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Air Lease

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FY2012 Annual Report · Air Lease
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TWO-THOUSAND AND TWELVE 
ANNUAL REPORT

Air Lease Corporation

01

ALC is an aircraft leasing company based in Los Angeles, California. ALC and its team of dedicated 
and  experienced  professionals  are  principally  engaged  in  purchasing  new  commercial  aircraft 
delivering from its direct orders with Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, and ATR, and leasing them to its 
airline partners worldwide through customized aircraft leasing and financing solutions. The mis-
sion of ALC is to work with these airlines to modernize and grow their fleets, consult with OEMs as 
they develop the next generation of fuel-efficient “green” aircraft, and continue to explore strategic 
business solutions for our clients to support their growth and success.  Beyond lease  expertise, 
ALC offers route and schedule analysis, fleet optimization and planning, aircraft and engine pur-
chasing consulting, aircraft procurement services, aircraft financing support, aircraft investment 
analysis and recommendations, and can act as global servicer for aircraft lease portfolios.

02

The Pipeline is our 
Backbone for Growth.

We develop fleet solutions with our airline 

customers and deliver new aircraft suited 

for their individual requirements.

325 new aircraft direct from the manufacturers
$23 Billion in committed capital

155

aircraft

2012 
2012 

2023

2023

DElivEry PiPEliNE 2013–2023

AircrAft  type 

totAl

03

airbus a320/321-200 

airbus a320/321 NEO 

airbus a330-200/300 

airbus a350 XWb 

bOEiNg 737-800 

bOEiNg 737-8/9 MaX 

bOEiNg 777-300Er 

bOEiNg 787-9 

atr 72-600 

tOtal 

32

50

3

30

75

100

15

12

8

325

480

aircraft

2012 

2012 

2023
2023

04

Past. Present. 
Future. 

Alc works with the manufacturers to develop 

innovative aircraft for current mission requirements 

as well as the needs of tomorrow.

Original 
737

ALC’s management team is constantly looking towards the future of aviation, but it is important to learn 
from the past. The original 737 took to the skies in 1967, and by 1987 was one of the most-ordered 
airplanes in commercial aviation history. The 737 set the single-aisle standard for performance with 
exceptional  economics,  versatility,  and  legendary  reliability.  The  airplane  offered  more  passenger 
capacity, and new technology eliminated the need for a flight engineer, giving airlines the added cost 
advantage of a two-person flight deck. Such innovations and dependable performance helped make 
the 737 one of the best-selling and successful airplanes of its era.

05

737 MAX

ALC’s management team participated on the customer design team for 737 MAX and then became a launch customer 
of the aircraft at the Farnborough Airshow in the summer of 2012. New developments include ultra-efficient design, 
new technology engines and the new MAX Advanced Technology Winglet. Boeing reports the new airplane offers 
lower fuel use per seat than today’s competitors, and 8% lower operating costs per seat than tomorrow’s competitors. 
ALC’s airline customers will be able to integrate the MAX into their current fleets and build on the reliability record of 
the  Next-Generation  737.  The  737  MAX  defines  the  future  of  single-aisle  flight  with  improved  efficiency,  reliability 
and passenger appeal.

Next-Generation 737

ALC has included the Next-Generation 737 in its current fleet because it is one of the most cost-efficient, 
reliable and capable single-aisle airplanes in the market today. The airplane is extremely efficient by 
design,  with  lower  weight,  lower  maintenance  costs  and  lower  overall  operating  costs.  This  helps 
ALC’s  customers  maximize  profitability  by  lowering  costs  and  increasing  revenues.  ALC’s  manage-
ment  is  in  constant  dialogue  with  our  airline  customers  about  the  performance  of  the  aircraft  and 
provides feedback to Boeing so that they can continue to invest in improvements such as the first use 
of  blended  winglets  and  better  engine  efficiency,  which  have  lowered  fuel  use  even  further. 
Maintenance  cost  reductions  and  the  elevated  experience  of  the  first  of  the  future  generation  of 
 passenger  cabins,  the  Boeing  Sky  Interior,  keep  strengthening  the  airplane’s  appeal.  According  to 
Boeing,  the  Next-Generation  737  has  the  highest  reliability  rates  of  any  airplane  at  99.7%,  and  is  a 
leader for single-aisle performance and productivity in today’s competitive market.

05

737 MAX

ALC’s management team participated on the customer design team for 737 MAX and then became a launch customer 
of the aircraft at the Farnborough Airshow in the summer of 2012. New developments include ultra-efficient design, 
new technology engines and the new MAX Advanced Technology Winglet. Boeing reports the new airplane offers 
lower fuel use per seat than today’s competitors, and 8% lower operating costs per seat than tomorrow’s competitors. 
ALC’s airline customers will be able to integrate the MAX into their current fleets and build on the reliability record of 
the  Next-Generation  737.  The  737  MAX  defines  the  future  of  single-aisle  flight  with  improved  efficiency,  reliability 
and passenger appeal.

06

Delivering 
Efficiency

ALC evaluates the mission requirements of our 

airline customers and delivers the aircraft best 

suited to optimize their flight operations.

ALC considers the needs of tomorrow’s airlines and the routes they will fly. Our customers need additional range 
capability, but are highly focused on the environmental impact of the airplanes that they operate. The A321neo Family 
will  be  an  integral  component  of  our  portfolio  in  the  future  as  these  aircraft  will  incorporate  the  latest  generation 
engines and large Sharklet wing-tip devices. Airbus reports the combination of these improvements will deliver up 
to 15% in fuel savings which is equivalent to 1.4 million liters of fuel—the consumption of 1,000 mid-size cars—saving 
3,600 tons of CO2 per aircraft per year. Airbus further states that these planes are capable of flying up to 600 nautical 
miles of additional range or carrying 2 tons of extra payload. With more than 9,000 aircraft ordered and over 5,400 
aircraft delivered to over 380 customers and operators worldwide, the A321 Family is one of the best-selling single-
aisle aircraft families in the market.

07

08

Expansive 
Customer Base

ALC has placed our modern, fuel efficient  
aircraft in every corner of the globe. 

europe

AsiA 
pAcific

lAtiN 
AMeric A

North 
AMeric A

AfricA & 
Middle eAst

brazil
gol  airlines
Passaredo  
  linhas  
  aereas
taM
trip linhas  
  aereas

cOlOMbia
avianca

MEXicO
aeromexico
interjet
volaris

triNiDaD
caribbean  
  airlines

caNaDa
air canada
sunwing  
  airlines
WestJet

usa
hawaiian  
  airlines
southwest  
  airlines
spirit  
  airlines
sun country
united  
  airlines 

EthiOPia
Ethiopian  
  airlines

KENya
Kenya  airways

MOzaMbiquE
laM  Mozambique 
  airlines

sOuth africa
south african  
  airways

uaE
air  arabia
Emirates
Etihad  airways

bElarus
belavia

bulgaria
bulgaria  air

czEch rEPublic
travel service

fraNcE
air  austral
air  france

gErMaNy
airberlin

italy
alitalia

NEthErlaNDs
KlM
transavia.com

NOrWay
Norwegian air  
  shuttle

POlaND
bingo  airways

russia
s7  airlines
transaero airlines

sPaiN
vueling 

sWEDEN 
tuifly Nordic

turKEy
corendon airlines 
sunExpress

australia
virgin  australia

chiNa
air  china
air Macau
china Eastern  
  airlines
china southern  
  airlines
hainan airlines
shanghai airlines
sichuan  airlines
spring airlines
Xiamen  airlines

hONg KONg 
cathay Pacific  
  airways

iNDia
goair
spiceJet

iNDONEsia
garuda indonesia

JaPaN
skymark  airlines

KazaKhstaN
air astana

Malaysia
airasia

MalDivEs
Maldivian

MONgOlia
Miat Mongolian  
  airlines

NEW zEalaND
air New zealand

PaKistaN
airblue

sOuth KOrEa
asiana airlines
Jeju  air
Korean  air

sri laNKa
Mihin  lanka
srilankan airlines

thailaND
Orient thai airlines

viEtNaM
vietnam  airlines

09

7%

38%

north AMericA

europe

lAtin AMericA

AfricA & Middle eAst

AsiA pAcific

13%

6%

36%

Regional concentrations of 2012 fleet by net book value

09
09

7%
7%

38%
38%

north AMeriCA
north AMeriCA

europe
europe

LAtin AMeriCA
LAtin AMeriCA

AfriCA & MiddLe eAst
AfriCA & MiddLe eAst

AsiA pACifiC
AsiA pACifiC

13%
13%

6%
6%

36%
36%

regional concentrations of 2012 fleet by net book value
regional concentrations of 2012 fleet by net book value

10 Financial 
Performance 

financial performance accelerated with the growth 

of our asset base. unsecured funding grew by  

$2.7 billion through capital markets transactions 

and our agented bank revolver. 

unseCured 

60%

UNSECUREd vS. SECUREd dEBT
End of 2012

fiXed rAte

54%

FIXEd RATE vS. FLOATING RATE
End of 2012

seCured 

40%

fLoAtinG rAte 

46%

11

Year Ended december 31, 
(in thousands, except per share amounts)

Revenues

Pretax income

Pretax margin

Net income

Cash provided by operating activities

Adjusted net income1

Adjusted EBITdA1

Net income per share:

Basic

diluted

2012

2011

% Change

$655,746

$336,741

$203,973

$  82,841

31.1%

24.6%

$131,919

$  53,232

$491,029 

$267,166

$163,404

$  87,954

$596,451

$290,168

95%

146%

26%

148%

84%

86%

106%

$      1.31

$      0.59

$      1.28 

$      0.59 

122%

117% 

1 see notes 1 and 2 in the selected financial data for a discussion of the 
non-GAAp measures adjusted net income and adjusted eBitdA.

 
 
 
12

STEvEN F. UdvAR-HÁzY
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

JOHN L. PLUEGER
President and Chief Operating Officer

13

To Our 
Shareholders

2012 has been marked by steady growth 

in our business, from our global airline customer 

base to our future contracted aircraft delivery stream 

to the depth and breadth of our financing sources. 

during the course of 2012, we more than doubled our earnings per share, nearly doubled our revenues, and grew 
our fleet by more than fifty percent, adding sixteen new airline customers to finish the year with 66 airline customers 
across 38 countries. 

While  the  global  economy  was  beset  by  challenges  in  Europe,  Asia,  and  the  United  States,  the  airline  industry 
proved  resilient  in  2012.  In  the  face  of  gloomy  predictions  in  early  2012  (particularly  with  respect  to  Europe), 
 passenger traffic both globally and in Europe grew a healthy 5.3% for the full year, according to the Inter national  
Air Transport Association. Fuel prices were relatively stable during 2012, allowing for airlines to more easily manage 
the single largest component of their expense base. Airlines have worked hard to cut costs, rationalize capacity, and 
modernize their fleets over the last few years and we see this trend continuing. These decisions have appeared to 
pay  off  as  we  witnessed  airlines  generally  being  able  to  maintain  operating  performance  in  a  challenging  macro-
economic environment. We believe the growth in passenger traffic that occurred in 2012 despite these headwinds is 
an indicator that current generation jets will likely not be retired early as airlines need this lift to support sustained 
long-term demand in passenger air travel.

To address the needs of our airline customers, we continued to execute on our long-term fleet growth plan. At the 
Farnborough  Airshow  in  July,  we  announced  our  launch  order  for  75  firm  plus  25  reconfirmable  Boeing  737  Max 
aircraft. In February of 2013, we placed an order for 20 Airbus A350-900s, five A350-1000s plus five options, and 
exercised  options  for  14  A320NEOs.  In  addition,  we  recently  added  10  additional  new  777-300ERs  to  our  order 
backlog. All of this order activity has helped to further secure for us a steady aircraft delivery pipeline through 2022 
and has helped to ensure that we will have the most modern narrowbody and widebody aircraft in our fleet that our 
customers demand. After three years of operation, we now enjoy one of the largest order books in the aircraft leasing 
industry,  which  allows  us  to  secure  volume  pricing  levels  as  one  of  the  largest  customers  for  Boeing  and  Airbus. 
When combined with favorable funding costs, we are able to translate these aircraft into competitive leases for our 
airline customers and solid returns for our shareholders. 

Consistent  with  our  view  of  the  strong,  long-term  growth  prospects  for  air  travel  in  the  Asia/Pacific  region,  2012 
brought signs of a growing capital migration towards the region as well. Asian financial institutions have acquired 
multiple aircraft leasing platforms,  which we believe confirms the desirability of, and value in, aircraft leasing and 
aircraft  assets.  This  new  capital  is  helping  to  fill  the  funding  gap  that  exists  between  the  capital  base  of  current 
 lessors  and  the  amount  required  to  finance  the  leased  content  in  the  global  fleet.  While  there  have  been  many 
reports of European financial institutions leaving the industry, we have seen European banks remain active for solid 
airline and lessor credits. 

14 We now enjoy one of the 
largest order books in the 
aircraft leasing industry.

The financing environment proved favorable as we were able to achieve broad-based financing at attractive rates. 
One of the strategic goals of Air Lease Corporation has been to finance the company primarily through unsecured 
debt  issuances  in  order  for  us  to  have  increased  operational  flexibility  when  moving  aircraft  from  one  airline  to 
another  and  increased  financial  flexibility  with  unrestricted  use  of  our  cash  when  buying  aircraft  assets.  Speed  
is  of  the  essence  when  dealing  with  acquisition  opportunities  or  redeploying  assets  from  challenged  operators,  
and  a  largely  unsecured  balance  sheet  helps  provide  this  advantage  for  our  company.  We  tapped  the  U.S.  bond 
market twice in 2012 for a total of $1.5 billion in senior unsecured notes and again early this year for an additional 
$400 million. ALC has continued to cultivate our relationships with financial institutions and have earned the support 
of  35  commercial  banks,  including  eight  in  the  Asia/Pacific  region,  and  they  have  helped  to  fund  an  unsecured  
bank  revolver  of  more  than  $1  billion.  In  summary,  we  increased  the  unsecured  debt  as  a  percentage  of  our  
total  debt  from  32%  at  the  end  of  2011  to  60%  at  the  end  of  2012  and  were  able  to  do  this  at  a  composite  cost  
of funds of 3.94%. 

during  the  fourth  quarter,  we  profitably  sold  the  first  aircraft  out  of  our  fleet,  an  A320.  We  also  experienced  our  
first  two  airline  customer  insolvencies.  Each  of  these  airlines  was  operating  one  aircraft  from  our  fleet.  Yet  the  
desirability  and  demand  for  our  aircraft  types,  the  relationships  and  remarketing  capability  of  our  team,  and  
the  holding  of  cash  security  deposits  and  maintenance  reserves,  allowed  us  to  quickly  re-lease  these  aircraft  at 
profitable levels.

Our team has produced strong financial and operating results since inception three years ago. Owing to this success, 
our board has declared the company’s first quarterly cash dividend on our outstanding common stock as part of a 
new cash dividend policy. The dividend will enhance shareholder returns, yet allow for the continued strong growth 
of the company.

