Ahead of the publication of the completed Aviation Global Leaders Report 2024 in tandem with the Airline Economics Growth Frontiers conference in Dublin in January 2023, Airline Economics and KPMG are releasing a series of video interviews with industry experts that were conducted between October to the end of November 2023.

In this latest interview, Robert Korn, president and chief executive officer at Carlyle Aviation Partners, speaks to Joe O’Mara, Head of Aviation Finance at KPMG Ireland, in New York City in mid-October 2023.

Carlyle Aviation Partners specialises in the management of commercial aircraft and engines. The company, which was founded by Robert and Bill Hoffman in 2002 before selling to Carlyle in 20127, now has $11.4bn assets under management at end September 2023, with 387 owned or managed aircraft, on lease to 116 airline customers in 56 countries. Carlyle Aviation also has an aviation lending business that finances pre-delivery deposits. The business has two primary offices in Dublin and Miami, with one opening in Singapore soon, and 130 employees globally.

In the interview, Robert discusses the strong recovery of the airline industry, the company’s unique funding strategy compared to other balance sheet lessors, and his views on the wave of consolidation in the leasing sector and thoughts on the lingering impact of supply chain disruption.

This discussion is the sixth to be released in the 2024 series of Aviation Leaders interviews that will be published between now and January 29, 2023 when the full report will be published at the opening of the Airline Economics Growth Frontiers Dublin 2024 conference week.