class  of

common stock.

Diluted net earnings per share takes into account the poten-

tial  conversion  of  stock  options,  restricted  stock  units,  and

warrants  using  the  treasury  stock  method  and  convertible

notes  using  the  if-converted  method.  For  the  year  ended

December 31, 2011, the Company excluded 3,375,908 shares

related to stock options which are potentially dilutive securi-

ties  from  the  computation  of  diluted  earnings  per  share

because  including  these  shares  would  be  anti-dilutive.  For

the period from inception to December 31, 2010, the Com-

pany  excluded  206,749  shares  related  to  these  potentially

dilutive securities from the computation of diluted earnings

per  share  because  they  were  anti-dilutive.  In  addition,  the

Company excluded 2,613,539 and 3,225,907 shares related to

The Company’s lease for office space provides for step rent-

restricted stock units for which the performance metric had

als over the term of the lease. Those rentals are considered in

yet  to  be  achieved  as  of  December  31,  2011  and  2010,

the  evaluation  of  recording  rent  expense  on  a  straight-line

respectively.

basis  over  the  term  of  the  lease.  Tenant  improvement

allowances received from the lessor are deferred and amor-

tized in selling, general and administrative expenses against

rent expense. The Company recorded office lease expense of

$2.1 million and $0.5 million for the year ended December 31,

($ in thousands, except share data)

2011 and the period from inception to December 31, 2010,

Basic net income per share:

The following table sets forth the reconciliation of basic and

diluted net income (loss) per share:

Year Ended

December 31, 2011

For the period

from Inception to

December 31, 2010

$

53,232

$

(52,040)

Numerator

Net income (loss)

Denominator

Commitments for minimum rentals under the non-cancelable

Weighted-average common

($ in thousands)

Years ending December 31,

respectively.

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Thereafter

Total

NOTE 9.

NET EARNINGS PER SHARE

Basic  net  earnings  per  share  is  computed  by  dividing  net

income (loss) by the weighted average number of common

shares outstanding for the period. Diluted earnings per share

shares outstanding

Basic net income per share

89,592,945

$

0.59

39,511,045

$

(1.32)

$ 1,441

2,325

2,395

2,467

2,541

20,700

$ 31,869

Diluted net income per share:

Numerator

Net income (loss)

Interest on convertible senior

notes

Net income (loss) plus

assumed conversions

Denominator

Number of shares used in basic

computation

Weighted-average effect of

dilutive securities

Number of shares used in per

$

53,232

$

(52,040)

560

—

$

53,792

$

(52,040)

89,592,945

39,511,045

823,401

—

share computation

Diluted net income per share

90,416,346

$

0.59

39,511,045

$

(1.32)

58

59

NOTE 10.

FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

ASSETS AND LIABILITIES MEASURED AT FAIR VALUE ON A
RECURRING AND NON-RECURRING BASIS
The Company had no assets or liabilities which are measured
at  fair  value  on  a  recurring  or  non-recurring  basis  as  of
December 31, 2011 or 2010.

FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
The  carrying  value  reported  on  the  balance  sheet  for  cash
and  cash  equivalents,  restricted  cash  and  other  payables
approximates their fair value.

The  fair  value  of  debt  financing  is  estimated  based  on  the
quoted market prices for the same or similar issues, or on the
current  rates  offered  to  the  Company  for  debt  of  the  same
remaining maturities. The estimated fair value of debt financ-
ing as of December 31, 2011 was $2,591.0 million compared
to a book value of $2,602.8 million. The estimated fair value of
debt financing as of December 31, 2010 was $931.2 million
compared to a book value of $912.0 million.

STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
NOTE 11.
In  accordance  with  the  Amended  and  Restated  Air  Lease
Corporation 2010 Equity Incentive Plan (‘‘Plan’’), the number
of stock options (‘‘Stock Options’’) and restricted stock units
(‘‘RSUs’’)  authorized  under  the  Plan 
is  approximately
8,193,088  as  of  December  31,  2011.  Options  are  generally
granted for a term of 10 years. As of December 31, 2011, the
Company  granted  3,375,908  Stock  Options  and  3,457,964
RSUs.