Steven F. Udvar-Házy 
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 

John L. Plueger 
President and Chief Operating Officer

15

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FINANCIAL
REVIEW

Table of Contents

2012 Review 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 

Consolidated Balance Sheets 

Consolidated Statements of Operations 

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity 

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 

Selected Financial Data 

Leadership Team 

16 2012
Review

BUSINESS

Overview
Air  Lease  Corporation,  a  Delaware  corporation  (the  “Company”,  “ALC”,  “we”,  “our”  or  “us”),  is  an  aircraft  leasing  
company that was launched in February 2010 by aircraft leasing industry pioneer Steven F. Udvar-Házy. 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,  2012,  we  owned  155  aircraft  of  which  82  were  new  aircraft  and  73  were  used  
aircraft and we managed four aircraft. Our fleet is principally comprised of the highest demand and most widely distrib-
uted  modern  technology,  fuel-efficient  single-aisle  jet  aircraft,  twin-aisle  widebody  aircraft  and  turboprop  aircraft.  
We  manage  lease  revenues  and  take  advantage  of  changes  in  market  conditions  by  acquiring  a  balanced  mix  of  aircraft 
types. Our used aircraft are generally less than five years old. All of the aircraft we own were leased as of February 28, 
2013.  Additionally,  as  of  December  31,  2012  and  through  February  28,  2013,  we  had  entered  into  binding  purchase  
commitments to acquire an additional 325 new aircraft through 2023.

Through careful management and diversification of our leases and lessees by geography, lease term, and aircraft age and 
type, we mitigate the risks of owning and leasing aircraft. We believe that diversification of our leases and lessees reduces 
the risks associated with individual lessee defaults and adverse geopolitical and regional economic events. We manage lease 
expirations in our fleet portfolio over varying time periods in order to minimize periods of concentrated lease expirations 
and mitigate the risks associated with cyclical variations in the airline industry. As of December 31, 2012, the weighted- 
average lease term remaining on our current leases was 6.8 years, and we leased the aircraft in our portfolio to 69 airlines 
in 40 countries. As of December 31, 2011, the weighted-average lease term remaining on our current leases was 6.6 years, 
and we leased the 102 aircraft in our portfolio to 55 airlines in 33 countries.

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. According to AVITAS, Inc. (“AVITAS”), a leading advisor to the aviation industry, many of these emerging mar-
kets are experiencing increased demand for passenger airline travel and have lower market saturation than more mature 
markets such as North America and Western Europe. In addition, airlines in some of these emerging markets have fewer 
financing  alternatives,  enabling  us  to  command  relatively  higher  lease  rates  compared  to  those  in  more  mature  markets. 
With  our  well-established  industry  contacts  and  access  to  capital,  we  believe  we  will  be  able  to  continue  successfully  
implementing our business strategy worldwide.

While our primary business is to own and lease aircraft, we also plan to continue growing our 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 management and sales services. In addition to our leasing activities and management services, and depending 
on market conditions, we sell aircraft from our fleet to other leasing companies, financial services companies and airlines.

Air Lease Corporation is led by a highly experienced management team that includes Mr. Udvar Házy, our Chairman and 
Chief Executive Officer, John L. Plueger, our President and Chief Operating Officer, Grant A. Levy, our Executive Vice 
President,  Carol  H.  Forsyte,  our  Executive  Vice  President,  General  Counsel,  Corporate  Secretary  and  Chief  Compliance 
Officer, Marc H. Baer, our Executive Vice President, Marketing, Alex A. Khatibi, our Executive Vice President, Jie Chen, 
our  Executive  Vice  President  and  Managing  Director  of  Asia,  Gregory  B.  Willis,  our  Senior  Vice  President  and  Chief 
Financial Officer, and John D. Poerschke, our Senior Vice President of Aircraft Procurement and Specifications. On average, 
our senior management team has approximately 22 years of experience in the aviation industry.

17

Operations to Date

Current Fleet 
As of December 31, 2012, our fleet consisted of 155 aircraft, comprised of 118 single-aisle narrowbody jet aircraft, 27 twin-
aisle widebody jet aircraft and 10 turboprop aircraft, with a weighted-average age of 3.5 years. As of December 31, 2011, 
our fleet consisted of 102 aircraft, comprised of 81 single-aisle narrowbody jet aircraft, 19 twin-aisle widebody jet aircraft 
and  two  turboprop  aircraft,  with  a  weighted-average  age  of  3.6  years.  As  of  December  31,  2010,  our  fleet  consisted  of  
40 aircraft, comprised of 36 single-aisle narrowbody jet aircraft and four twin-aisle widebody jet aircraft, with a weighted-
average age of 3.8 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 portfolio operating in the indicated regions as of December 31, 
2012 and 2011:

Region

(dollars in thousands)
Europe
Asia Pacific
Latin America
North America
Africa and Middle East

  Total

December 31, 2012

December 31, 2011

Net Book 
Value

% of 
Total

Net Book 
Value

% of 
Total

$2,398,531
2,245,002
788,189
457,546
362,595

38.4% $1,782,949
1,355,432
35.9%
515,145
12.6%
386,101
7.3%
197,789
5.8%

42.1%
32.0%
12.2%
9.1%
4.6%

$6,251,863

100.0% $4,237,416

100.0%

At December 31, 2012 and 2011, we leased aircraft to customers in the following regions:

Region

Europe
Asia Pacific
Latin America
North America
Africa and Middle East

  Total

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

December 31, 2012

December 31, 2011

Number of 
Customers(1)

% of 
Total

Number of 
Customers(1)

% of 
Total

17
28
9
8
7

69

24.6%
40.6%
13.0%
11.6%
10.2%

100.0%

13
22
8
7
5

55

23.6%
40.0%
14.6%
12.7%
9.1%

100.0%

18

The following table sets forth the dollar amount and percentage of our rental of flight equipment revenues attributable to 
the indicated regions based on each airline’s principal place of business:

Region

(dollars in thousands)
Europe
Asia Pacific
Latin America
North America
Africa and Middle East

  Total

Year Ended  
December 31, 2012

Year Ended  
December 31, 2011

For the Period  
from Inception to 
December 31, 2010

Amount   
of Rental 
Revenue

% of 
Total

Amount 
of Rental 
Revenue

% of 
Total

Amount 
of Rental 
Revenue

$253,376
215,537
84,341
53,201
39,398

39.2% $151,566
93,237
33.4%
30,714
13.1%
39,350
8.2%
17,852
6.1%

45.6% $31,157
11,933
28.0%
4,953
9.2%
6,309
11.8%
2,723
5.4%

% of 
Total

54.6%
20.9%
8.7%
11.0%
4.8%

$645,853

100.0% $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, 
the Central America, South America and Mexico, and the Middle East and Africa regions.

The  following  table  sets  forth  the  revenue  attributable  to  individual  countries  representing  at  least  10%  of  our  rental  of 
flight equipment revenue for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 and the period from inception to December 31, 
2010, based on each airline’s principal place of business.

Year Ended  
December 31, 2012

Year Ended  
December 31, 2011

For the Period  
from Inception to 
December 31, 2010

Country

(dollars in thousands)
China
Italy
France
Germany

Amount 
of Rental 
Revenue

% of 
Total

Amount 
of Rental 
Revenue

% of 
Total

Amount 
of Rental 
Revenue

$ 75,451
$ 71,007
$ 67,411
—

11.7% $ 39,603
11.0%
—
10.4% $ 62,240
—

—

—

11.9% $  6,091
—
18.7% $  8,598
$ 15,153

—

% of 
Total

10.7%
—
15.1%
26.5%

The following table sets forth the revenue attributable to individual airlines representing at least 10% of our rental of flight 
equipment revenue for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 and the period from inception to December 31, 2010, 
based on each airline’s principal place of business.

Customer(1)

(dollars in thousands)
Alitalia(2)
Air France
Air Berlin

Year Ended 
December 31, 2012

Year Ended 
December 31, 2011

For the Period  
from Inception to 
December 31, 2010

Amount 
of Rental 
Revenue

% of 
Total

Amount 
of Rental 
Revenue

% of 
Total

Amount 
of Rental 
Revenue

% of 
Total

$ 71,007
—
—

11.0%
—
—

—
$ 45,444
—

—

—   —

13.7% $  8,598
$ 15,153

—

15.1%
26.5%

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

(2)  As we continue to grow our fleet through 2013, we anticipate that Alitalia will not represent 10% or more of our rental of flight equipment revenue for 

the year ended December 31, 2013.

19

Aircraft Acquisition Strategy
Our long term aircraft asset acquisition strategy is focused on acquiring the highest demand and most widely distributed 
modern technology, fuel efficient single-aisle narrowbody jet aircraft, twin-aisle widebody jet aircraft and turboprop air-
craft.  Our  business  model  is  based  on  ordering  these  or  similar  types  of  aircraft  directly  from  the  manufacturers  and 
directly  leasing  these  new  aircraft  to  our  customers.  We  will  opportunistically  supplement  our  fleet  with  secondary  
purchases from other owners of aircraft and participate in sale-leaseback transactions with airlines; however, our primary 
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 
characteristics. Our due diligence process takes into account:

h  the  needs  of  our  airline  customers  at  the  time  of  acquisition  and  their  anticipated  needs  at  the  end  of  typical  

leasing cycles;

h  an aircraft’s fit within our focused fleet based on its type, price, age, market value, specifications and configuration, 

condition and maintenance history, operating efficiency and potential for future redeployment; and

h  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  relationships  with  aircraft  operators,  manufacturers,  financial 
institutions, private investors and third-party lessors. We may also acquire aircraft for lease directly from manufacturers in 
the secondary market or pursuant to sale-leaseback transactions with aircraft operators. For new aircraft deliveries, we will 
often separately source many components, including seats, safety equipment, avionics, galleys, cabin finishes, engines and 
other  equipment,  from  the  same  providers  used  by  aircraft  manufacturers  at  a  lower  cost.  Manufacturers  such  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 configuration requirements and enhance lease and residual values.

Leasing Process
Our management team identifies prospective lessees based upon industry knowledge and long-standing industry relationships. 
We seek to meet the specific needs of our airline customers by working closely with potential lessees and, where appropri-
ate, developing innovative lease structures specifically tailored to address those needs. While we structure 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:

h  most of our leases will be for fixed terms, although, where mutually beneficial, we may provide for purchase options 

or termination or extension rights;

h  most of our leases will require advance monthly payments;

h  most of our leases will generally provide that the lessee’s payment obligations are absolute and unconditional;

h  our lessees will typically be required to make lease payments without deducting any amounts that we may owe to the 

lessee or any claims that the lessee may have against us;

h  most  of  our  leases  will  also  require  lessees  to  gross  up  lease  payments  to  cover  tax  withholdings  or  other  tax  
obligations,  other  than  withholdings  that  arise  out  of  transfers  of  the  aircraft  to  or  by  us  or  due  to  our  corporate  
structure; and

h  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.

20

We may, in connection with the lease of used aircraft, agree to contribute specific additional amounts to the cost of certain 
first  major  overhauls  or  modifications,  which  usually  reflect  the  usage  of  the  aircraft  prior  to  the  commencement  of  the 
lease, and which are covered by the prior operator’s usage fees. We may be obligated under the leases to make reimburse-
ments of maintenance reserves previously received to lessees for expenses incurred for certain planned major maintenance. 
We also, on occasion, may contribute towards aircraft modifications (e.g., winglets and new interiors) and recover any such 
costs over the life of the lease.

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. Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) or its equivalent in foreign 
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 remedies and 
rights in the event of a default by a lessee. The lessee generally is required to continue to make lease payments 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 neces-
sary, we may 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 designated 
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  denominated  for  pay-
ment 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 materials from all prospective lessees and purchasers before entering 
into  a  lease  or  extending  credit.  Under  certain  circumstances,  the  lessee  may  be  required  to  obtain  guarantees  or  other 
financial support from an acceptable financial institution or other third parties. During the life of the lease, situations may 
lead us to restructure leases with our lessees. When we repossess an aircraft leased in a foreign country, we generally expect 
to export the aircraft from the lessee’s jurisdiction. In some very limited situations, the lessees may not fully cooperate in 
returning the aircraft. In those cases, we will take legal action in the appropriate jurisdictions, a process that we expect 
would ultimately delay the return and export of the aircraft. In addition, in connection with the repossession of an aircraft, 
we may be required to pay outstanding mechanics’ liens, airport charges, and navigation fees and other amounts secured 
by liens on the repossessed aircraft. These charges could relate to other aircraft that we do not own but were operated by 
the lessee.

Monitoring
During the term of a lease, we monitor the operating performance and the financial health of the lessee. Our net operating 
leases generally require the lessee to pay for maintenance, insurance, taxes and all other aircraft operating expenses during 
the lease term.

We also closely follow the operating and financial performance of our lessees so that we can identify early on those lessees 
that  may  be  experiencing  operating  and  financial  difficulties.  This  assists  us  in  assessing  the  lessee’s  ability  to  fulfill  its 
obligations under the lease for the remainder of the term and, where appropriate, restructure the lease prior to the lessee’s 
insolvency  or  the  initiation  of  bankruptcy  or  similar  proceedings,  at  which  time  we  would  have  less  control  over,  and 
would most likely incur greater costs in connection with, the restructuring of the lease or the repossession of the aircraft. 
To accomplish this objective, we maintain a high level of communication with the lessee and frequently evaluate the 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.

21

Re-leasing or Disposition of Aircraft
Our lease agreements are generally structured to require lessees 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 time to consider a broad set of alternatives with respect to the aircraft, 
including assessing general market and competitive conditions and preparing to re-lease or sell the aircraft. If a lessee fails 
to provide us with notice, the lease will automatically expire at the end of the term, and the lessee will be required to return 
the aircraft pursuant to the conditions in the lease. Our leases contain detailed provisions regarding the required condition 
of the aircraft and its components upon redelivery at the end of the lease term.

Insurance
We require our lessees to carry those types of insurance that are customary in the air transportation industry, including 
comprehensive liability insurance, aircraft all-risk hull insurance and war-risk insurance covering risks such as hijacking, 
terrorism (but excluding coverage for weapons of mass destruction and nuclear events), confiscation, expropriation, seizure 
and nationalization. We generally require a certificate of insurance from the lessee’s insurance broker prior to delivery of 
an aircraft. Generally, all certificates of insurance contain a breach of warranty endorsement so that our interests are not 
prejudiced by any act or omission of the lessee. Lease agreements generally require hull and liability limits to be in U.S. 
dollars, which are shown on the certificate of insurance.

Insurance premiums are to be paid by the lessee, with coverage acknowledged by the broker or carrier. The territorial cov-
erage, in each case, should be suitable for the lessee’s area of operations. We generally require that the certificates of insur-
ance  contain,  among  other  provisions,  a  provision  prohibiting  cancellation  or  material  change  without  at  least  30  days’ 
advance written notice to the insurance broker (who would be obligated to give us prompt notice), except in the case of hull 
war  insurance  policies,  which  customarily  only  provide  seven  days’  advance  written  notice  for  cancellation  and  may  be 
subject to shorter notice under certain market conditions. Furthermore, the insurance is primary and not contributory, and 
we require that all insurance carriers be required to waive rights of subrogation against us.

