Item 1. Business
Item 1. Business
Our Company
FTAI Aviation Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company, was formed on December 8, 2017 and is the surviving parent company upon completion of the transactions completed in that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger”) on November 10, 2022 between Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC and FTAI Aviation Ltd. and certain other parties thereto. Except as otherwise specified, “we”, “us”, “our”, “FTAI”, “FTAI Aviation” or “the Company” refer to us and our consolidated subsidiaries. Our business has been, and will continue to be, conducted through FTAI Aviation Holdco Ltd. (“Holdco”) for the purpose of acquiring, managing and disposing of transportation and transportation-related equipment assets.
We are externally managed by FIG LLC (the “Manager”), an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group LLC, which has a dedicated team of experienced professionals focused on the acquisition of transportation and infrastructure assets since 2002. On May 22, 2023, Fortress and Mubadala Investment Company, through its wholly owned asset management subsidiary Mubadala Capital (“Mubadala”), announced that they have entered into definitive agreements pursuant to which, among other things, certain members of Fortress management and affiliates of Mubadala will acquire 100% of the equity of Fortress that is currently indirectly held by SoftBank Group Corp. (“SoftBank”). After the closing of the transaction, Fortress will continue to operate as an independent investment manager under the Fortress brand, with autonomy over investment processes and decision making, personnel and operations.
We own and acquire high quality aviation equipment that is essential for the transportation of goods and people globally. Additionally, we own and lease offshore energy equipment. We target assets that, on a combined basis, generate strong cash flows with potential for earnings growth. We believe that there are a large number of acquisition opportunities in our markets and that our Manager’s expertise and business and financing relationships, together with our access to capital, will allow us to take advantage of these opportunities. As of December 31, 2023, we had total co nsolidated assets of $3.0 billion and total equity of $175.9 million.
As of December 31, 2023, our operations consisted of Aviation Leasing and Aerospace Products. Our Aviation Leasing b usiness acquires assets that are designed to carry cargo or people. Aviation equipment assets are typically long-lived, moveable and leased by us on either operating leases or finance leases to companies that provide transportation services. Our leases generally provide for long-term contractual cash flow with high cash-on-cash yields and include structural protections to mitigate credit risk. Our Aerospace Products business develops and manufactures through a joint venture, and repairs and sells, through our maintenance facility and exclusivity arrangements, aftermarket components for aircraft engines.
Our Strategy
In general, we seek to own a diverse mix of high-quality aviation assets and equipment within our target sectors that generate predictable cash flows in markets that we believe provide the potential for strong long-term growth and attractive returns on deployed capital. We believe that by investing in a diverse mix of assets, we can select from among the best risk-adjusted investment opportunities.
We take a proactive investment approach by identifying key secular trends as they emerge within our target sectors and then pursuing what we believe are the most compelling opportunities within those sectors. We look for unique investments, including assets that are distressed or undervalued, or where we believe that we can add value through active management. We consider investments across the size spectrum, including smaller opportunities often overlooked by other investors, particularly where we believe we may be able to grow the investment over time. We believe one of our strengths is our ability to create attractive follow-on investment opportunities and deploy incremental capital within our existing portfolio.
Within each sector, we consider investments in aviation and offshore assets, including equipment that we lease to operators. We believe that as owners of both aviation and offshore assets, we have access to more opportunities and can be a more attractive counterparty to the users of our assets. Our Manager has significant prior experience in all of our target sectors, as well as a network of industry relationships, that we believe positions us well to make successful acquisitions and to actively manage and
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improve operations and cash flows of our existing and newly-acquired assets. These relationships include senior executives at lessors and operators, end users of aviation and offshore energy assets, as well as banks, lenders and other asset owners.
Asset Acquisition Process
Our strategy is to acquire assets that are essential to the transportation of goods and people globally. We acquire assets that are used by major operators of transportation networks. We seek to acquire assets and businesses that we believe operate in sectors with long-term macroeconomic growth opportunities and that have significant cash flow and upside potential from earnings growth and asset appreciation.
We approach markets and opportunities by first developing an asset acquisition strategy with our Manager and then pursuing optimal opportunities within that strategy. In addition to relying on our own experience, we source new opportunities through our Manager’s network of industry relationships in order to find, structure and execute attractive acquisitions. These relationships include senior executives at industry leading operators, end users of the assets as well as banks, lenders and other asset owners. We believe that sourcing assets both globally and through multiple channels will enable us to find the most attractive opportunities. We are selective in the assets we pursue and efficient in the manner in which we pursue them.