The  Company  recorded  $39.3  million  and  $24.0  million  of
stock-based  compensation  expense  for  the  year  ended
December 31, 2011 and the period from inception to Decem-
ber 31, 2010, respectively.

STOCK OPTIONS
The Company uses the BSM option pricing model to deter-
mine the fair value of stock options. The fair value of stock-
based payment awards on the date of grant is determined by
an option-pricing model using a number of complex and sub-
jective  variables.  These  variables  include  expected  stock
price volatility over the term of the awards, a risk-free interest
rate and expected dividends.

Estimated volatility of the Company’s common stock for new
grants is determined by using historical volatility of the Com-
pany’s peer group. Due to our limited operating history, there
is  no  historical  exercise  data  to  provide  a  reasonable  basis
which  the  Company  can  use  to  estimate  expected  terms.

Accordingly, the Company uses the ‘‘simplified method’’ as
permitted  under  Staff  Accounting  Bulletin  No.  110.  The
risk-free  interest  rate  used  in  the  option  valuation  model  is
derived from U.S. Treasury zero-coupon issues with remain-
ing terms similar to the expected term on the options. The
Company does not anticipate paying any cash dividends in
the foreseeable future and therefore uses an assumed divi-
dend  yield  of  zero  in  the  option  valuation  model.  In  accor-
dance  with  ASC  Topic  718,  Compensation  — Stock
Compensation, the Company estimates forfeitures at the time
of grant and revises those estimates in subsequent periods if
actual forfeitures differ from those estimates. During the year
ended  December  31,  2011,  the  Company  granted  150,000
Stock Options. The average assumptions used to value stock-
based payments are as follows:

Dividend yield
Expected term
Risk-free interest rate
Volatility

Year Ended
December 31, 2011

For the period
from Inception to
December 31, 2010

None
5.9 years

2.4%
50.2%

None
6.0 years

2.3%
52.7%

A  summary  of  stock  option  activity  in  accordance  with  the
Company’s stock option plan as of December 31, 2011 and
2010, and changes for the year and the period from inception
then ended follows:

Shares

Exercise
 price

Remaining
contractual
term
(in years)

Aggregate
intrinsic value
(in thousands)(1)

Balance at

December 31,
2010
Granted
Exercised
Forfeited/

canceled

Balance at

December 31,
2011
Vested and

exercisable
as of
December 31,
2011
Vested and

exercisable
as of
December 31,
2011 and
expected to
vest
thereafter(2)

$ 20.00
$ 28.80

9.5
9.3

$
$

—
—

3,225,908
150,000
—

—

3,375,908

$ 20.39

8.5

$ 11,968

1,125,292

$ 20.00

8.5

$

4,175

3,365,818

$ 20.39

8.5

$ 11,931

(1)The aggregate intrinsic value is calculated as the difference between the
exercise  price  of  the  underlying  awards  and  the  closing  stock  price  of
$23.71 of our Class A Common Stock on December 31, 2011.

(2)Options expected to vest reflect an estimated forfeiture rate.

Stock-based  compensation  expense  related  to  employee
stock options for the year ended December 31, 2011 and the

period  from  inception  to  December  31,  2010,  totaled

expected to be recognized over a weighted average remain-

$12.0 million and $6.1 million, respectively.

ing period of 1.03 years.

The  following  table  summarizes  additional  information

regarding outstanding and exercisable and vested at Decem-

ber 31, 2011:

Options outstanding

Options exercisable

and vested

Weighted-

average

remaining

Range of exercise prices

Number of

life Number of

shares

(in years)

shares

(in years)

$20.00

$28.80

3,225,908

150,000

8.5 1,125,292

9.3

—

$20.00 - $28.80

3,375,908

8.5 1,125,292

Weighted-

average

remaining

life

8.5

—

8.5

NOTE 12.

RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

In March 2011, we entered into a Servicing Agreement with

Commonwealth Bank of Australia and one of its subsidiaries.

Commonwealth Bank beneficially owns more than 5% of our

Class  A  Common  Stock,  and  one  of  our  directors,  Ian  M.