The stipulated loss value schedule under aircraft hull insurance 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 suf-
ficient, we make arrangements to cover such deficiency, which would include the purchase of additional “Total Loss Only” 
coverage for the deficiency.

Aircraft  hull  policies  generally  contain  standard  clauses  covering  aircraft  engines.  The  lessee  is  required  to  pay  all  
deductibles. Furthermore, the hull war policies generally contain 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,  
property damage, passenger liability, cargo liability and such other provisions reasonably necessary in commercial passen-
ger and cargo airline operations. We expect that such certificates of insurance list combined comprehensive single liability 
limits  of  not  less  than  $500.0  million  for  Airbus  and  Boeing  aircraft  and  $200.0  million  for  Embraer  S.A.  (“Embraer”)  
and  Avions  de  Transport  Régional  (“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 respective government.

In late 2005, the international aviation insurance market unilaterally introduced exclusions for physical damage to aircraft 
hulls caused by dirty bombs, bio-hazardous materials and electromagnetic pulsing. Exclusions for the same type of perils 
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 business operations. We believe our insurance is adequate both as to 
coverages and amounts.

22

We  cannot  assure  stockholders  that  our  lessees  will  be  adequately  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 reasonable 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  competitive.  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 regulations of the U.S. Department of State (the “DOS”), the U.S. 
Department of Transportation, or their counterpart organizations in foreign countries regarding the operation of aircraft 
for public transportation of passengers and property. As discussed below, however, we are subject to government regulation 
in a number of respects. In addition, our lessees are subject to extensive regulation under the laws of the jurisdictions 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 coun-
tries,  with  such  countries’  aviation  authorities  as  applicable.  Each  aircraft  registered  to  fly  must  have  a  Certificate  of 
Airworthiness, which is a certificate demonstrating the aircraft’s compliance with applicable government rules and regula-
tions 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 maintain 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 maintain 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  
deregister 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 
foreign countries.

23

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. 
companies to conduct business with entities in those countries.

The U.S. Patriot Act of 2001 (the “Patriot Act”) prohibits financial transactions by U.S. persons, including U.S. individu-
als, entities and charitable organizations, with individuals and organizations designated as terrorists and terrorist support-
ers by the U.S. Secretary of State or the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. We comply with the provisions of the Patriot Act 
and closely monitor our activities with foreign entities.

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  monitor  our  exports  for  compliance  with  the  U.S.  Bureau  of 
Export Enforcement regulations.

Jurisdictions in which aircraft are registered as well as jurisdictions 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 procedures 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.

Employees
As of December 31, 2012, we had 52 full-time employees. None of our employees are represented by a union or collective 
bargaining agreements. We believe our relationship with our employees to be positive, which is a key component of our 
operating  strategy.  We  strive  to  maintain  excellent  employee  relations.  We  provide  certain  employee  benefits,  including 
retirement, health, life, disability and accident insurance plans.

Access to Our Information
We  file  annual,  quarterly  and  current  reports,  proxy  statements  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 Investor 
Relations at 2000 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1000N, Los Angeles, California 90067. Our SEC filings are also available 
free  of  charge  on  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 reference 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.

24

Directors of the Company
Set forth below is the principal occupation or employment of each of our directors as of March 2013.

Name

Principal Occupation or Employment

Steven F. Udvar-Házy

John L. Plueger

Robert Milton

Matthew J. Hart

Ronald D. Sugar

Wilbur Ross

Antony P. Ressler

John Danhakl

Ian M. Saines

Air Lease Corporation
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 

Air Lease Corporation
President and Chief Operating Officer

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

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

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

WL Ross & Co. LLC, a private equity 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

25

MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY,  
RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND  
ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

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 December 31, 2012, there were 99,417,998 
shares of Class A Common Stock outstanding held by approximately 166 holders of record, and 1,829,339 shares of Class B 
Non-Voting Common Stock outstanding held by one stockholder of record.

On February 27, 2013 the closing price of our Class A Common Stock was $26.92 per share as reported by the NYSE.  
The  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.

Fiscal Year 2012 Quarters Ended:

March 31, 2012
June 30, 2012
September 30, 2012
December 31, 2012

Fiscal Year 2011 Quarters Ended:

June 30, 2011
September 30, 2011
December 31, 2011

High

Low

$26.47
$25.00
$22.79
$23.17

$23.10
$18.66
$18.45
$20.13

High

Low

$29.94
$25.36
$23.95

$23.02
$18.32
$17.24

Dividends
In February 2013, our board of directors adopted a cash dividend policy pursuant to which we intend to pay quarterly cash 
dividends of $0.025 per share on our outstanding common stock. The first quarterly cash dividend will be paid on March 
26, 2013 to holders of record of our common stock as of March 21, 2013. There were no dividends declared or paid during 
2012 or 2011.

While the board of directors currently expects to continue paying a  quarterly cash dividend of $0.025 per share  for  the 
foreseeable future, the cash dividend policy can be changed at any time at the discretion of the board of directors.

26

Stock Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
Set  forth  below  is  certain  information  about  the  Class  A  Common  Stock  authorized  for  issuance  under  the  Company’s 
equity compensation plan.

Plan Category

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders
Total

Number of Securities 
to be Issued  
Upon Exercise of 
Outstanding Options, 
Warrants and Rights

Weighted-Average  
Exercise Price of  
Outstanding Options,  
Warrants and Rights

Number of Securities 
Remaining Available for 
Future Issuance Under 
Equity Compensation 
Plans (excluding securities 
reflected in column (a))

(a)
3,841,033
—
3,841,033

(b)
$20.34
—
$20.34

(c)
1,687,952
—
1,687,952

Performance Graph
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 divi-
dends, 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,  2012  and  February  22,  2013.  
The stock price performance shown in the graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.

COMPARISON OF 22 MONTH CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN

Assumes Initial Investment of $100
February 22, 2013

$120

110

100

90

80

70

60

4/19/2011

6/30/2011

9/30/2011

12/31/2011

3/31/2012

6/30/2012

9/30/2012

12/31/2012

1/31/2013

2/22/2013

Air Lease Corporation

S&P Midcap 400 Index

Russell 2000 Index

Peer Group

27

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

Overview
During  2012,  the  Company  continued  to  execute  our  primary  business  plan  to  acquire  new,  fuel-efficient  commercial  
aircraft from aircraft manufacturers and to lease those aircraft to airlines around the world. We grew our fleet primarily 
through  the  acquisition  of  46  aircraft  from  our  new  order  pipeline  supplemented  by  eight  deliveries  of  new  and  used  
aircraft  acquired  in  the  secondary  market.  We  continued  to  supplement  our  leasing  revenues  by  providing  management 
services  to investors and/or owners of aircraft portfolios, for which  we  receive fee-based  revenue. These services  include 
leasing, re-leasing, and lease management and sales services, with the goal of helping our clients maximize lease and sale 
revenues. During 2012, we entered into long-term management servicing agreements for two additional aircraft ending the 
year with four managed aircraft compared to two as of December 31, 2011. In addition to our leasing activities and man-
agement services, and depending on market conditions, we sell aircraft from our fleet. During 2012, the Company sold an 
aircraft from our fleet and agreed to provide management services for this aircraft.

We ended 2012 with 155 aircraft comprised of 118 single-aisle narrowbody jet aircraft, 27 twin-aisle widebody jet aircraft 
and 10 turboprop aircraft, with a weighted-average age of 3.5 years. We ended 2011 with 102 aircraft, comprised of 81 
single-aisle jet aircraft, 19 twin-aisle widebody jet aircraft and two turboprop aircraft, with a weighted-average age of 3.6 
years. Our fleet grew by 48% based on net book value to $6.3 billion as of December 31, 2012 compared to $4.2 billion 
as of December 31, 2011.

The  acquisition  and  lease  of  additional  aircraft  led  to  a  94%  increase  in  our  rental  revenue  to  $645.9  million  for  the  
year  ended  December  31,  2012  compared  to  $332.7  million  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2011.  Due  to  the  timing  
of  aircraft  deliveries  the  full  impact  on  rental  revenue  for  aircraft  acquired  during  a  given  period  will  be  reflected  in  
subsequent periods.

We  recorded  earnings  before  income  taxes  of  $204.0  million  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2012  compared  to  $82.8 
million for the year ended December 31, 2011, an increase of $121.2 million or 146%. Our profitability increased year over 
year as our pretax profit margin increased to 31% for the year ended December 31, 2012 compared to 25% for the year 
ended December 31, 2011. Our earnings per share more than doubled as we recorded diluted earnings per share of $1.28 
for the year ended December 31, 2012 compared to $0.59 for the year ended December 31, 2011, an increase of 117%.

During  the  year  ended  December  31,  2012  and  through  February  28,  2013,  we  entered  into  binding  commitments  to 
acquire up to 154 additional aircraft from Airbus, Boeing and ATR. From Airbus, we agreed to purchase up to 30 A350 
XWB family aircraft, five of which are subject to reconfirmation. From Boeing, we agreed to purchase an additional 10 
Boeing  777-300ER  aircraft,  an  additional  eight  Boeing  787-9  aircraft  and  up  to  100  Boeing  737-8/9  MAX  aircraft  of 
which 20 are subject to reconfirmation. Deliveries of the additional aircraft we are purchasing from Airbus and Boeing are 
scheduled  to  commence  in  2017  and  to  continue  through  2023.  From  ATR,  we  agreed  to  purchase  six  additional  
ATR 72-600 aircraft which are scheduled to deliver in 2013 and 2014.

As of December 31, 2012 and through February 28, 2013, we had entered into binding purchase commitments to acquire 
an aggregate 325 additional aircraft. We continued successful lease placements of new aircraft from our order book and as 
of February 28, 2013 we had entered into contracts for the lease of 91 new aircraft which in conjunction with our current 
fleet of 155 aircraft represent minimum lease rentals of $11.4 billion.

28

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,  2012,  we  increased  our  fleet  by  53  aircraft  ending  the  year  with  a  total  of  155  aircraft  
(of  which  82  were  new  aircraft  and  73  were  used  aircraft).  We  also  managed  four  aircraft  as  of  December  31,  2012.  
Our weighted-average fleet age as of December 31, 2012 was 3.5 years.

Portfolio metrics of our fleet as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 are as follows:

(dollars in thousands)
Fleet size
Weighted-average fleet age(1)
Weighted-average remaining lease term(1)
Aggregate fleet cost

December 31, 2012

December 31, 2011

155
3.5 years
6.8 years
$6,598,898

102
3.6 years
6.6 years
$4,368,985

(1) Weighted-average fleet age and remaining lease term calculated 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 December 31, 2012 and 2011:

Region

(dollars in thousands)
Europe
Asia/Pacific
Central America, South America and Mexico
U.S. and Canada
The Middle East and Africa

  Total

December 31, 2012

December 31, 2011

Net Book 
Value

% of 
Total

Net Book 
Value

% of 
Total

$2,398,531
2,245,002
788,189
457,546
362,595

38.4% $1,782,949
1,355,432
35.9%
515,145
12.6%
386,101
7.3%
197,789
5.8%

42.1%
32.0%
12.2%
9.1%
4.6%

$6,251,863

100.0% $4,237,416

100.0%

The following table sets forth the number of aircraft we leased by aircraft type as of December 31, 2012 and 2011:

Airbus A319-100
Airbus A320-200
Airbus A321-200
Airbus A330-200
Airbus A330-300
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, 2012

December 31, 2011

Number of 
Aircraft

% of 
Total

Number of 
Aircraft

% of 
Total

7
29
5
14
3
8
38
3
1
6
8
23
10

4.5%
18.7%
3.2%
9.0%
1.9%
5.2%
24.5%
1.9%
0.7%
3.9%
5.2%
14.8%
6.5%

7
21
3
11
—
8
30
3
1
4
2
10
2

6.9%
20.6%
2.9%
10.8%
—
7.8%
29.4%
2.9%
1.0%
3.9%
2.0%
9.8%
2.0%

155

100.0%

102

100.0%

29

As of December 31, 2012 and through February 28, 2013, we had contracted to buy 325 new aircraft for delivery through 
2023,  with  an  estimated  aggregate  purchase  price  (including  adjustments  for  inflation)  of  $23.4  billion,  for  delivery  
as follows:

Aircraft Type

Airbus A320/321-200
Airbus A320/321 NEO
Airbus A330-200/300
Airbus A350 XWB(1)
Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-8/9 MAX(2)
Boeing 777-300ER
Boeing 787-9
ATR 72-600

  Total

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Thereafter

Total

13
—
3
—
12
—
—
—
6

34

13
—
—
—
13
—
6
—
2

34

6
—
—
—
17
—
8
—
—

31

—
3
—
—
18
—
1
—
—

22

—
12
—
—
11
—
—
1
—

24

—
35
—
30
4
100
—
11
—

180

32
50
3
30
75
100
15
12
8

325

(1) As of February 28, 2013, five of the Airbus A350 XWB aircraft were subject to reconfirmation.

(2) As of February 28, 2013, 20 of the Boeing 737-8/9 MAX aircraft were subject to reconfirmation.

Our lease placements are progressing in line with expectations. As of December 31, 2012 and through February 28, 2013 
we have entered into contracts for the lease of new aircraft scheduled to be delivered as follows:

Delivery Year

2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Thereafter

  Total

Number of 
Aircraft

Number 
Leased

% 
Leased

34
34
31
22
24
180

325

34
31
15
3
1
7

91

100.0%
91.2%
48.4%
13.6%
4.2%
3.9%

28.0%

Aircraft Industry and Sources of Revenues
Our revenues are principally derived from operating leases with scheduled and charter airlines. As of December 31, 2012, 
2011 and 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 cyclical, 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, competitive pressures, 
labor actions, pilot shortages, insurance costs, recessions, health concerns and other political or economic 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 affect our revenues and income.

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 exter-
nal events. Today, air travel has penetrated most world regions, with the highest growth now coming from emerging mar-
kets and economies. While growth rates are lower in more mature markets, there is a substantial need in those markets to 
replace aircraft reaching the end of their economic useful lives. The long-term outlook for aircraft demand remains robust 
due to increased passenger traffic and the need to replace aging planes.

30

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 Product (“GDP”), measured in U.S. dollars, and changes in passen-
ger traffic (as indicated by revenue passenger kilometers (“RPK”), an industry standard measure of passengers flown where 
each RPK represents one kilometer traveled by a paying customer).

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

Long-term passenger traffic growth is expected to be underpinned by projected growth in demand from emerging markets. 
Travel growth remains concentrated in the emerging markets of the Asia/Pacific region, Latin America and the Middle East 
while the more mature markets in the United States and Europe have slower growth rates overall. The percentage of world 
traffic attributable to emerging markets has been continuously increasing since the early 1990s. For example, in 1990, the 
Asia/Pacific region represented about 17% of the world’s passenger traffic, and its share was approximately 29% in 2011, the 
most recent year for which complete data is available. Since 1990, China’s passenger traffic has grown approximately 15% 
annually on average to 445 billion RPKs in 2011. Currently, China’s passenger traffic is the second highest in the world.