Once attractive opportunities are identified, our Manager performs detailed due diligence on each of our potential acquisitions. Due diligence on each of our assets always includes a comprehensive review of the asset itself as well as the industry and market dynamics, competitive positioning, and financial and operational performance. Where appropriate, our Manager conducts physical inspections, a review of the credit quality of each of our counterparties, the regulatory environment, and a review of all material documentation. In some cases, third-party specialists are hired to physically inspect and/or value the target assets.
We and our Manager also spend a significant amount of time on structuring our acquisitions to minimize risks while also optimizing expected returns. We employ what we believe to be reasonable amounts of leverage in connection with our acquisitions. In determining the amount of leverage for each acquisition, we consider a number of characteristics, including, but not limited to, the existing cash flow, the length of the lease or contract term, and the specific counterparty.
Management Agreement and Services and Profit Sharing Agreement
On July 31, 2022, in connection with our spin-off, we entered into a new management agreement with the Manager (the “Management Agreement”), an affiliate of Fortress, pursuant to which the Manager is paid annual fees in exchange for advising us on various aspects of our business, formulating our investment strategies, arranging for the acquisition and disposition of assets, arranging for financing, monitoring performance, and managing our day-to-day operations, inclusive of all costs incidental thereto. On November 10, 2022, in connection with the closing of the Merger, we entered into a Services and Profit Sharing Agreement, pursuant to which the Master GP is entitled to receive incentive payments on substantially similar terms as it was entitled to receive such payments prior to the Merger.
Please refer to Note 12 of our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further details regarding our Management Agreement and Services and Profit Sharing Agreement.
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Our Portfolio
We own and acquire high quality aviation and offshore energy equipment that is essential for the transportation of goods and people globally. We currently invest across two market sectors: aviation leasing and aerospace products. We target assets that, on a combined basis, generate strong and stable cash flows with the potential for earnings growth and asset appreciation.
Aviation Leasing
As of December 31, 2023, in our Aviation Leasing segment, we own and man age 363 aviation assets, consisting of 96 commercial aircraft and 267 engines, including eight aircraft and seventeen engines that were still located in Russia.
As of December 31, 2023, 76 of our commercial aircraft and 175 of our engines were leased to operators or other third parties. Aviation assets currently off lease are either undergoing repair and/or maintenance, being prepared to go on lease or held in short term storage awaiting a future lease. Our aviation equipment was approximately 77% utilized during the three months ended December 31, 2023, based on the percent of days on-lease in the quarter weighted by the monthly average equity value of our aviation leasing equipment, excluding airframes. Our aircraft currently have a weighted average remaining lease term of 47 months, and our engines currently on-lease have an average remaining lease term of 16 months. The table below provides additional information on the assets in our Aviation Leasing segment:
Aviation Assets Widebody Narrowbody Total
Aircraft
Assets at January 1, 2023 8 98 106
Purchases — 40 40
Sales (2) (11) (13)
Transfers (1) (36) (37)
Assets at December 31, 2023 5 91 96
Engines
Assets at January 1, 2023 40 184 224
Purchases 7 94 101
Sales (17) (24) (41)
Transfers 2 (19) (17)
Assets at December 31, 2023 32 235 267
Aerospace Products
The Aerospace Products segment develops and manufactures through a joint venture, and repairs and sells, through our maintenance facility and exclusivity arrangements, aircraft engines and aftermarket components primarily for the CFM56-7B, CFM56-5B and V2500 commercial aircraft engines. Our engine and module sales are facilitated through The Module Factory, a dedicated commercial maintenance program, designed to focus on modular repair and refurbishment of CFM56-7B and CFM56-5B engines, performed by a third party. Used serviceable material is sold through our exclusive partnership with AAR Corp, who is responsible for the teardown, repair, marketing and sales of spare parts from our CFM56 engine pool. We also hold a 25% interest in the Advanced Engine Repair JV which focuses on developing new cost savings programs for engine repairs.
Corporate and Other
In addition to the above investments, our Corporate and Other segment includes offshore energy related assets which consist of vessels and equipment that support offshore oil and gas activities and are typically subject to operating leases.
Asset Management
Our Manager actively manages and monitors our portfolios of assets on an ongoing basis, and in some cases engages third parties to assist with the management of those assets. Our Manager frequently reviews the status of all of our assets, and in the case that any are returning from lease or undergoing repair, outlines our options, which may include the re-lease or sale of that asset. Our Manager plays a central role in developing and executing operational, finance and business development strategies. On a periodic basis, our Manager discusses the status of our acquired assets with our board of directors.
In some situations, we may acquire assets through a joint venture entity or own a minority position in an investment entity. In such circumstances, we will seek to protect our interests through appropriate levels of board representation, minority protections and other structural enhancements.