Saines,  is  Group  Executive  of  the  Institutional  Banking  and

Markets  division  of  Commonwealth  Bank.  Pursuant  to  the

Servicing Agreement, we agreed to arrange the acquisition of

an Airbus A320 aircraft on behalf of the subsidiary, to manage

the lease of the aircraft to a third party and subsequent les-

As of December 31, 2011, there was $17.2 million of unrecog-

sees, and if requested by the subsidiary, to remarket the air-

nized  compensation  cost  related  to  outstanding  employee

craft for subsequent leases or for sale. In connection with this

stock options. This amount is expected to be recognized over

transaction, Commonwealth Bank paid us fees for acquiring

a  weighted-average  period  of  1.4  years.  To  the  extent  the

the aircraft and for collecting the first rent payment under the

actual  forfeiture  rate  is  different  from  what  we  have  esti-

lease, and will pay us a percentage of the contracted rent and

mated,  stock-based  compensation  related  to  these  awards

the rent actually paid by the lessee each month. We may earn

Unvested at December 31, 2010

Granted

Vested

Forfeited/canceled

will be different from our expectations.

RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT PLAN

The  following  table  summarizes  the  activities  for  our

unvested RSUs for the year ended December 31, 2011:

up to an aggregate of approximately $650,000 in fees under

the Servicing Agreement in connection with the acquisition

of the aircraft and management of the current lease.

In  March  2011,  Commonwealth  Bank  of  Australia  provided

the Company with a three-year unsecured revolving loan of

$25.0 million at a rate of LIBOR plus 2.0%.

In  March  2011,  Commonwealth  Bank  of  Australia  provided

the  Company  with  a  five-year  unsecured  term  loan  of

$12.0 million at a rate of 4.1%.

In October 2011, Commonwealth Bank of Australia provided

the  Company  with  a  five-year  unsecured  term  loan  of

Unvested Restricted

Stock Units

Number of

shares

3,225,907

232,057

(843,975)

(450)

Weighted-

Average

grant-date

fair value

$ 20.00

$ 28.80

$ 20.00

$ 20.00

Unvested at December 31, 2011

2,613,539

$ 20.78

Expected to vest after December 31, 2011(1)

2,602,154

$ 20.78

$13.0 million at a rate of 3.5%.

(1)RSUs expected to vest reflect an estimated forfeiture rate.

At December 31, 2011, the outstanding RSUs are expected to

In December 2011, the Company, through a limited liability

company of which it is the sole member, entered into a pur-

vest as follows: 2012 — 895,327; 2013 — 874,380; 2014 — chase agreement to acquire a corporate aircraft in 2012. The

843,832. The Company recorded $27.4 million and $17.9 mil-

lion of stock-based compensation expense related to RSUs

for the year ended December 31, 2011 and the period from

inception to December 31, 2010, respectively.

As of December 31, 2011, there was $42.9 million of unrecog-

nized compensation cost, adjusted for estimated forfeitures,

related  to  unvested  stock-based  payments  granted  to

employees.  Total  unrecognized  compensation  cost  will  be

adjusted  for  future  changes  in  estimated  forfeitures  and  is

right to purchase the corporate aircraft was formerly held by

an unrelated entity controlled by Mr. Udvar-H´azy, our Chair-

man and CEO. The parties conducted this transaction on an

arm’s-length  basis.  The  Company  believes,  based  on  inde-

pendent expert advice, that at the time the Company entered

into the purchase agreement, the purchase price of the air-

craft  was  significantly  below  the  then-current  fair  market

value for such aircraft. No financial payment was made, and

no financial benefit was received, by Mr. Udvar-H´azy.

60

61

NOTE 13.
The following table presents our unaudited quarterly results of operations for the period from inception to December 31, 2011.

QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA (UNAUDITED)

SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

($ in thousands, except share data)

Revenues
Income (loss) before taxes
Net income (loss)
Net income (loss) per share:

Basic
Diluted

Quarter Ended

Mar 31,
2010

Jun 30,
2010

Sep 30,
2010

Dec 31,
2010

Mar 31,
2011

Jun 30,
2011

Sep 30,
2011

Dec 31,
2011

$ — $
(477)
(477)

1,709
(45,143)
(41,141)

$ 19,752
(11,237)
(7,747)

$ 36,905
(4,058)
(2,675)

$ 55,215
4,924
3,176

$ 74,344
10,888
7,023

$ 92,125
28,341
18,271

$ 115,057
38,688
24,762

$ (1.06)
$ (1.06)

$
$

(2.37)
(2.37)

$
$

(0.12)
(0.12)

$
$

(0.04)
(0.04)

$
$

0.05
0.05

$
$

0.08
0.08

$
$

0.18
0.18

$
$

0.25
0.24

The sum of quarterly earnings (loss) per share amounts may not equal the annual amount reported since per share amounts are
computed independently for each period presented.

SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

NOTE 14.
In  the  first  quarter  of  2012  the  Company  entered  into  eight
unsecured  debt  facilities  totaling  $522.0  million,  which
included: $155.0 million in senior unsecured notes issued in a
private placement to institutional investors; $200.0 million in
short-term unsecured bridge financing from two members of
our banking group in connection with the closing of four ECA
supported  aircraft  deliveries;  $105.0  million  in  unsecured
term financing and $62.0 million of seller financing. We will
continue  to  place  an  emphasis  on  raising  additional
unsecured financing through the balance of 2012.

As of March 9, 2012 we had obtained credit approvals from
the ECAs and arranged a bank group to provide export guar-
anteed  financing  for  eight  of  our  Airbus  deliveries  in  2012

aggregating  to  approximately  $340.0  million  in  sovereign
guarantees.

Additionally, during the first quarter of 2012, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of the Company entered into a secured term facil-
ity to finance the acquisition of aircraft. This facility provided
the Company $192.8 million, which we will use to refinance
eight  aircraft  previously  financed  through  the  Warehouse
Facility creating additional availability under our Warehouse
Facility.

You should read the following selected consolidated financial data in conjunction with ‘‘Management’s Discussion and Analysis

of Financial Condition and Results of Operations’’ and our consolidated financial statements and the related notes appearing

elsewhere in this Annual Report.

The  consolidated  statements  of  operations  data  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2011  and  the  period  from  inception  to

December 31, 2010 and the consolidated balance sheet data at December 31, 2011 and 2010 are derived from our audited

consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report. The historical results are not necessarily indica-

tive of the results to be expected in any future period.

($ in thousands, except share and aircraft data)

Operating data:

Rentals of flight equipment

Interest and other

Total revenues

Expenses

Income (loss) before taxes

Income tax (expense) benefit

Net income (loss)

Net income (loss) per share:

Weighted average shares outstanding:

Basic

Diluted

Basic

Diluted

Other financial data:

Adjusted net income(1)

Adjusted EBITDA(2)

Cash flow data:

Net cash flows from:

Operating activities

Investing activities

Financing activities

Balance sheet data:

Total assets

Total debt

Total liabilities

Shareholders’ equity

Other operating data:

Owned(3)

Managed(4)

Aircraft lease portfolio at period end:

($ in thousands, except share and aircraft data)

Flight equipment subject to operating leases (net of accumulated depreciation)

Year Ended

December 31, 2011

For the period

from Inception to

December 31, 2010

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

332,719

$

4,022

336,741

253,900

82,841

(29,609)

53,232

0.59

0.59

$

$

$

57,075

1,291

58,366

119,281

(60,915)

8,875

(52,040)

(1.32)

(1.32)

89,592,945

90,416,346

39,511,045

39,511,045

$

$

87,954

290,168

2,520

32,973

$

267,166

(2,977,156)

2,662,974

41,934

(1,851,520)

2,138,407

As of December 31,

2011

2010

$ 4,237,416

$ 1,629,809

5,164,593

2,602,799

2,988,310

2,176,283

2,276,282

911,981

1,051,347

1,224,935

102

2

40

—

(1)Adjusted net income (defined as net income before stock-based compensation expense and non-cash interest expense, which includes the amortization of

debt issuance costs, extinguishment of debt and convertible debt discounts) is a measure of both operating performance and liquidity that is not defined by