AVITAS  forecasts  considerably  higher  growth  in  2013  through  2016  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.

For  2012,  International  Air  Transport  Association  (“IATA”)  has  increased  its  profitability  forecast  from  $4.1  billion  to 
$6.7 billion, citing strong airline performance in the second and third quarters of 2012 as well as strong passenger traffic 
growth. AVITAS expects these factors to continue in 2013, and IATA projects 2013 industry profitability to rise to $8.4 
billion. However, IATA cautions that macroeconomic, geopolitical and policy risks such as the Euro-zone sovereign debt 
crisis, U.S. fiscal disorder and instability in the Middle East could negatively impact airline profitability.

Despite industry cyclicality and current economic stresses, we remain optimistic about the long term growth prospects for 
air transportation as well as the growing role that aircraft leasing, generally, and ALC, specifically, will play in facilitating 
the fleet transactions necessary to support the growth of the airline industry.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Overview
We finance the acquisition of our aircraft through available cash balances, internally generated funds, including cash flow 
from operations and proceeds from aircraft sales, and debt financings. We borrow funds to purchase new and used air-
craft, make progress payments on new aircraft purchase commitments and to pay down and refinance maturing debt obli-
gations. One of our strategic goals since our inception has been and continues to be to finance the company primarily on 
an unsecured basis. This provides us with increased operational flexibility when transitioning aircraft from one airline to 
another and increased financial flexibility.

During  the  year  ended  December  31,  2012  and  through  February  28,  2013,  we  entered  into  debt  facilities  aggregating  
$3.6 billion, which included $2.1 billion in senior unsecured notes, our $1.1 billion Syndicated Unsecured Credit Facility, 
our $192.8 million 2012 Warehouse Facility and additional debt facilities aggregating $265.0 million. We ended 2012 with 
total debt outstanding of $4.4 billion compared to $2.6 billion in 2011. We continued to focus on diversifying our banking 
group  to  broaden  our  access  to  capital  and  as  of  December  31,  2012  and  through  February  28,  2013  had  developed  a  
36  member,  globally  diversified  banking  group,  which  has  provided  us  in  excess  of  $3.8  billion  in  financing.  We  ended 
2012 with total unsecured debt outstanding of $2.6 billion compared to $826.2 million in 2011, increasing the Company’s  
unsecured debt as a percentage of total debt to 60.2% as of December 31, 2012 compared to 31.7% as of December 31, 
2011, while maintaining a composite cost of funds of 3.94%.

31

We increased our cash flows from operations by 84% or $223.8 million to $491.0 million in 2012 as compared to $267.2 
million in 2011. Our cash flows from operations contributed significantly to our liquidity position. We ended 2012 with 
available liquidity of $1.3 billion which is comprised of unrestricted cash of $230.1 million and undrawn balances under 
our Warehouse Facilities and unsecured revolving credit facilities of $1.1 billion. We believe that we have sufficient liquidity 
to satisfy the operating requirements of our business through the next twelve months.

Our financing plan for 2013 is focused on continuing to raise unsecured debt in the global bank market and through inter-
national and domestic capital markets transactions, reinvesting cash flow from operations and to a limited extent through 
government guaranteed loan programs from the ECAs in support of our new Airbus aircraft deliveries and the Ex-Im Bank 
in support of our new Boeing aircraft deliveries.

Our liquidity plans are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those described in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” 
of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, some of which are outside of our control.

Debt
Our debt financing was comprised of the following at December 31, 2012 and 2011:

(dollars in thousands)
UNSECURED
  Senior notes
  Revolving credit facilities
  Term financings
  Convertible senior notes

SECURED
  Warehouse facilities
  Term financings

  Total secured and unsecured debt financing
  Less: Debt discount

  Total debt

SELECTED INTEREST RATES AND RATIOS:
  Composite interest rate(1)
  Composite interest rate on fixed debt(1)
  Percentage of total debt at fixed rate

December 31, 2012

December 31, 2011

$1,775,000
420,000
248,916
200,000

2,643,916

1,061,838
688,601

1,750,439
4,394,355
(9,623)

$  120,000
358,000
148,209
200,000

826,209

1,048,222
735,285

1,783,507
2,609,716
(6,917)

$4,384,732

$ 2,602,799

3.94%
5.06%
53.88%

3.14%
4.28%
24.26%

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

Senior unsecured notes
During the year ended December 31, 2012 and through February 28, 2013, the Company issued $2.1 billion in aggregate 
principal of senior unsecured notes.

In January 2012, the Company issued $155.0 million in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2019 in 
an offering exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The notes are 
senior unsecured obligations of the Company and bear interest at a rate of 7.375% per annum.

In March 2012, the Company issued $1.0 billion in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2017 in an 
offering exempt from registration under the Securities Act. The notes are senior unsecured obligations of the Company and 
bear interest at a rate of 5.625% per annum. The notes will bear additional interest of 0.50% per annum during any period 
from  and  after  March  16,  2013  during  which  a  publicly  available  rating  on  the  notes  is  not  maintained  by  at  least  one  
rating agency as described in the Indenture dated as of March 16, 2012.

32

In September and October 2012, the Company issued $450.0 million and $50.0 million, respectively, in aggregate principal 
amount of senior unsecured notes due 2016 in an offering exempt from registration under the Securities Act. The notes are 
senior unsecured obligations of the Company and bear interest at a rate of 4.50% per annum. The notes will bear additional 
interest of 0.50% per annum during any period from and after September 26, 2013 during which a publicly available rating 
on the notes is not maintained by at least one rating agency as described in the Indenture dated as of September 26, 2012.

In February 2013, the Company issued $400.0 million in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2020 
pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement that the Company previously filed with the SEC. The notes are senior 
unsecured obligations of the Company and bear interest at a rate of 4.75% per annum. The notes will bear additional inter-
est of 0.50% per annum during any period from and after February 5, 2014 during which a publicly available rating on the 
notes  is  not  maintained  by  at  least  one  rating  agency  as  described  in  the  Indenture,  dated  as  of  October  11,  2013,  as 
amended and supplemented by the First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of February 5, 2013.

Unsecured revolving credit facilities
In  May  2012,  the  Company  entered  into  an  $853.0  million  three-year  senior  unsecured  revolving  credit  facility  (the 
“Syndicated  Unsecured  Revolving  Credit  Facility”).  The  Syndicated  Unsecured  Revolving  Credit  Facility  will  mature  on 
May 4, 2015. Borrowings under the Syndicated Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at LIBOR plus a margin 
of 1.75% with no LIBOR floor. The Company is required to pay a commitment fee in respect of unutilized commitments 
under the Syndicated Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility at a rate of 0.375%. As of February 28, 2013, the Company had 
added four additional lenders to the Syndicated Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility and increased the aggregate principal 
amount by $240.0 million to $1.1 billion.

The total amount outstanding under our unsecured revolving credit facilities was $420.0 million and $358.0 million as of 
December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively.

Warehouse facilities
We have a non-recourse, revolving credit facility (the “2010 Warehouse Facility”), dated April 21, 2011, as amended, which 
provides us with financing of up to $1.25 billion. The 2010 Warehouse Facility accrues interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 
2.50% on drawn balances and at a fixed rate of 0.75% on undrawn balances. We are able to draw on the 2010 Warehouse 
Facility, as amended, during an availability period that ends in June 2013. 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  of  December  31,  2012,  the  Company  had  borrowed  $877.7  million  under  the  2010  Warehouse  Facility  and  pledged  
30  aircraft  as  collateral  with  a  net  book  value  of  $1.3  billion.  As  of  December  31,  2011,  the  Company  had  borrowed  
$1.0 billion under the 2010 Warehouse Facility and pledged 38 aircraft as collateral with a net book value of $1.6 billion. 
The Company had pledged cash collateral and lessee deposits of $98.6 million and $86.9 million under the 2010 Warehouse 
Facility as of December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively. We intend to continue to utilize the 2010 Warehouse 
Facility to finance aircraft acquisitions through 2013, as this facility provides us with ample liquidity to make opportunistic 
acquisitions of aircraft on short notice.

In  March  2012,  a  wholly-owned  subsidiary  of  the  Company  entered  into  a  $192.8  million  senior  secured  warehouse  
facility  (the  “2012  Warehouse  Facility”)  to  refinance  a  pool  of  eight  aircraft  previously  financed  under  the  Company’s  
2010  Warehouse  Facility  (the  “2010  Warehouse  Facility”  and  together  with  the  2012  Warehouse  Facility  the  
“Warehouse Facilities”).

As  of  December  31,  2012,  the  Company  had  borrowed  $184.1  million  under  the  2012  Warehouse  Facility  and  pledged 
eight aircraft as collateral with a net book value of $256.6 million. The Company had pledged cash collateral and lessee 
deposits of $5.8 million under the 2012 Warehouse Facility as of December 31, 2012.

33

Results of Operations

(in thousands)
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)

OTHER FINANCIAL DATA:
  Adjusted net income(1)
  Adjusted EBITDA(2)

Year Ended 
December 31, 2012

Year Ended 
December 31, 2011

For the Period  
from Inception to 
December 31, 2010

$645,853
9,893

655,746

130,419
16,994
—
—

147,413
216,219
56,453
31,688

451,773

203,973
(72,054)

$131,919

$163,404
$596,451

$332,719
4,022

336,741

44,862
9,481
3,349
—

57,692
112,307
44,559
39,342

253,900

82,841
(29,609)

$  57,075
1,291

58,366

11,062
4,883
—
35,798

51,743
19,262
24,232
24,044

119,281

(60,915)
8,875

$  53,232

$ (52,040)

$  87,954
$290,168

$    2,520
$  32,973

(1)  Adjusted net income is a measure of financial and operational performance that is not defined by GAAP. See note 1 in “Item 6. Selected Financial Data” 
of this Annual Report on Form 10-K 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.

(2)  Adjusted EBITDA is a measure of financial and operational performance that is not defined by GAAP. See note 2 in “Item 6. Selected Financial Data” 
of this Annual Report on Form 10-K 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.

2012 Compared to 2011
Rental revenue 
As of December 31, 2012, we had acquired 155 aircraft at a total cost of $6.6 billion and recorded $645.9 million in rental 
revenue for the year then ended, which included overhaul revenue of $25.0 million. In the prior year, 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 
ended December 31, 2011, which included overhaul revenue of $11.0 million. The increase in rental revenue was attribut-
able to the acquisition and lease of additional aircraft. The full impact on rental revenue for aircraft acquired during the 
period will be reflected in subsequent periods.

All of the aircraft in our fleet were leased as of December 31, 2012, except for one aircraft with respect to which we had 
entered into a lease commitment for which delivery occurred in February 2013. All of the aircraft in our fleet were leased 
as of December 31, 2011.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
34

Interest expense 
Interest expense totaled $147.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 compared to $57.7 million for the year ended 
December 31, 2011. The change was primarily due to an increase in our average outstanding debt balances resulting in a 
$85.6 million increase in interest, an increase of $7.5 million in amortization of our deferred debt issue costs, offset by a 
$3.3 million charge for the extinguishment of debt recorded during the second quarter of 2011. We expect that our interest 
expense will increase as our average debt balance outstanding continues to increase.

Depreciation expense 
We recorded $216.2 million in depreciation expense of flight equipment for the year ended December 31, 2012 compared 
to $112.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. The increase in depreciation expense for 2012, compared to 2011, 
was attributable to the acquisition of additional aircraft. 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 $56.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 compared 
to $44.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. Selling, general and administrative expense as a percentage of rev-
enue decreased to 8.6% for the year ended December 31, 2012 compared to 13.2% for the year ended December 31, 2011. 
As we continue to add new aircraft to our portfolio, we expect selling, general and administrative expense to decrease as a 
percentage of our revenue.

Stock-based compensation expense 
Stock-based compensation expense totaled $31.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 compared to $39.3 million 
for the year ended December 31, 2011. This decrease is primarily a result of the effects of the expense recognition pattern 
related to our book-value RSUs, which is calculated based on an accelerated vesting schedule. The decrease was partially 
offset by grants made in 2012, as the full impact on stock-based compensation expense for the 2012 grants will be reflected 
in  the  subsequent  periods.  See  note  11  of  Notes  to  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  included  in  Part  II,  Item  8  of  this 
Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information on stock-based compensation.

Taxes 
The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2012 was 35.3% compared to 35.7% for the year ended December 31, 
2011. The change in effective tax rate for the respective periods is due to the effect of changes in permanent differences as 
well as the effect of discrete tax items related to stock-based compensation.

Net income 
For the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company reported consolidated net income of $131.9 million, or $1.28 per 
diluted  share,  compared  to  a  consolidated  net  income  of  $53.2  million,  or  $0.59  per  diluted  share,  for  the  year  ended 
December  31,  2011.  The  increase  in  net  income  for  2012,  compared  to  2011,  was  primarily  attributable  to  the  
acquisition and lease of additional aircraft.

Adjusted net income 
We recorded adjusted net income of $163.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 compared to $88.0 million for the 
year ended December 31, 2011. The change in adjusted net income for 2012, compared to 2011, was primarily 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 
“Item  6.  Selected  Financial  Data”  of  this  Annual  Report  on  Form  10-K  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 $596.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2012 compared to $290.2 million for the 
year ended December 31, 2011. The change in adjusted EBITDA for 2012, compared to 2011, was primarily attributable to 
the acquisition and lease of additional aircraft.

35

Adjusted  EBITDA  is  a  measure  of  financial  and  operational  performance  that  is  not  defined  by  GAAP.  See  note  2  in  
“Item  6.  Selected  Financial  Data”  of  this  Annual  Report  on  Form  10-K  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 overhaul revenue of $3.6 million. The increase in rental revenue was 
attributable to the acquisition and lease of additional aircraft. The full impact on rental revenue for aircraft acquired dur-
ing 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 
December 31, 2010, except for one aircraft with respect to which we had entered into a binding lease commitment but for 
which delivery occurred during February 2011.

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 primarily 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 simul-
taneously entering into a forward purchase arrangement 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 average 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 interest rate environment.

Depreciation expense 
We recorded $112.3 million in depreciation expense of flight 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.

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 compared 
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 continue to add new aircraft 
to our portfolio, we expect selling, general and administrative expense to continue decreasing as a percentage of our revenue.

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 

36

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 recognize the value of the grants as expense over the vesting period, with an 
offsetting increase to equity.

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 mil-
lion 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 incep-
tion  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 adjusted net income for 2011, compared to 2010, was primarily 
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 
“Item  6.  Selected  Financial  Data”  of  this  Annual  Report  on  Form  10-K  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.

Adjusted  EBITDA  is  a  measure  of  financial  and  operational  performance  that  is  not  defined  by  GAAP.  See  note  2  in  
“Item  6.  Selected  Financial  Data”  of  this  Annual  Report  on  Form  10-K  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.