We and our Manager maintain relationships with operators worldwide and, through these relationships, hold direct conversations as to leasing needs and opportunities. Where helpful, we reach out to third parties who assist in leasing our assets. As an example, we often partner with Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (“MRO”) facilities in the aviation sector to lease engines and support airlines’ fleet management needs.
While we expect to hold our assets for extended periods of time, we and our Manager continually review our assets to assess
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whether we should sell or otherwise monetize them. Aspects that will factor into this process include relevant market conditions, the asset’s age, lease profile, relative concentration or remaining expected useful life.
Credit Process
We and our Manager monitor the credit quality of our various lessees on an ongoing basis. This monitoring includes interacting with our customers regularly to monitor collections, review periodic financial statements and discuss their operating performance. Most of our lease agreements are written with conditions that require reporting on the part of our lessees, and we actively reach out to our lessees to maintain contact and monitor their liquidity positions. Furthermore, many of our leases and contractual arrangements include credit enhancement elements that provide us with additional collateral or credit support to strengthen our credit position.
We are subject to concentrations of credit risk with respect to amounts due from customers on our direct finance leases and operating leases. We attempt to limit credit risk by performing ongoing credit evaluations. See “Customers.”
Customers
Our customers primarily consist of global operators of transportation networks and global industrial companies, including airlines and offshore energy service providers. We maintain ongoing relationships and discussions with our customers and seek to have consistent dialogue. In addition to helping us monitor the needs and quality of our customers, we believe these relationships help source additional opportunities and gain insight into attractive opportunities in the aviation and offshore energy sectors. A substantial portion of our revenue has historically been derived from a small number of customers. As of and for the year ended December 31, 2023, no customer accounted for more than 10% of our revenue or total accounts receivable, net. We derive a significant percentage of our revenue within specific sectors from a limited number of customers. However, we do not think that we are dependent upon any particular customer, or that the loss of one or more of them would have a material adverse effect on our business or the relevant segment, because of our ability to re-lease assets at similar terms following the loss of any such customer. See “Risk Factors-Contractual defaults may adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows by decreasing revenues and increasing storage, positioning, collection, recovery and lost equipment expenses.”
Competition
The business of acquiring, managing and marketing aviation and offshore-equipment related assets is highly competitive. Market competition for acquisition opportunities includes traditional aviation and offshore energy companies, commercial and investment banks, as well as a growing number of non-traditional participants, such as hedge funds, private equity funds, and other private investors.
Additionally, the markets for our products and services are competitive, and we face competition from a number of sources. These competitors include engine and aircraft parts manufacturers, aircraft and aircraft engine lessors, airline and aircraft services and repair companies, aircraft spare parts distributors, offshore services providers, maritime equipment lessors and other transportation equipment lessors and operators.
We compete with other market participants on the basis of industry knowledge, availability of capital, and deal structuring experience and flexibility, among other things. We believe our Manager’s experience in the aviation and offshore industries and our access to capital, in addition to our focus on diverse asset classes and customers, provides a competitive advantage versus competitors that maintain a single sector focus.
Governmental Regulations
We are subject to federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment, including those governing the discharge of pollutants to air and water, the management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, the cleanup of contaminated sites and noise and emission levels. Under some environmental laws in the United States and certain other countries, strict liability may be imposed on the owners or operators of assets, which could render us liable for environmental and natural resource damages without regard to negligence or fault on our part. We could incur substantial costs, including cleanup costs, fines and third-party claims for property or natural resource damage and personal injury, as a result of violations of or liabilities under environmental laws and regulations in connection with our or our lessee’s or charterer’s current or historical operations. While we typically maintain liability insurance coverage and typically require our lessees to provide us with indemnity against certain losses, the insurance coverage is subject to large deductibles, limits on maximum coverage and significant exclusions and may not be sufficient or available to protect against any or all liabilities and such indemnities may not cover or be sufficient to protect us against losses arising from environmental damage. In addition, changes to environmental standards or regulations in the industries in which we operate could limit the economic life of the assets we acquire or reduce their value, and also require us to make significant additional investments in order to maintain compliance.
Sustainability
As part of our strategy, we are focused on supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy and aim to provide sustainable aviation and offshore solutions by leveraging our Manager’s expertise and business and financing relationships, as well as our access to capital. Certain of our current sustainability solutions and investments are highlighted below, and we expect to continue to explore additional sustainability-related opportunities.