United States generally accepted accounting principles (‘‘GAAP’’) and should not be considered as an alternative to net income, income from operations or

any other performance measures derived in accordance with GAAP. Adjusted net income is presented as a supplemental disclosure because management

believes that it may be a useful performance measure that is used within our industry. We believe adjusted net income provides useful information on our

earnings from ongoing operations, our ability to service our long-term debt and other fixed obligations, and our ability to fund our expected growth with

internally generated funds. Set forth below is additional detail as to how we use adjusted net income as a measure of both operating performance and

liquidity, as well as a discussion of the limitations of adjusted net income as an analytical tool and a reconciliation of adjusted net income to our GAAP net

loss and cash flow from operating activities.

62

63

Operating Performance: Management and our board of directors use adjusted net income in a number of ways to assess our consolidated financial and
operating performance, and we believe this measure is helpful in identifying trends in our performance. We use adjusted net income as a measure of our
consolidated operating performance exclusive of income and expenses that relate to the financing, income taxes, and capitalization of the business. Also,
adjusted net income assists us in comparing our operating performance on a consistent basis as it removes the impact of our capital structure (primarily
one-time amortization of convertible debt discounts) and stock-based compensation expense from our operating results. In addition, adjusted net income
helps management identify controllable expenses and make decisions designed to help us meet our current financial goals and optimize our financial
performance. Accordingly, we believe this metric measures our financial performance based on operational factors that we can influence in the short term,
namely the cost structure and expenses of the organization.

Liquidity:
flow we have available to service our debt obligations, and we believe this measure can serve the same purpose for our investors.

In addition to the uses described above, management and our board of directors use adjusted net income as an indicator of the amount of cash

the cost structure and expenses of the organization.

Limitations: Adjusted net income has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation, or as a substitute for analysis of our
operating results or cash flows as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are as follows:

Liquidity:

In addition to the uses described above, management and our board of directors use adjusted EBITDA as an indicator of the amount of cash flow

we have available to service our debt obligations, and we believe this measure can serve the same purpose for our investors.

(cid:2) adjusted net income does not reflect (i) our cash expenditures or future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments, or (ii) changes

in or cash requirements for our working capital needs; and

Limitations: Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider it in isolation, or as a substitute for analysis of our operating

results or cash flows as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are as follows:

(cid:2) our calculation of adjusted net income may differ from the adjusted net income or analogous calculations of other companies in our industry, limiting its

usefulness as a comparative measure.

The following tables show the reconciliation of net income (loss) and cash flows from operating activities, the most directly comparable GAAP measures of
performance and liquidity, to adjusted net income.

(cid:2) adjusted EBITDA does not reflect our cash expenditures or future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments;

(cid:2) adjusted EBITDA does not reflect changes in or cash requirements for our working capital needs;

(cid:2) adjusted EBITDA does not reflect interest expense or cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our debt; and

($ in thousands)

Reconciliation of cash flows from operating activities to adjusted net income:

Year Ended
December 31, 2011

For the period
From Inception to
December 31, 2010

comparative measures.

(cid:2) other  companies  in  our  industry  may  calculate  these  measures  differently  from  how  we  calculate  these  measures,  limiting  their  usefulness  as

EBITDA as a measure of both operating performance and liquidity, as well as a discussion of the limitations of adjusted EBITDA as an analytical tool and a

reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to our GAAP net loss and cash flow from operating activities.

Operating Performance: Management and our board of directors use adjusted EBITDA in a number of ways to assess our consolidated financial and

operating performance, and we believe this measure is helpful in identifying trends in our performance. We use adjusted EBITDA as a measure of our

consolidated operating performance exclusive of income and expenses that relate to the financing, income taxes, and capitalization of the business. Also,

adjusted EBITDA assists us in comparing our operating performance on a consistent basis as it removes the impact of our capital structure (primarily

one-time amortization of convertible debt discounts) and stock-based compensation expense from our operating results. In addition, adjusted EBITDA helps

management identify controllable expenses and make decisions designed to help us meet our current financial goals and optimize our financial perform-

ance. Accordingly, we believe this metric measures our financial performance based on operational factors that we can influence in the short term, namely