Contractual Obligations
Our  contractual  obligations  as  of  December  31,  2012  and  through  February  28,  2013  for  purchase  commitments  are  
as follows:

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Thereafter

Total

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

$  388,369

$  377,742

$  772,292

$ 1,138,076

$ 1,132,852

$ 

585,024

$  4,394,355

175,630
1,896,952
2,325

166,610
2,094,380
2,395

146,974
2,133,061
2,467

115,303
1,312,235
2,541

56,126
1,559,400
2,617

36,955
14,449,731
18,083

697,598
23,445,759
30,428

  Total

$ 2,463,276

$ 2,641,127

$ 3,054,794

$ 2,568,155

$ 2,750,995

$ 15,089,793

$ 28,568,140

(1)  As of December 31, 2012, the Company had $877.7 million of debt outstanding under the 2010 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, 2012, the Company had $420.0 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, 2012.

37

Off-balance Sheet Arrangements
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 created 
partnership arrangements or trusts for the purpose of leasing aircraft or facilitating borrowing arrangements all of which 
are consolidated.

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 
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  our  Consolidated 
Balance Sheet. An allowance for doubtful accounts will be recognized for past-due rentals based on management’s assess-
ment of collectability. Our management team monitors all lessees with past due lease payments (if any) and discusses rele-
vant operational and financial issues facing those lessees with our marketing executives in order to determine an appropriate 
allowance for doubtful accounts. In addition, if collection is not reasonably assured, we will not recognize rental income 
for  amounts  due  under  our  lease  contracts  and  will  recognize  revenue  for  such  lessees  on  a  cash  basis.  Should  a  lessee’s 
credit quality deteriorate, we may be required to record an allowance for doubtful accounts and/or stop recognizing revenue 
until cash is received, both of which could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial 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 cost of major 
future maintenance events (“Qualifying Events”) associated with the aircraft and typically cover major airframe structural 
checks, engine overhauls, the replacement of life limited parts contained in each engine, landing gear overhauls and over-
hauls of the auxiliary power unit. These Contingent Rentals are generally collected monthly based on reports of usage by 
the lessee or collected as fixed monthly rates.

In accordance with our lease agreements, Contingent Rentals are subject to reimbursement to the lessee upon the occur-
rence  of  a  Qualifying  Event.  The  reimbursable  amount  is  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 Rentals 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 equipment leases” in our Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Estimating when we are virtually certain that Contingent Rental payments will not be reimbursed requires judgments to be 
made as to the timing and cost of future maintenance events. In order to determine virtual certainty with respect to this 
contingency, our Technical Asset Management department analyzes the terms of the lease, utilizes available cost estimates 
published  by  the  equipment  manufacturers,  and  thoroughly  evaluates  an  airline’s  Maintenance  Planning  Document 
(“MPD”).  The  MPD  describes  the  required  inspections  and  the  frequency  of  those  inspections.  Our  Technical  Asset 
Management department utilizes this information, combined with their cumulative industry experience, to determine when 
major Qualifying Events are expected to occur for each relevant component of the aircraft, and translates this information 
into a determination of how much we will ultimately be required to reimburse to the lessee. We record Contingent Rental 

38

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.

Should such estimates be inaccurate, we may be required to reverse revenue previously recognized. In addition, if we can no 
longer make accurate estimates with respect to a particular lease, we will stop recognizing any Contingent Rental revenue 
until the end of such lease.

All of our lease agreements are triple net leases whereby the lessee is responsible for all taxes, insurance, and aircraft main-
tenance. In the future, we may incur repair and maintenance expenses for off-lease aircraft. We recognize overhaul expense 
in our Consolidated Statement of Operations for all such expenditures.

Lessee-specific modifications such as those related to modifications 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  construction  phase  are  capitalized.  We  generally  depreciate  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 our results of operations and 
financial condition. 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.

Our  management  team  evaluates  on  a  quarterly  basis  the  need  to  perform  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 air-
line 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 our Fair Value Policy, resulting in an impairment charge. Deterioration of future 
lease rates and the residual values of our aircraft could result in impairment charges which could have a significant impact 
on our results of operations and financial condition. To date, we have not recorded any impairment charges.

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 valuations 
contain significant non-observable inputs.

39

Stock-based compensation 
To compensate and incentivize our employees and directors, we grant stock-based compensation awards. To date, we have 
granted stock options (“Stock Options”) and restricted stock units (“RSUs”). All share-based payment awards granted have 
been equity classified awards. We account for Stock Options by estimating the grant date fair value of the award as calcu-
lated by the Black-Scholes-Merton (“BSM”) option pricing model and amortizing that value on a straight-line basis over the 
requisite service period less any anticipated forfeitures. The fair value of book-value RSUs is determined based on the clos-
ing market price of the Company’s Class A Common Stock on the date of grant, while the fair value of Total Shareholder 
Return (“TSR”) RSUs is determined at the grant date using a Monte Carlo simulation model. Included in the Monte Carlo 
simulation model are certain assumptions regarding a number of highly complex and subjective variables, such as expected 
volatility, risk-free interest rate and expected dividends. To appropriately value the award, the risk-free interest rate is esti-
mated for the time period from the valuation date until the vesting date and the historical volatilities are estimated based 
on a historical timeframe equal to the time from the valuation date until the end date of the performance period. Due to 
our limited stock history since the completion of our initial public offering on April 25, 2011, historical volatility was esti-
mated based on all available information.

The  estimation  of  the  fair  value  of  share-based  awards  requires  considerable  judgment.  For  future  awards,  we  will  be 
required to continue to make such 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.

Income taxes 
We use the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under the asset and liability method, deferred income 
taxes are recognized for the tax consequences 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. 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 planning 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 signifi-
cant impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

We recognize the impact of a tax position, if that position has a probability of greater than 50% that it would be sustained 
on  audit,  based  on  the  technical  merits  of  the  position.  Recognized  income  tax  positions  are  measured  at  the  largest 
amount that has a probability of more than 50% of being realized. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in 
the period in which the change in judgment occurs. As our business develops, we may take tax positions that have a prob-
ability of less than 50% of being sustained on audit which will require us to reserve for such positions. If these tax positions 
are audited by a taxing authority, there can be no assurance that the ultimate resolution of such tax positions will not result 
in further losses. Such losses could have a significant impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

40

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES  
ABOUT MARKET RISK
Market risk represents the risk of changes in value of a financial 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 composite interest rate, directly impact our net income. Our lease 
rental stream is generally fixed over the life of our leases, whereas we have used floating-rate debt to finance a significant 
portion of our aircraft acquisitions. As of December 31, 2012, we had $2.03 billion in floating-rate debt. As of December 
31, 2011, we had $2.0 billion in floating-rate debt. If interest rates increase, we would be obligated to make higher interest 
payments to our lenders. If we incur significant fixed-rate debt in the future, increased interest rates prevailing in the mar-
ket  at  the  time  of  the  incurrence  of  such  debt  would  also  increase  our  interest  expense.  If  our  composite  rate  were  to 
increase by 1.0%, we would expect to incur additional interest expense on our existing indebtedness as of December 31, 
2012  and  December  31,  2011,  of  approximately  $20.3  million  and  $20.0  million,  each  on  an  annualized  basis,  which 
would put downward pressure on our operating margins.

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, 2012 and December 31, 2011, 2.5% and 3.5%, 
respectively, of our lease revenues were denominated in Euros. As our principal currency is the U.S. dollar, a continuing 
weakness  in  the  U.S.  dollar  as  compared  to  other  major  currencies  should  not  have  a  significant  impact  on  our  future  
operating results.

Report of Independent Registered  
Public Accounting Firm

41

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, 2012 and 2011, and the related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the years 
ended  December  31,  2012  and  2011  and  the  period  from  inception  to  December  31,  2010.  These  consolidated  financial 
statements are the responsibility of Air Lease Corporation and subsidiaries’ 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, 2012 and 2011, and the results of their operations 
and  their  cash  flows  for  the  years  ended  December  31,  2012  and  2011  and  the  period  from  inception  to  December  31, 
2010, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We  also  have  audited,  in  accordance  with  the  standards  of  the  Public  Company  Accounting  Oversight  Board  (United 
States), Air Lease Corporation and subsidiaries’ internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2012, based 
on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations 
of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”), and our report dated February 28, 2013 expressed an unqualified opinion on the 
effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

San Francisco, California
February 28, 2013

42

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 $32,288 and $17,500 as of  
  December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively
Other assets

December 31, 2012

December 31, 2011

$  230,089
106,307
6,598,898
(347,035)

6,251,863
564,718

74,219
126,428

$  281,805
96,157
4,368,985
(131,569)

4,237,416
405,549

47,609
96,057

  Total assets

$ 7,353,624

$ 5,164,593

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Accrued interest and other payables
Debt financing
Security deposits and maintenance reserves on flight equipment leases
Rentals received in advance
Deferred tax liability

  Total liabilities

Shareholders’ Equity
Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued or outstanding
Class A Common Stock, $0.01 par value; authorized 500,000,000 shares; issued and outstanding  
  99,417,998 and 98,885,131 shares at December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively
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

  Total shareholders’ equity

  Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

$ 

90,169
4,384,732
412,223
41,137
92,742

$ 5,021,003

—

991

18
2,198,501
133,111

2,332,621

$ 

54,648
2,602,799
284,154
26,017
20,692

$ 2,988,310

—

984

18
2,174,089
1,192

2,176,283

$ 7,353,624

$ 5,164,593

 
 
 
 
Consolidated Statements  
of Operations

43

(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.

Year Ended 
December 31, 2012

Year Ended 
December 31, 2011

For the Period  
from Inception to  
December 31, 2010

$645,853
9,893

655,746

130,419
16,994
—
—

147,413
216,219
56,453
31,688

451,773

203,973
(72,054)

$332,719
4,022

336,741

44,862
9,481
3,349
—

57,692
112,307
44,559
39,342

253,900

82,841
(29,609)

$ 57,075
1,291

58,366

11,062
4,883
—
35,798

51,743
19,262
24,232
24,044

119,281

(60,915)
8,875

$131,919

$ 53,232

$ (52,040)

$
$

1.31
1.28

100,991,871
107,656,463

$
$

0.59
0.59

89,592,945
90,416,346

$
$

(1.32)
(1.32)

39,511,045
39,511,045

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
44 Consolidated Statements  

of Cash Flows

45

(dollars 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
  Proceeds from disposal of flight equipment
  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

Year Ended 
December 31, 2012

Year Ended 
December 31, 2011

For the Period  
from Inception to 
December 31, 2010

$    131,919

$      53,232

$    (52,040)

216,219
31,688
72,050
16,994
—
—

(18,758)
25,797
15,120

491,029

(1,899,231)
(418,278)
47,490
(74,905)

(2,344,924)

43
(7,312)
—
62,000
2,115,607
(432,129)
(10,150)
(42,149)
142,541
(26,272)

1,802,179

(51,716)
281,805

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

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
—

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

$  230,089

$    281,805

$   328,821

SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW 
INFORMATION

 Cash paid during the period for interest, including capitalized interest 
  of $19,388, $10,390 and $1,769 for the years ended December 31,  
  2012 and 2011 and the period from inception to December 31,  
  2010, respectively

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.

$  124,731

$      51,986

$     12,723

$  377,892
—

$    190,013
—

—
$     60,000

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
46

Consolidated Statements of 
Shareholders’ Equity

(in thousands, except share data)

Balance at Inception

Class A Common Stock issuance

Class B Non-Voting 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

Tax withholdings on  

  stock-based compensation

Stock-based compensation

Net income

Balance at December 31, 2011

Class A Common Stock issuance

Exercise of incentive stock options

Issuance of restricted stock units

Tax withholdings on  
  stock-based compensation

Stock-based compensation

Net income

Balance at December 31, 2012

Preferred Stock

Class A  
Common Stock

Class B Non-Voting 
Common Stock

Shares Amount

Shares Amount

Shares Amount

Paid-in 
Capital

Retained 
Earnings

Total

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

 —

—

— 55,750,972

  —

$558

—

—

  —  

—  

—  

—

— $1,026,082

— $1,026,640

—

—

— 6,308,844

— 4,479,505

—

—

— 3,333,333

—

—

—

—

—

—

45

—

33

—

—

—

(4,479,505)

—

—

—

—

—

$ 63

(45)

—

—

—

—

—

124,852

—

5,578

59,967

35,798

24,044

—

—

—

—

—

—

124,915

—

5,578

60,000

35,798

24,044

— $ (52,040)

(52,040)

 — 63,563,810

$636

1,829,339

$ 18

$ 1,276,321

$ (52,040) $ 1,224,935

— 34,825,470

—

—

—

—

843,975

(348,124)

—

—

348

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

866,882

—

(8,456)

39,342

—

—

—

—

—

53,232

867,230

—

(8,456)

39,342

53,232

 — 98,885,131

$984

1,829,339

$ 18

$ 2,174,089

$  1,192

$ 2,176,283

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

7,000

890,110

(364,243)

—

—

—

7

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

(97)

133

—

(7,312)

31,688

—

—

—

—

—

(97)

140

—

(7,312)

31,688

— 131,919

131,919

— 99,417,998

$991

1,829,339

$ 18

$ 2,198,501

$ 133,111

$ 2,332,621

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Notes to Consolidated 
Financial Statements

47
47

NOTE 1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT  
ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Organization 
Air Lease Corporation (the “Company”, “ALC”, “we”, “our” or “us”) was incorporated in the State of Delaware and 
licensed to operate in the State of California. We commenced operations in February 2010 and elected a fiscal year end of 
December 31. The Company is principally engaged in the leasing of commercial aircraft to airlines throughout the world. 
We supplement our leasing revenues by providing fleet management and remarketing services to third parties. We typically 
provide many of the same services that we perform for our fleet, including leasing, re-leasing, lease management and sales 
services for which we charge a fee, with the objective of assisting our clients to maximize lease or sale revenues.

Principles of consolidation 
The Company consolidates financial statements of all entities in which we have a controlling financial interest, including 
the account of any Variable Interest Entity in which we have a controlling financial interest and for which we are thus the 
primary beneficiary. All material intercompany balances are eliminated in consolidation.

Rental of flight equipment 
The Company leases flight equipment principally under operating 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 manage-
ment’s assessment of collectability. Management monitors all lessees with past due lease payments and discusses relevant 
operational  and  financial  issues  facing  those  lessees  with  its  marketing  executives  in  order  to  determine  an  appropriate 
allowance for doubtful accounts. In addition, if collection is not reasonably assured, the Company will not recognize rental 
income for amounts due under the Company’s lease contracts and will recognize revenue for such lessees on a cash basis. 
As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, 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 whereby the lessee is responsible for all taxes, insurance, and 
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  Operations  for  all  such  expenditures.  In  many  operating  lease  con-
tracts, the lessee is obligated to make periodic payments of supplemental maintenance rent, which is calculated with refer-
ence to the utilization of the airframe, engines and other major life-limited components during the lease. In these leases, we 
will make a payment to the lessee to compensate the lessee for the cost of the actual major maintenance incurred, up to the 
maximum of the amount of supplemental maintenance rental  payments made by the lessee during the lease term. These 
payments are made upon the lessee’s presentation of invoices evidencing the completion of such qualifying major mainte-
nance. The Company records as 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 be required to reimburse to the 
lessee  are  reflected  in  our  overhaul  reserve  liability,  as  a  component  of  Security  deposits  and  overhaul  reserves  on  flight 
equipment leases in our Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Lessee-specific  modifications  are  capitalized  as  initial  direct  costs  and  amortized  over  the  term  of  the  lease  into  rental  
revenue in our Consolidated Statement of Operations.