Aerospace
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As previously announced, in December 2021 we entered into an agreement with AAR CORP. (NYSE: AIR) to create Serviceable Engine Products, an exclusive seven-year CFM56 used serviceable material (“USM”) partnership. The partnership aims to build USM inventory for the global aviation aftermarket and our own consumption at The Module Factory™, a dedicated commercial maintenance program, designed to focus on modular repair and refurbishment of CFM56-7B and CFM56-5B engines, performed by a third party. Through its worldwide network, AAR is expected to manage the teardown, repair, marketing and sales of spare parts from our CFM56 engine pool totaling over 200 engines and growing. We believe our partnership with AAR will help maximize the life of our engine assets and reduce our carbon footprint and environmental impact.
Human Capital Management
Our Manager provides a management team and other professionals who are responsible for implementing our business strategy and performing certain services for us, subject to oversight by our board of directors. As of December 31, 2023, we also have app roximately 170 employees at certain subsidiarie s across our business segments. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good and we focus heavily on employee engagement. We have invested substantial time and resources in building our team, and our human capital management objectives include, as applicable, identifying, recruiting, retaining, incentivizing and integrating our existing and new employees. To facilitate attraction and retention, we strive to create a diverse, inclusive, and safe workplace, with opportunities for our employees to grow and develop in their careers, supported by strong compensation and benefits programs.
Insurance
Our leases generally require that our customers carry physical damage and liability insurance providing primary insurance coverage for loss and damage to our assets as well as for related cargo and third parties while the assets are on lease. In addition, in certain cases, we maintain contingent liability coverage for any claims or losses on our assets while they are on hire or otherwise in the possession of a third-party. Finally, we procure insurance for our assets when they are not on hire or are otherwise under our control.
Conflicts of Interest
Although we have established certain policies and procedures designed to mitigate conflicts of interest, there can be no assurance that these policies and procedures will be effective in doing so. It is possible that actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest could give rise to investor dissatisfaction, litigation or regulatory enforcement actions.
One or more of our officers and directors have responsibilities and commitments to entities other than us. In addition, we do not have a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from engaging in business activities of the types conducted by us for their own account. See “Risk Factors-Risks Related to Our Manager-There are conflicts of interest in our relationship with our Manager.”
Our key agreements, including our Management Agreement, the services and profit sharing agreement (the “Services and Profit Sharing Agreement”) with our subsidiary Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC and Fortress Worldwide Transportation and Infrastructure Master GP LLC (“Master GP”) and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (as amended from time to time, the ‘‘Articles’’) were negotiated among related parties, and their respective terms, including fees and other amounts payable, may not be as favorable to us as terms negotiated on an arm’s-length basis with unaffiliated parties. Our independent directors may not vigorously enforce the provisions of our Management Agreement against our Manager. For example, our independent directors may refrain from terminating our Manager because doing so could result in the loss of key personnel.
We may compete with entities affiliated with our Manager or Fortress for certain target assets. From time to time, affiliates of Fortress may focus on investments in assets with a similar profile as our target assets that we may seek to acquire. These affiliates may have meaningful purchasing capacity, which may change over time depending upon a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, available equity capital and debt financing, market conditions and cash on hand. Fortress has multiple existing and planned funds focused on investing in one or more of the sectors in which we acquire assets, each with significant current or expected capital commitments. We may co-invest with these funds in certain target assets. Fortress funds generally have a fee structure similar to ours, but the fees actually paid will vary depending on the size, terms and performance of each fund.
Our Manager may determine, in its discretion, to make a particular acquisition through an investment vehicle other than us. Investment allocation decisions will reflect a variety of factors, such as a particular vehicle’s availability of capital (including financing), investment objectives and concentration limits, legal, regulatory, tax and other similar considerations, the source of the opportunity and other factors that the Manager, in its discretion, deems appropriate. Our Manager does not have an obligation to offer us the opportunity to participate in any particular investment, even if it meets our asset acquisition objectives. In addition, employees of Fortress or certain of its affiliates—including personnel providing services to or on behalf of our Manager—may perform services for Fortress affiliates that may acquire or seek to acquire aviation and offshore energy-related assets.
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Where Readers Can Find Additional Information
FTAI Aviation Ltd. is a Cayman Islands exempted company. Our principal executive offices are located at 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10105. FTAI Aviation Ltd. files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information required by the Exchange Act, with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public from the SEC’s internet site at http://www.sec.gov.
Our internet site is http://www.www.ftaiaviation.com. We will make available free of charge through our internet site our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and Forms 3, 4 and 5 filed on behalf of directors and executive officers and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Also posted on our website in the ‘‘Investor Center - Corporate Governance’’ section are charters for our Audit Committee, Compensation Committee, Nominating Committee, as well as our Corporate Governance Guidelines, Code of Ethics for our officers, and our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics governing our directors, officers and employees. Information on, or accessible through, our website is not a part of, and is not incorporated into, this report.