Net cash provided by operating activities
Depreciation of flight equipment
Stock-based compensation
Deferred taxes
Amortization of discounts and deferred debt issue costs
Extinguishment of debt
Amortization of convertible debt discounts
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Other assets
Accrued interest and other payables
Rentals received in advance

Net income (loss)
Amortization of discounts and deferred debt issue costs
Extinguishment of debt
Amortization of convertible debt discounts
Stock-based compensation
Tax effect

Adjusted net income

($ in thousands)

Reconciliation of net income (loss) to adjusted net income:

Net income (loss)
Amortization of discounts and deferred debt issue costs
Extinguishment of debt
Amortization of convertible debt discounts
Stock-based compensation
Tax effect

Adjusted net income

$ 267,166
(112,307)
(39,342)
(29,567)
(9,481)
(3,349)
—

17,438
(19,347)
(17,979)

53,232
9,481
3,349
—
39,342
(17,450)

$ 41,934
(19,262)
(24,044)
8,875
(4,883)
—
(35,798)

8,040
(18,864)
(8,038)

(52,040)
4,883
—
35,798
24,044
(10,165)

$

87,954

$

2,520

Year Ended
December 31, 2011

For the period
From Inception to
December 31, 2010

$ 53,232
9,481
3,349
—
39,342
(17,450)

$ (52,040)
4,883
—
35,798
24,044
(10,165)

$ 87,954

$

2,520

(2)Adjusted  EBITDA  (defined  as  net  income  (loss)  before  net  interest  expense,  stock-based  compensation  expense,  income  tax  expense  (benefit),  and
depreciation and amortization expense) is a measure of both operating performance and liquidity that is not defined by GAAP and should not be considered
as  an  alternative  to  net  income,  income  from  operations  or  any  other  performance  measures  derived  in  accordance  with  GAAP.  Adjusted  EBITDA  is
presented as a supplemental disclosure because management believes that it may be a useful performance measure that is used within our industry. We
believe adjusted EBITDA provides useful information on our earnings from ongoing operations, our ability to service our long-term debt and other fixed
obligations, and our ability to fund our expected growth with internally generated funds. Set forth below is additional detail as to how we use adjusted

(3)As of December 31, 2011, we owned 102 aircraft (of which 36 were new aircraft and 66 were used aircraft). As of December 31, 2010, we owned 40 aircraft of

which four were new aircraft and 36 were used aircraft.

(4)As of December 31, 2011, we managed two aircraft. As of December 31, 2010, we did not manage any aircraft.

64

65

The following tables show the reconciliation of net income (loss) and cash flows from operating activities, the most directly comparable GAAP measures of

performance and liquidity, to adjusted EBITDA.

($ in thousands)

Reconciliation of cash flows from operating activities to adjusted EBITDA:

Amortization of discounts and deferred debt issue costs

Net cash provided by operating activities

Depreciation of flight equipment

Stock-based compensation

Deferred taxes

Extinguishment of debt

Amortization of convertible debt discounts

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

Other assets

Accrued interest and other payables

Rentals received in advance

Net income (loss)

Net interest expense

Income taxes

Depreciation

Stock-based compensation

Adjusted EBITDA

Net income (loss)

Net interest expense

Income taxes

Depreciation

Stock-based compensation

Adjusted EBITDA

($ in thousands)

Reconciliation of net income (loss) to adjusted EBITDA:

Year Ended

December 31, 2011

For the period

From Inception to

December 31, 2010

$ 267,166

(112,307)

$ 41,934

(39,342)

(29,567)

(9,481)

(3,349)

—

17,438

(19,347)

(17,979)

53,232

55,678

29,609

112,307

39,342

(19,262)

(24,044)

8,875

(4,883)

—

(35,798)

8,040

(18,864)

(8,038)

(52,040)

50,582

(8,875)

19,262

24,044

$ 290,168

$ 32,973

Year Ended

December 31, 2011

For the period

From Inception to

December 31, 2010

$

$

53,232

55,678

29,609

112,307

39,342

(52,040)