Initial direct costs 
The Company records as period costs those internal and other costs incurred in connection with identifying, negotiating 
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.

48

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, maintenance reserves, and rental payments related to secured aircraft 
financing arrangements.

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 construction phase are capitalized. The Company generally depreciates 
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.

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 perform 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 air-
craft. 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 Policy is described below under 
“Fair Value Measurements”. As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, 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 interest 
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.

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.

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 con-
figuration,  as  well  as  a  disposition  value  based  on  expectations  of  market  participants.  These  valuations  are  considered 
Level 3 valuations, as the valuations contain significant non-observable inputs.

49

Income taxes 
The  Company  uses  the  asset  and  liability  method  of  accounting  for  income  taxes.  Under  the  asset  and  liability  method, 
deferred income taxes are recognized for the tax consequences 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 measured 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 and charged to interest expense. The Company also incurs costs 
in connection with equity offerings. Such costs are deferred until the equity offering is completed and either 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 recognizes 
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 
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 statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from 
those estimates.

NOTE 2. DEBT FINANCING

The Company’s consolidated debt as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 are summarized below:

December 31, 2012

December 31, 2011

(dollars in thousands)
UNSECURED
  Senior notes
  Revolving credit facilities
  Term financings
  Convertible senior notes

SECURED
  Warehouse facilities
  Term financings

  Total secured and unsecured debt financing
  Less: Debt discount

  Total debt

$1,775,000
420,000
248,916
200,000

2,643,916

1,061,838
688,601

1,750,439
4,394,355
(9,623)

$   120,000
358,000
148,209
200,000

826,209

1,048,222
735,285

1,783,507
2,609,716
(6,917)

$4,384,732

$2,602,799

At December 31, 2012, we were in compliance in all material respects with the covenants in our debt agreements, including 
our financial covenants concerning debt-to-equity, tangible net equity and interest coverage ratios.

50

The Company’s secured obligations as of December 31, 2012 and 2011 are summarized below:

(dollars in thousands)
Nonrecourse
Recourse

  Total
Number of aircraft pledged as collateral
Net book value of aircraft pledged as collateral

December 31, 2012

December 31, 2011

$1,085,941
664,498

$1,750,439
55
$2,728,636

$1,076,965
706,542

$1,783,507
54
$2,692,652

Shelf registration statement 
We have an effective shelf registration statement filed with the SEC. As a result of our well-known issuer, or WKSI, status, 
we are able to register an unlimited amount of debt securities for sale under the shelf registration statement.

Under  our  shelf  registration  statement,  we  have  issued  $400.0  million  of  4.75%  senior  unsecured  notes  due  2020  in 
February 2013.

Senior unsecured notes 
During the year ended December 31, 2012 and through February 28, 2013, the Company issued $2.1 billion in aggregate 
principal of senior unsecured notes.

In January 2012, the Company issued $155.0 million in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2019  
to  Qualified  Institutional  Buyers  in  reliance  upon  Rule  144A  under  the  Securities  Act.  The  notes  are  senior  unsecured  
obligations of the Company and bear interest at a rate of 7.375% per annum.

In  March  2012,  the  Company  issued  $1.0  billion  in  aggregate  principal  amount  of  senior  unsecured  notes  due  2017  to 
Qualified Institutional Buyers in reliance upon Rule 144A under the Securities Act. The notes are senior unsecured obliga-
tions of the Company and bear interest at a rate of 5.625% per annum. The notes will bear additional interest of 0.50% 
per annum during any period from and after March 16, 2013 during which a publicly available rating on the notes is not 
maintained by at least one rating agency as described in the Indenture, dated as of March 16, 2012, between the Company 
and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as trustee.

In  September  and  October  2012,  the  Company  issued  $450.0  and  $50.0  million,  respectively,  in  aggregate  principal 
amount  of  senior  unsecured  notes  due  2016  to  Qualified  Institutional  Buyers  in  reliance  upon  Rule  144A  under  the 
Securities Act. The notes are senior unsecured obligations of the Company and bear interest at a rate of 4.5% per annum. 
The notes will bear additional interest of 0.50% per annum during any period from and after September 26, 2013 during 
which a publicly available rating on the notes is not maintained by at least one rating agency as described in the Indenture, 
dated as of September 26, 2012, between the Company and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as trustee.

In February 2013, the Company issued $400.0 million in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2020 
pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement that the Company previously filed with the SEC. The notes are senior 
unsecured obligations of the Company and bear interest at a rate of 4.75% per annum. The notes will bear additional inter-
est of 0.50% per annum during any period from and after February 5, 2014 during which a publicly available rating on the 
notes  is  not  maintained  by  at  least  one  rating  agency  as  described  in  the  Indenture,  dated  as  of  October  11,  2013,  as 
amended and supplemented by the First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of February 5, 2013, between the Company and 
Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as trustee.

As of December 31, 2012, assuming the senior unsecured notes due 2020 had been issued the Company would have had 
$2.2 billion in senior unsecured notes outstanding. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had $120.0 million in senior 
unsecured notes outstanding.

51

Unsecured revolving credit facilities 
In  May  2012,  the  Company  entered  into  an  $853.0  million  three-year  senior  unsecured  revolving  credit  facility  (the 
“Syndicated  Unsecured  Revolving  Credit  Facility”).  The  Syndicated  Unsecured  Revolving  Credit  Facility  will  mature  on 
May 4, 2015 and contains an uncommitted accordion feature under which its aggregate principal amount can be increased 
by up to $500.0 million.

Borrowings under the Syndicated Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at LIBOR plus a margin of 1.75% with 
no  LIBOR  floor.  The  Company  is  required  to  pay  a  commitment  fee  in  respect  of  unutilized  commitments  under  the 
Syndicated Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility at a rate of 0.375%.

As of February 28, 2013, the Company had added four additional lenders to the Syndicated Unsecured Revolving Credit 
Facility and increased the aggregate principal amount by $240.0 million to $1.1 billion.

The total amount outstanding under our unsecured revolving credit facilities was $420.0 million and $358.0 million as of 
December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively.

Unsecured term financings 
During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Company entered into 10 additional unsecured term facilities aggregating 
$153.1 million with terms ranging from 1 to 6 years and bearing interest at fixed rates ranging from 1.00% to 4.25%. The 
total amount outstanding under our unsecured term facilities was $248.9 million and $148.2 million as of December 31, 
2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively.

The outstanding balance under our unsecured term facilities as of December 31, 2012 was comprised of $233.6 million 
fixed rate debt with interest rates ranging from 1.00% to 4.25% and $15.3 million floating rate debt at a rate of LIBOR 
plus  3.95%.  The  outstanding  balance  under  our  unsecured  term  facilities  as  of  December  31,  2011  was  comprised  of 
$128.9 million fixed rate debt with interest rates ranging from 3.00% to 4.00% and $19.3 million floating rate debt at a 
rate of LIBOR plus 3.95%.

Convertible senior notes 
In November 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.

Warehouse facilities 
We have a non-recourse, revolving credit facility (the “2010 Warehouse Facility”), dated April 21, 2011, as amended, which 
provides us with financing of up to $1.25 billion. The 2010 Warehouse Facility accrues interest at a rate of LIBOR plus 
2.50% on drawn balances and at a fixed rate of 0.75% on undrawn balances. We are able to draw on the 2010 Warehouse 
Facility, as amended, during an availability period that ends in June 2013. 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 of December 31, 2012, the Company had borrowed $877.7 million under the 2010 Warehouse Facility and pledged 30 
aircraft as collateral with a net book value of $1.3 billion. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had borrowed $1.0 bil-
lion  under  the  2010  Warehouse  Facility  and  pledged  38  aircraft  as  collateral  with  a  net  book  value  of  $1.6  billion.  
The  Company  had  pledged  cash  collateral  and  lessee  deposits  of  $98.6  million  and  $86.9  million  under  the  2010  
Warehouse  Facility  as  of  December  31,  2012  and  December  31,  2011,  respectively.  We  intend  to  continue  to  utilize  the  
2010 Warehouse Facility to finance aircraft acquisitions through 2013, as this facility provides us with ample liquidity to 
make opportunistic acquisitions of aircraft on short notice.

52

In  March  2012,  a  wholly-owned  subsidiary  of  the  Company  entered  into  a  $192.8  million  senior  secured  warehouse  
facility  (the  “2012  Warehouse  Facility”)  to  refinance  a  pool  of  eight  aircraft  previously  financed  under  the  Company’s  
2010  Warehouse  Facility  (the  “2010  Warehouse  Facility”  and  together  with  the  2012  Warehouse  Facility  the  
“Warehouse Facilities”).

As  of  December  31,  2012,  the  Company  had  borrowed  $184.1  million  under  the  2012  Warehouse  Facility  and  pledged 
eight aircraft as collateral with a net book value of $256.6 million. The Company had pledged cash collateral and lessee 
deposits of $5.8 million under the 2012 Warehouse Facility as of December 31, 2012.

Secured term financing 
The Company funds some aircraft purchases through secured term financings. Wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Company 
will  borrow  through  secured  bank  facilities  to  purchase  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 receivables, security 
deposits, maintenance reserves or a combination thereof.

During the year ended December 31, 2012, one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries entered into a $35.0 million secured term 
facility,  with  recourse  to  the  Company.  The  outstanding  balance  on  our  secured  term  facilities  was  $688.6  million  and 
$735.3 million at December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively.

The outstanding balance under our secured term facilities as of December 31, 2012 was comprised of $159.1 million fixed 
rate debt and $529.5 million floating rate debt, with interest rates ranging from 4.28% to 5.36% and LIBOR plus 1.50% 
to LIBOR plus 3.59%, respectively. The outstanding balance under our secured term facilities as of December 31, 2011 was 
comprised of $184.3 million fixed rate debt and $551.0 million floating rate debt, with interest rates ranging from 4.28% 
to  5.36%  and  LIBOR  plus  1.50%  to  LIBOR  plus  3.59%,  respectively.  In  connection  with  these  facilities,  the  Company 
pledged $1.1 billion in aircraft collateral as of December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011.

Maturities 
Maturities of debt outstanding as of December 31, 2012 are as follows:

Years Ending December 31,
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Thereafter

Total(1)(2)

(dollars in thousands)

$  388,369
377,742
772,292
1,138,076
1,132,852
585,024

$ 4,394,355

(1)  As of December 31, 2012, the Company had $877.7 million of debt outstanding under the 2010 Warehouse 
Facility which matures 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 such in the maturity schedule, above.

(2)  As  of  December  31,  2012,  the  Company  had  $420.0  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 maturity schedule, above.

53

NOTE 3. INTEREST ExPENSE

The following table shows the components of interest for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 and the period from 
inception to December 31, 2010:

Year Ended 
December 31, 2012

Year Ended 
December 31, 2011

For the Period  
from Inception to 
December 31, 2010

(dollars 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

$149,807
(19,388)

130,419
16,994
—
—

$ 55,252
(10,390)

44,862
9,481
3,349
—

Interest expense

$147,413

$ 57,692

$12,831
(1,769)

11,062
4,883
—
35,798

$51,743

The Company recorded 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  arrangement  with  such  funds  managed  by  Ares  Management  LLC 
and Leonard Green & Partners, L.P. to purchase shares at a discounted price.

NOTE 4. SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

In  2010,  the  Company  authorized  500,000,000  shares  of  Class  A  Common  Stock,  $0.01  par  value  per  share,  of  which 
99,417,998  and  98,885,131  shares  were  issued  and  outstanding  as  of  December  31,  2012  and  2011,  respectively.  As  of 
December  31,  2012  and  2011,  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 hold-
ers 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 convertible 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, 2012 and 2011 the Company had authorized 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 warrants 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.

 
 
54

On  April  25,  2011,  we  completed  an  initial  public  offering  of  our  Class  A  Common  Stock  and  listing  of  our  Class  A 
Common  Stock  on  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange  under  the  symbol  “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.

NOTE 5. RENTAL INCOME

At December 31, 2012 minimum future rentals on non-cancelable operating leases of flight equipment in our fleet, which 
have been delivered as of December 31, 2012, are as follows:

Years Ending December 31,
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Thereafter

  Total

(dollars in thousands)

$  727,908
701,439
656,261
600,153
530,148
1,788,074

$ 5,003,983

The  Company  earned  $25.0  million,  $11.0  million  and  $3.6  million  in  contingent  rental  revenue  based  on  our  lessees’  
usage  of  the  aircraft  for  the  years  ended  December  31,  2012  and  2011  and  the  period  from  inception  to  December  31,  
2010, respectively.

The following table shows the scheduled lease terminations (for the minimum non-cancelable period which does not include 
contracted unexercised lease extension options) by aircraft type for our operating lease portfolio as of February 28, 2013:

Aircraft Type

Airbus A319-100
Airbus A320-200
Airbus A321-200
Airbus A330-200
Airbus A330-300
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

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Thereafter

Total

1
2
—
—
—
1
—
2
—
—
—
—
—

6

—
1
—
—
—
2
6
1
—
—
—
—
—

10

2
2
—
—
—
—
11
—
—
—
—
—
—

15

1
2
2
1
—
2
5
—
—
—
—
—
—

2
4
1
1
—
—
8
—
—
1
—
—
—

13

17

1
18
2
12
3
3
8
—
1
5
8
23
10

94

7
29
5
14
3
8
38
3
1
6
8
23
10

155

As of February 28, 2013, we have entered into new leases or sale agreements for three of the six aircraft with scheduled 
lease terminations in 2013.

55

NOTE 6. CONCENTRATION OF RISK

Geographical and credit risks 
As of December 31, 2012, all of the Company’s rental revenues were generated by leasing flight equipment to foreign and 
domestic  airlines,  and  currently  the  Company  leases  aircraft  to  69  lessees  in  40  countries  compared  to  55  lessees  in  33 
countries as of December 31, 2011.

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 December 31, 
2012 and 2011:

Region

(dollars in thousands)
Europe
Asia Pacific
Latin America
North America
Africa and Middle East

  Total

December 31, 2012

December 31, 2011

Net Book 
Value

% of 
Total

Net Book 
Value

% of 
Total

$2,398,531
2,245,002
788,189
457,546
362,595

38.4% $1,782,949
1,355,432
35.9%
515,145
12.6%
386,101
7.3%
197,789
5.8%

42.1%
32.0%
12.2%
9.1%
4.6%

$6,251,863

100.0% $4,237,416

100.0%

At December 31, 2012 and 2011, we leased aircraft to customers in the following regions:

Region

Europe
Asia Pacific
Latin America
North America
Africa and Middle East

  Total

December 31, 2012

December 31, 2011

Number of 
Customers(1)

% of 
Total

Number of 
Customers(1)

% of 
Total

17
28
9
8
7

69

24.6%
40.6%
13.0%
11.6%
10.2%

100.0%

13
22
8
7
5

55

23.6%
40.0%
14.6%
12.7%
9.1%

100.0%

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

The following table sets forth the dollar amount and percentage of our rental of flight equipment revenues attributable to 
the indicated regions based on each airline’s principal place of business:

Region

(dollars in thousands)
Europe
Asia Pacific
Latin America
North America
Africa and Middle East

  Total

Year Ended 
December 31, 2012

Year Ended  
December 31, 2011

Amount 
of Rental 
Revenue

% of 
Total

Amount 
of Rental 
Revenue

$253,376
215,537
84,341
53,201
39,398

39.2% $151,566
93,237
33.4%
30,714
13.1%
39,350
8.2%
17,852
6.1%

% of 
Total

45.6%
28.0%
9.2%
11.8%
5.4%

$645,853

100.0% $332,719

100.0%

As our aircraft portfolio grows, we anticipate that a growing percentage of our aircraft will be located in the Asia/Pacific, 
the Central America, South America and Mexico, and the Middle East and Africa regions.

56

The  following  table  sets  forth  the  revenue  attributable  to  individual  countries  representing  at  least  10%  of  our  rental  of 
flight equipment revenue for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 and the period from inception to December 31, 
2010, based on each airline’s principal place of business.

Year Ended  
December 31, 2012

Year Ended  
December 31, 2011

For the Period  
from Inception to 
December 31, 2010

Country

(dollars in thousands)
China
Italy
France
Germany

Amount 
of Rental 
Revenue

% of 
Total

Amount 
of Rental 
Revenue

% of 
Total

Amount 
of Rental 
Revenue

$ 75,451
$ 71,007
$ 67,411
—

11.7% $ 39,603
11.0%
—
10.4% $ 62,240
—

—

—

11.9% $  6,091
—
18.7% $  8,598
$ 15,153

—

% of 
Total

10.7%
—
15.1%
26.5%

The following table sets forth the revenue attributable to individual airlines representing at least 10% of our rental of flight 
equipment revenue for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 and the period from inception to December 31, 2010, 
based on each airline’s principal place of business.

Customer(1)

(dollars in thousands)
Alitalia
Air France
Air Berlin

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

Year Ended 
December 31, 2012

Year Ended 
December 31, 2011

For the Period  
from Inception to 
December 31, 2010

Amount 
of Rental 
Revenue

% of 
Total

Amount 
of Rental 
Revenue

% of 
Total

Amount 
of Rental 
Revenue

% of 
Total

$ 71,007
—
—

11.0%
—
—

—
$ 45,444
—

—

—   —

13.7% $  8,598
$ 15,153

—

15.1%
26.5%

Currency 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.

NOTE 7. INCOME TAxES

The provision for income taxes consists of the following:

(dollars in thousands)
Current:
  Federal
  State
  Foreign
Deferred:
  Federal
  State
  Foreign

Income tax expense (benefit)

Year ended 
December 31, 2012

Year ended 
December 31, 2011

For the Period  
from Inception to 
December 31, 2010

—
—
  4

$ 

71,932
118
—

$72,054

—
—
  49

$ 

29,102
458
—

$29,609

—
—
—

$(8,547)
(328)
—

$(8,875)

 
 
 
57

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

(dollars in thousands)
Income taxes at statutory federal rate
State income taxes, net of federal income tax effect
Nondeductible interest—convertible note
Other

Year Ended 
December 31, 2012

Year Ended 
December 31, 2011

For the Period  
from Inception to 
December 31, 2010

Amount

Percent

Amount

Percent

Amount

Percent

$71,390
75
—
589

35.0% $28,997
298
—
314

0.1%
—
0.2%

35.0% $ (21,320)
(213)
12,529
129

0.3%
—
0.4%

(35.0)%
(0.4)%
20.6%
0.2%

$72,054

35.3% $29,609

35.7% $  (8,875)

(14.6)%

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

(dollars in thousands)
Assets (Liabilities)
  Equity compensation
  Net operating losses
  Rents received in advance
  Accrued bonus
  Other
  Aircraft depreciation

  Total (liabilities) assets

December 31, 2012

December 31, 2011

$   20,521
43,676
14,436
2,457
6,546
(180,378)

$  (92,742)

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

$ (20,692)

The Company has net operating loss carryforwards (NOLs) for federal income tax purposes of $128.4 million and $37.8 
million as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, which are available to offset future taxable income in future peri-
ods and begin to expire in 2030. The Company has NOLs for state income tax purposes of $49.9 million and $37.4 million 
as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively, which are available to offset future taxable income in future periods and 
begin to expire in 2030. The Company recognizes tax benefits associated with stock-based compensation directly to stock-
holders’ equity only when realized. Accordingly, deferred tax assets are not recognized for net operating loss carryforwards 
resulting from windfall tax benefits. A windfall tax benefit occurs when the actual tax benefit realized upon an employee’s 
disposition of a share-based award exceeds the tax effect of the cumulative book compensation charge associated with the 
award. As of December 31, 2012 and 2011, the Company has windfall tax benefits of $3.7 million included in its U.S. net 
operating loss carryforward, 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, 2012 and 2011 as realization of the 
deferred tax asset is considered more likely than not. In assessing the realizability of the deferred tax assets management 
considered whether future taxable income will be sufficient during the periods in which those temporary differences are 
deductible  or  before  NOLs  expire.  Management  considers  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 offsetting the reversal of deferred tax assets. As of December 31, 2012 
and 2011 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.

 
58

NOTE 8. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Aircraft Acquisition 
As of December 31, 2012 and through February 28, 2013, we had contracted to buy 325 new aircraft for delivery through 
2023 as follows:

Aircraft Type

Airbus A320/321-200
Airbus A320/321 NEO
Airbus A330-200/300
Airbus A350 XWB(1)
Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-8/9 MAX(2)
Boeing 777-300ER
Boeing 787-9
ATR 72-600

  Total

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Thereafter

Total

13
—
3
—
12
—
—
—
6

34

13
—
—
—
13
—
6
—
2

34

6
—
—
—
17
—
8
—
—

31

—
3
—
—
18
—
1
—
—

22

—
12
—
—
11
—
—
1
—

24

—
35
—
30
4
100
—
11
—

180

32
50
3
30
75
100
15
12
8

325

(1) As of February 28, 2013, five of the Airbus A350 XWB aircraft were subject to reconfirmation.
(2) As of February 28, 2013, 20 of the Boeing 737-8/9 MAX aircraft were subject to reconfirmation.

Commitments for the acquisition of these aircraft and other equipment at an estimated aggregate purchase price (including 
adjustments  for  inflation)  of  approximately  $23.4  billion  as  of  December  31,  2012  and  through  February  28,  2013  are  
as follows:

Years Ending December 31,
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Thereafter

  Total

(dollars in thousands)

$  1,896,952
2,094,380
2,133,061
1,312,235
1,559,400
14,449,731

$ 23,445,759

We have made non-refundable deposits on the aircraft for which we have commitments to purchase of $564.7 million and 
$405.5 million as of December 31, 2012 and December 31, 2011, respectively, which are subject to manufacturer perfor-
mance  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 
The Company’s lease for office space provides for step rentals over the term of the lease. Those rentals are considered in the 
evaluation  of  recording  rent  expense  on  a  straight-line  basis  over  the  term  of  the  lease.  Tenant  improvement  allowances 
received from the lessor are deferred and amortized in selling, general and administrative expenses against rent expense. 
The Company recorded office lease expense of $2.5 million, $2.1 million and $0.5 million for the years ended December 
31, 2012 and 2011 and the period from inception to December 31, 2010, respectively.

59

Commitments for minimum rentals under the non-cancelable lease term at December 31, 2012 are as follows:

Years Ending December 31,
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Thereafter

  Total

(dollars in thousands)

$  2,325
2,395
2,467
2,541
2,617
18,083

$ 30,428

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 reflects the potential dilution that would occur if securities or other 
contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock; however, potential common 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 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  potential  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, 2012, the Company excluded 3,358,408 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 year 
ended December 31, 2011, the Company excluded 3,375,908 shares related to stock options which are potentially dilutive 
securities 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 Company 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 2,117,510, 2,613,539 and 3,225,907 shares related to restricted stock units for which the performance metric had 
yet to be achieved as of December 31, 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively.

60

The following table sets forth the reconciliation of basic and diluted net income (loss) per share:

Year Ended 
December 31, 2012

Year Ended 
December 31, 2011

For the Period  
from Inception to 
December 31, 2010

(in thousands, except share data)
Basic net income per share:
  Numerator

  Net income (loss)

  Denominator

  Weighted-average common shares outstanding

Basic net income per share
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 share computation

Diluted net income per share

$   131,919

$  53,232

$(52,040)

100,991,871
$         1.31

89,592,945
$      0.59

39,511,045
$    (1.32)

$   131,919
5,627

$   137,546

100,991,871
6,664,592

107,656,463
$         1.28

$  53,232
560

$  53,792

89,592,945
823,401

90,416,346
$      0.59

$(52,040)
—

$(52,040)

39,511,045
—

39,511,045
$    (1.32)

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, 2012 or 2011.

Financial Instruments Not Measured at Fair Values 
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, which would be categorized as a Level 2 
measurement in the fair value hierarchy. The estimated fair value of debt financing as of December 31, 2012 was $4,517.6 
million compared to a book value of $4,384.7 million. The estimated fair value of debt financing as of December 31, 2011 
was $2,591.0 million compared to a book value of $2,602.8 million.

The following financial instruments are not measured at fair value on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet at December 
31, 2012, but require disclosure of their fair values: cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash. The estimated fair value 
of  such  instruments  at  December  31,  2012  and  2011  approximates  their  carrying  value  as  reported  on  the  consolidated  
balance sheet. The fair value of all these instruments would be categorized as Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.

NOTE 11. STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

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, 2012. Options are generally granted for a term of 10 years and generally vest over a three-year period. 
There are two kinds of RSUs: those that vest based on the attainment of book-value goals and those that vest based on the 
attainment of TSR goals. The book-value RSUs generally vest ratably over three to four years, if the performance condition 
has been met. Book-value RSUs for which the performance metric has not been met are forfeited. The TSR RSUs vest at the 
end  of  a  three-year  period.  The  number  of  TSR  RSUs  that  will  ultimately  vest  is  based  upon  the  percentile  ranking  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
61

of the Company’s TSR among a peer group. The number of shares that will ultimately vest will range from 0% to 200% of 
the  RSUs  initially  granted  depending  on  the  extent  to  which  the  TSR  metric  is  achieved.  As  of  December  31,  2012,  the 
Company granted 3,375,908 Stock Options and 3,866,061 RSUs of which 193,914 are TSR RSUs.

The Company recorded $31.7 million, $39.3 million and $24.0 million of stock-based compensation expense for the years 
ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 and the period from inception to December 31, 2010, respectively.

Stock Options 
The Company uses the BSM option pricing model to determine 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 subjective 
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 
Company’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 remaining terms similar to the expected term on the options. In accordance 
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, 2012, the Company did not grant any Stock Options. The average assumptions used to value stock-based 
payments during the year ended December 31, 2011 and the period from inception to December 31, 2010 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 for the year ended December 31, 
2012 follows:

Balance at December 31, 2011
  Granted
  Exercised
  Forfeited/canceled

Balance at December 31, 2012
Vested and exercisable as of December 31, 2012
Vested and exercisable as of December 31, 2012 and expected  

to vest thereafter(2)

Shares

3,375,908
—
(7,000)
(10,500)

3,358,408
2,238,265

Exercise 
Price

$20.39
—
$20.00
$20.00

$20.39
$20.20

3,353,423

$20.39

Remaining 
Contractual 
Term (in years)

Aggregate 
Intrinsic Value 
(in thousands)(1)

8.50
—
7.50
—

7.49
7.48

7.49

$11,968
—
$       18
—

$  4,813
$  3,282

$  4,805

(1)  The aggregate intrinsic value is calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the underlying awards and the closing stock price of $21.50 of 

our Class A Common Stock on December 31, 2012.

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

Stock-based compensation expense related to employee stock options for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 and 
the period from inception to December 31, 2010, totaled $ 11.8 million, $12.0 million and $6.1 million, respectively.

 
62

The  following  table  summarizes  additional  information  regarding  outstanding  and  exercisable  and  vested  at  
December 31, 2012:

Range of Exercise Prices

$20.00
$28.80

$20.00–$28.80

Options 
Outstanding

Options Exercisable 
and Vested

Weighted-
Average 
Remaining 
Life (in years)

7.46
8.31

7.49

Weighted-
Average 
Remaining
Life (in years)

7.46
8.31

7.48

Number of 
Shares

2,188,265
50,000

2,238,265

Number of 
Shares

3,208,408
150,000

3,358,408

As of December 31, 2012, there was $5.3 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to outstanding employee stock 
options. This amount is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 0.44 years. To the extent the actual 
forfeiture rate is different from what we have estimated, stock-based compensation related to these awards will be different 
from our expectations.

Restricted Stock Units 
Compensation  cost  for  stock  awards  is  measured  at  the  grant  date  based  on  fair  value  and  recognized  over  the  vesting 
period.  The  fair  value  of  book-value  RSUs  is  determined  based  on  the  closing  market  price  of  the  Company’s  Class  A 
Common Stock on the date of grant, while the fair value of TSR RSUs is determined at the grant date using a Monte Carlo 
simulation model. Included in the Monte Carlo simulation model were certain assumptions regarding a number of highly 
complex and subjective variables, such as expected volatility, risk-free interest rate and expected dividends. To appropriately 
value the award, the risk-free interest rate is estimated for the time period from the valuation date until the vesting date and 
the historical volatilities were estimated based on a historical timeframe equal to the time from the valuation date until the 
end date of the performance period. Due to our limited stock history since the completion of our initial public offering on 
April 25, 2011, historical volatility was estimated based on all available stock history information. The dividend distributions 
were estimated to be zero based on dividend distributions before the valuation date.

The following table summarizes the activities for our unvested RSUs for the year ended December 31, 2012:

Unvested at December 31, 2011
  Granted
  Vested
  Forfeited/canceled

Unvested at December 31, 2012

Expected to vest after December 31, 2012(1)

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

Unvested Restricted Stock Units

Number of 
Shares

2,613,539
408,097
(890,110)
(14,016)

2,117,510

2,105,734

Weighted-Average 
Grant-Date 
Fair Value

$20.78
24.27
20.50
19.51

$21.38

$21.61

At  December  31,  2012,  the  outstanding  RSUs  are  expected  to  vest  as  follows:  2013—955,182;  2014—904,372;  and 
2015—257,956.  The  Company  recorded  $19.9  million,  $27.4  million  and  $17.9  million  of  stock-based  compensation 
expense related to RSUs for the years ended December 31, 2012 and 2011 and the period from inception to December 31, 
2010, respectively.

As of December 31, 2012, there was $15.5 million of unrecognized 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 expected to be recognized over a weighted-average remaining period of 
1.59 years.