50,582

(8,875)

19,262

24,044

$

290,168

$

32,973

FroM LeFt to right: robert milton, ronald d. sugar, John danhakl, matthew J. hart, Ian m. saines, antony P. ressler, steven f. udvar-házy, John l. Plueger. 
not pictured: wilbur ross.

boArd oF direCtors

steven F. udvAr-hÁzy

CHAIrMAN AND  
CHIEF ExECUTIVE OFFICEr

John L. pLueger

PrESIDENT AND  
CHIEF OPErATINg OFFICEr

robert MiLton 

LEAD INDEPENDENT DIrECTOr
Chairman: Nominating and Corporate 
Governance Committee
Member: Audit Committee

MAttheW J. hArt

WiLbur ross

Chairman: Audit Committee 
Member: Nominating and Corporate 
Governance Committee

ronALd d. sugAr

Chairman: Compensation Committee 
Member: Nominating and Corporate 
Governance Committee

Member: Audit Committee

Antony p. ressLer

Member: Compensation Committee

John dAnhAkL

Member: Compensation Committee

iAn M. sAines

LeAdership teAM 

steven F. udvar-házy
Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer

John L. plueger
President and Chief
Operating Officer

Marc baer
Executive Vice President

Jie Chen
Executive Vice President

Alex A. khatibi
Executive Vice President

grant Levy
Executive Vice President,
General Counsel and
Secretary

kishore korde
Senior Vice President

toby MacCary
Senior Vice President and
Corporate Counsel

robert C. Mcnitt, Jr.
Senior Vice President and
Corporate Counsel

John poerschke
Senior Vice President

gregory b. Willis
Senior Vice President and 
Chief Financial Officer 

Michael bai
Vice President, Marketing

pierce Chang
Vice President, Technical
Asset Management

ozzie Chraibi
Vice President of Aircraft
Specifications and Aircraft,
Engine, Materiel Procurement

Jennifer s. Munro
Vice President and
Controller

Jenny van Le
Vice President and 
Corporate Counsel

Czar vigil
Vice President and
Corporate Counsel

Chi yan
Vice President, Marketing

sara evans
Assistant Vice President, 
Commercial Contracts

Ardy ghanbar
Assistant Vice President,
Finance

eric hoogenkamp
Assistant Vice President, 
Technical Asset Management

ryan Mckenna
Assistant Vice President, 
Strategic Planning and
Investor Relations

Lance pekala
Assistant Vice President  
of Aircraft Specifications  
and Aircraft, Engine, Materiel 
Procurement

CorporAte 
inForMAtion

transfer Agent:
american stock transfer & 
trust company, llc
1218 third avenue suite 1700
seattle, washington 98101
206.682.0811
www.amstock.com

independent registered 
public Accounting Firm:

kPmg llP 
55 second street, suite 1400
san francisco, california 94105
415.963.5100
www.kpmg.com

Annual Meeting:
may 10, 2012
7:30 am – 10:00 am Pdt
century Plaza towers
2029 century Park east
los angeles, california 90067
concourse level,  
conference room a 

Please visit 
www.airleasecorp.com  
to view or download a  
Pdf of this annual report. 

Corporate headquarters:
air lease corporation 
2000 avenue of the stars,  
suite 1000n 
los angeles, california 90067 
310.553.0555

stock exchange Listing:
new york stock exchange 
(symbol: al)

Form 10-k and  
other reports:
shareholders may receive a 
copy of the 2011 form 10-k 
and other reports we file with 
the securities and exchange 
commission, without charge  
by writing to:

air lease corporation 
2000 avenue of the stars 
suite 1000n 
los angeles, california 90067

or by e-mail to:  
investors@airleasecorp.com

this document is a publication of air lease 
corporation. a multimedia version of this report is 
available online at www.airleasecorp.com.  

this annual report is printed on fsc®-certified paper 
from mixed sources.

  
 
2000 Avenue of the stars, suite 1000n
Los Angeles, CA 90067 usA

www.airleasecorp.com
info@airleasecorp.com