63

NOTE 12. LITIGATION

On April 24, 2012, the Company was named as a defendant in a complaint filed in Superior Court of the State of California 
for the County of Los Angeles by American International Group, Inc. and ILFC. The complaint also names as defendants 
certain  executive  officers  and  employees  of  the  Company.  The  complaint  was  amended  on  November  30,  2012  and  on 
January  18,  2013.  Among  other  things,  the  suit  alleges  breach  of  fiduciary  duty,  misappropriation  of  trade  secrets,  the 
wrongful recruitment of ILFC employees, and the wrongful diversion of potential ILFC leasing opportunities. The complaint 
seeks an unspecified amount of damages and injunctive relief. The Company believes that it has meritorious defenses to these 
claims and intends to defend this matter vigorously. The amount or range of loss, if any, is not estimable at this time.

NOTE 13. 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 lessees, and if requested by the subsidiary, to remarket the 
aircraft for subsequent leases or for sale. In connection with this transaction, Commonwealth Bank paid us fees for acquir-
ing the aircraft and for collecting the first rent payment under the lease, and will pay us a percentage of the contracted rent 
and the rent actually paid by the lessee each month. We may earn 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  
$13.0 million at a rate of 3.5%.

In December 2011, the Company, through a limited liability company of which it is the sole member, entered into a pur-
chase agreement to acquire a corporate aircraft. The right to purchase the corporate aircraft was formerly held by an unre-
lated entity controlled by Mr. Udvar-Házy, our Chairman and CEO. The parties conducted this transaction on an arm’s 
length basis. The Company believes, based on independent expert advice, that at the time the Company entered into the 
purchase agreement, the purchase price of the aircraft 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-Házy.

In March 2012, we entered into a Syndicated Unsecured Revolving Credit Facility under which Commonwealth Bank is a 
lender. See note 3 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

In April 2012, we entered into a Servicing Agreement with Commonwealth Bank of Australia and one of its subsidiaries at 
terms  no  more  favorable  than  would  be  to  an  unrelated  third  party.  Pursuant  to  the  Servicing  Agreement,  we  agreed  to 
arrange the acquisition of a Boeing 777 aircraft on behalf of a subsidiary, to manage the lease of the aircraft to a third 
party, and if requested by the subsidiary, to remarket the aircraft for subsequent leases or for sale. In connection with this 
transaction, Commonwealth Bank of Australia paid us fees for acquiring the aircraft and for collecting the first rent pay-
ment  under  the  lease,  and  will  pay  us  a  percentage  of  the  contracted  rent  and  the  rent  actually  paid  by  the  lessee  each 
month. We may earn up to an aggregate of approximately $2.7 million in fees under the Servicing Agreement in connection 
with the acquisition of the aircraft and management of the current lease.

64

In December 2012, we entered into an agreement with Commonwealth Bank of Australia and one of its subsidiaries for  
the  sale  of  an  Airbus  A320-200  at  terms  no  more  favorable  than  would  be  to  an  unrelated  third  party.  In  addition,  the 
Company entered into a Servicing Agreement with Commonwealth Bank of Australia to manage the lease of the aircraft to 
a third party and subsequent lessees, and if requested by the subsidiary, to remarket the aircraft for subsequent leases or for 
sale. In connection with this transaction, Commonwealth Bank of Australia paid us for the aircraft and for collecting the 
first rent payment under the lease subsequent to the sale, and will pay us a percentage of the contracted rent and the rent 
actually paid by the lessee each month. We recorded a gain of $1.9 million on the sale of the aircraft and may earn up to 
an aggregate of approximately $980,000 in fees under the Servicing Agreement in connection with the management of the 
current lease.

NOTE 14. QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA (UNAUDITED)

The following table presents our unaudited quarterly results of operations for the two-year period ended December 31, 2012.

(in thousands, except share data)
Revenues
Income before taxes
Net income
Net income per share:
  Basic
  Diluted

Mar 31, 
2011

Jun 30, 
2011

Sep 30, 
2011

Dec 31, 
2011

Mar 31, 
2012

Jun 30, 
2012

Sep 30, 
2012

Dec 31, 
2012

Quarter Ended

$ 55,215
4,924
3,176

$ 74,344
10,888
7,023

$ 92,125
28,341
18,271

$ 115,057
38,688
24,762

$ 132,553
41,610
26,927

$ 158,173
43,884
28,172

$ 174,925
57,193
37,011

$ 190,095
61,286
39,809

$  0.05
$  0.05

$  0.08
$  0.08

$  0.18
$  0.18

$ 
$ 

0.25
0.24

$ 
$ 

0.27
0.26

$ 
$ 

0.28
0.28

$ 
$ 

0.37
0.36

$ 
$ 

0.39
0.38

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

NOTE 15. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

In February 2013, the Company issued $400.0 million in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2020 
pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement that the Company previously filed with the SEC. The notes are senior 
unsecured obligations of the Company and bear interest at a rate of 4.75% per annum. The notes will bear additional inter-
est of 0.50% per annum during any period from and after February 5, 2014 during which a publicly available rating on the 
notes  is  not  maintained  by  at  least  one  rating  agency  as  described  in  the  Indenture,  dated  as  of  October  11,  2013,  as 
amended and supplemented by the First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of February 5, 2013, between the Company and 
Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as trustee.

In February 2013, the Company entered into a definitive purchase agreement and related letter agreements with Airbus. 
Pursuant to the purchase agreement, the Company agreed to purchase up to 25 A350 XWB family aircraft from Airbus, 
comprised  of  20  A350-900  aircraft  and  five  A350-1000  aircraft,  with  an  option  to  purchase  up  to  five  additional  
A350-1000 aircraft. Deliveries of the A350 XWB aircraft are scheduled to commence in 2018 and continue through 2023.

In February 2013, the Company amended a definitive purchase agreement and related letter agreements with Boeing. Pursuant 
to the amended purchase agreement, the Company agreed to purchase 10 additional Boeing 777-300ER aircraft from Boeing. 
Deliveries of the 10 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft are scheduled to commence in 2014 and continue through 2016.

In  February  2013,  our  board  of  directors  adopted  a  cash  dividend  policy  pursuant  to  which  we  intend  to  pay  quarterly  
cash dividends of $0.025 per share on our outstanding common stock. The first quarterly cash dividend will be paid on 
March 26, 2013 to holders of record of our common stock as of March 21, 2013.

Selected 
Financial Data

65

You should read the following selected consolidated financial data in conjunction with “Item 7. Management’s Discussion 
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our consolidated financial statements and the related 
notes appearing in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The  consolidated  statements  of  operations  data  for  the  years  ended  December  31,  2012  and  2011  and  the  period  from 
inception to December 31, 2010 and the consolidated balance sheet data at December 31, 2012 and 2011 are derived from 
our audited consolidated financial statements appearing in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this 
Annual  Report  on  Form  10-K.  The  historical  results  are  not  necessarily  indicative  of  the  results  to  be  expected  in  any 
future period.

Year Ended 
December 31, 2012

Year Ended 
December 31, 2011

For the Period  
from Inception to  
December 31, 2010

(in thousands, except share 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:
  Basic
  Diluted
Weighted-average shares outstanding:
  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

$

645,853
9,893

655,746
451,773

203,973
(72,054)

$

131,919

$
$

1.31
1.28

100,991,871
107,656,463

$

$

$
$

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

$
$

163,404
596,451

$
$

87,954
290,168

$

491,029
(2,344,924)
1,802,179

$

267,166
(2,977,156)
2,662,974

$
$

$

2,520
32,973

41,934
(1,851,520)
2,138,407

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
66

(in thousands except share and aircraft data)
Balance sheet data:
Flight equipment subject to operating leases (net of accumulated depreciation)
Total assets
Total debt
Total liabilities
Shareholders’ equity
Other operating data:
Aircraft lease portfolio at period end:
  Owned(3)
  Managed(4)

As of December 31,

2012

2011

2010

$6,251,863
7,353,624
4,384,732
5,021,003
2,332,621

$4,237,416
5,164,593
2,602,799
2,988,310
2,176,283

$1,629,809
2,276,282
911,981
1,051,347
1,224,935

155
4

102
2

40
—

(1)  Adjusted net income (defined as net income (loss) before stock-based compensation expense and non-cash interest expense, which includes the amortiza-
tion 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 infor-
mation  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 operat-
ing 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 income (loss) and cash flow from operating activities.

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

 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:

  h  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

  h  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.

 
 
 
67

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.

Year Ended 
December 31, 2012

Year Ended 
December 31, 2011

For the Period 
from Inception to  
December 31, 2010

(in thousands)

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

$ 491,029
(216,219)
(31,688)
(72,050)
(16,994)
—
—

18,758
(25,797)
(15,120)

131,919
16,994
—
—
31,688
(17,197)

$ 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)

  Adjusted net income

$ 163,404

$ 87,954

$ 2,520

(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

Year Ended 
December 31, 2012

Year Ended 
December 31, 2011

For the Period  
from Inception to 
December 31, 2010

$ 131,919
16,994
—
—
31,688
(17,197)

$ 163,404

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

$ 87,954

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

$ 2,520

(2)  Adjusted EBITDA (defined as net income (loss) before net interest expense, stock-based compensation expense, income tax expense (benefit), and depre-
ciation 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 
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 income (loss) and cash flow from operating activities.

 
 
 
 
 
 
68

 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 
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: 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.

 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:
  h   adjusted EBITDA does not reflect our cash expenditures or future requirements for capital expenditures or  

contractual commitments;

  h  adjusted EBITDA does not reflect changes in or cash requirements for our working capital needs;
  h   adjusted EBITDA does not reflect interest expense or cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal  

payments on our debt; and

  h  other companies in our industry may calculate these measures differently from how we calculate these measures, limiting their usefulness as  

comparative measures. 

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.

Year Ended 
December 31, 2012

Year Ended 
December 31, 2011

For the Period 
from Inception to  
December 31, 2010

(in thousands)
Reconciliation of cash flows from operating activities to adjusted EBITDA:
  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)
  Net interest expense

Income taxes
  Depreciation
  Stock-based compensation

  Adjusted EBITDA

$ 491,029
(216,219)
(31,688)
(72,050)
(16,994)
—
—

18,758
(25,797)
(15,120)

131,919
144,571
72,054
216,219
31,688

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

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

53,232
55,678
29,609
112,307
39,342

$ 41,934
(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

$ 596,451

$ 290,168

$ 32,973

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
69

(in thousands)
Reconciliation of net income (loss) to adjusted EBITDA:
  Net income (loss)
  Net interest expense

Income taxes
  Depreciation
  Stock-based compensation

  Adjusted EBITDA

Year Ended 
December 31, 2012

Year Ended 
December 31, 2011

For the Period 
from Inception to 
December 31, 2010

$

131,919
144,571
72,054
216,219
31,688

$

53,232
55,678
29,609
112,307
39,342

$ (52,040)
50,582
(8,875)
19,262
24,044

$

596,451

$

290,168

$ 32,973

(3)  As of December 31, 2012, we owned 155 aircraft (of which 82 were new aircraft and 73 were used aircraft). 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,  2012,  we  managed  four  aircraft.  As  of  December  31,  2011,  we  managed  two  aircraft.  As  of  December  31,  2010,  we  did  not  

manage any aircraft.

 
 
70 Leadership 
Team

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ExECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

Steven F. Udvar-Házy 
Chairman and 
Chief Executive Officer

John L. Plueger 
President and 
Chief Operating Officer

Robert Milton 
Lead Independent Director; 
Chairman, Governance  
Committee; Audit Committee

Matthew J. Hart 
Chairman, Audit Committee; 
Governance Committee

Ronald D. Sugar 
Chairman, Compensation  
Committee; Governance  
Committee

Wilbur Ross 
Audit Committee

Antony P. Ressler 
Compensation Committee

John Danhakl 
Compensation Committee

Ian M. Saines

Steven F. Udvar-Házy 
Chairman and 
Chief Executive Officer

John L. Plueger 
President and 
Chief Operating Officer

MARKETING AND 
COMMERCIAL AFFAIRS

Grant Levy 
Executive Vice President

Alex A. Khatibi 
Executive Vice President

Marc Baer 
Executive Vice President

Jie Chen  
Executive Vice President

Kishore Korde 
Senior Vice President

Michael Bai 
Vice President

Chi Yan 
Vice President

LEGAL

FINANCE AND  
ACCOUNTING

Gregory B. Willis 
Senior Vice President and 
Chief Financial Officer

Jennifer S. Munro 
Vice President and Controller

Ardy Ghanbar 
Assistant Vice President  
and Assistant Controller

TECHNICAL ASSET 
MANAGEMENT

Pierce Chang 
Vice President, 
Technical Asset Management

Eric Hoogenkamp 
Assistant Vice President, 
Technical Asset Management

AIRCRAFT PROCUREMENT 
AND SPECIFICATION

John Poerschke 
Senior Vice President

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

Carol Forsyte 
Executive Vice President, General 
Counsel, Corporate Secretary, 
and Chief Compliance Officer 

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

Robert C. McNitt, Jr. 
Senior Vice President 
and Corporate Counsel

Toby MacCary 
Senior Vice President 
and Corporate Counsel

Jenny Van Le 
Vice President 
and Corporate Counsel

Czar Vigil 
Vice President 
and Corporate Counsel

COMMERCIAL CONTRACTS

Sara Evans 
Vice President, 
Commercial Contracts

STRATEGIC PLANNING & 
INVESTOR RELATIONS

Ryan McKenna 
Assistant Vice President, Strategic 
Planning and Investor Relations

Corporate 
Information

Transfer agenT

annual meeTIng

sTock excHange lIsTIng

American Stock Transfer 
& Trust Company, LLC 
1218 Third avenue, suite 1700 
seattle, Washington 98101 
206.682.0811 
www.amstock.com

May 8, 2013 
7:30 am–8:30 am pacific Time 
century plaza Towers 
2029 century park east 
los angeles, california 90067 
concourse level, conference room a

IndependenT regIsTered 
publIc accounTIng fIrm

KPMG LLP 
55 second street, suite 1400 
san francisco, california 94105 
415.963.5100 
www.kpmg.com

corporaTe HeadquarTers

Air Lease Corporation 
2000 avenue of the stars 
suite 1000n 
los angeles, california 90067 
310.553.0555

please visit www.airleasecorp.com  
to view or download a pdf of this 
annual report.

New York Stock Exchange 
(symbol: al)

form 10-k and  
oTHer reporTs

shareholders may receive a copy  
of the 2012 form 10-k, including the 
financial statements and the financial 
statement schedules and other reports 
we file with the securities and 
exchange commission, without 
charge by writing to:

air lease corporation 
ryan mckenna 
assistant Vice president, strategic 
planning and Investor relations 
2000 avenue of the stars 
suite 1000n 
los angeles, california 90067

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

This is a Greener Annual Report. Air Lease Corporation, Inc. is committed to reducing its impact on the environment.  
The production of this annual report saved the following resources: (estimates were made using http://calculator.environmentalpaper.org)

13 TREES
preserved for  
the future 

6,000,000 BTUs  
energy not
consumed

1,141 LBS  
net greenhouse 
gases prevented

6,191 GAL 
wastewater  
flow saved

414 LBS 
solid waste  
not generated

2000 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1000N
Los Angeles, CA 90067 USA

w w w.airleasecorp.com
info @airleasecorp.com