Air Lease Corporation Reports Results for the Second Quarter of 2011

Air Lease Corporation (ALC) (NYSE: AL) announced today the results of its operations for the second quarter ended June 30, 2011. ALC recorded its second quarterly positive pre-tax income of $10.9 million and net income of $7.0 million and recorded cash flow from operations of $48.5 million.

“Building on the success of our IPO in April, ALC continued generating growth by significantly increasing our portfolio of aircraft in the second quarter,” said Steven F. Udvar-Házy, Chairman and CEO of Air Lease Corporation. “Despite current volatility in the marketplace, the aviation industry has entered a period of expansion and ALC is capitalizing on opportunities as market conditions evolve.”

“With respect to the recent economic turmoil, credit markets have remained liquid and have had little impact on ALC’s short term borrowing costs thus far,” added John L. Plueger, President and Chief Operating Officer of Air Lease Corporation. “ALC is well capitalized with a strong balance sheet that has a debt to equity ratio less than 1:1. We have ample liquidity to continue our growth trajectory amidst the current market dislocation.”

Fleet Growth

Building on our base of 49 aircraft at March 31, 2011, we added 16 aircraft during the second quarter of 2011 and ended the quarter with 65 aircraft spread across a diverse and balanced customer base of 43 airlines in 26 countries. We continue to evaluate opportunities on an ongoing basis to acquire attractive aircraft from other leasing companies and our airline customers, as well as opportunistic transactions with the airframe manufacturers such that we estimate we will grow our fleet to approximately 100 aircraft by the end of 2011.

Financing Activities

As of June 30, 2011, ALC had built a diverse lending group consisting of 16 banks providing lending facilities with an overall composite cost of funds of 3.29%. This rate does not include the effect of upfront fees, undrawn fees or issuance cost amortization. During the second quarter of 2011, the Company issued $120.0 million in senior unsecured notes in a private placement to institutional investors. The notes have a five-year term and a coupon of 5.0%. In addition, we entered into two five-year and one three-year unsecured term facilities totaling $17.0 million with interest rates ranging from 3.0% to 4.0%. As of quarter end, we had 12 unsecured revolving bilateral credit facilities totaling $313.0 million. In addition, two of our wholly-owned subsidiaries entered into two separate secured term facilities, with recourse to the Company, aggregating $82.8 million. The two facilities consisted of a three-year $20.3 million facility at a floating rate of LIBOR plus 2.75% and a $62.5 million facility with an eight-year $56.0 million tranche at a rate of LIBOR plus 2.99% and a two-year $6.5 million tranche at a rate of LIBOR plus 2.10%. In connection with these facilities, the Company pledged $129.0 million in aircraft collateral.

On April 1, 2011, we executed an amendment to the Warehouse Facility that took effect on April 21, 2011. This facility, as amended, provides us with financing of up to $1.25 billion. We are able to draw on this facility, as amended, during an availability period that was extended to June 2013. The interest rate on this facility, as amended, was reduced to LIBOR plus 2.50% on drawn balances and 0.75% on undrawn balances.

During the second quarter of 2011, the Company drew $104.9 million under the Warehouse Facility and incrementally pledged $163.1 million in aircraft collateral. As of June 30, 2011, the Company had borrowed $709.3 million under the Warehouse Facility and pledged 28 aircraft as collateral with a net book value of $1.2 billion.

Financial Results for the Second Quarter of 2011

For the three months ended June 30, 2011, the Company reported consolidated net income of $7.0 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, compared to a consolidated net loss of $41.1 million, or $2.37 per diluted share, for the three months ended June 30, 2010. The increase in net income for 2011, compared to 2010, was primarily attributable to the acquisition and lease of additional aircraft and the effects of a one-time $35.8 million charge for the amortization of convertible debt discounts recorded during the second quarter of 2010.

For the quarter ended June 30, 2011, we recorded $74.0 million in rental revenue, which includes overhaul revenue of $2.6 million. For the quarter ended June 30, 2010, we recorded $1.2 million in rental revenue, which includes overhaul revenue of $0.2 million. The increase in rental revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2011, compared to 2010, was attributable to the acquisition and lease of additional aircraft. The full impact on rental revenue for aircraft acquired during the quarter will be reflected in subsequent periods.

Interest expense totaled $15.8 million and $38.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The change was primarily due to an increase in our outstanding debt balances resulting in an $8.3 million increase in interest, an increase of $1.5 million in amortization of our deferred debt issue costs and a $3.3 million extinguishment of debt charge resulting from replacing two banks in our Warehouse Facility in connection with its modification in April 2011, offset by a one-time $35.8 million charge for the amortization of convertible debt discounts recorded during the second quarter of 2010.

We recorded selling, general and administrative expenses of $11.3 million and $5.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively. 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.

During the three months ended June 30, 2011, the Company recorded $48.5 million of cash from operations compared to $0.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2010. The increase in cash from operating activities for 2011, compared to 2010, was primarily attributable to the acquisition and lease of additional aircraft.

Financial Results for the First Six Months of 2011

For the six months ended June 30, 2011, the Company reported consolidated net income of $10.2 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, compared to a consolidated net loss of $41.6 million, or $4.17 per diluted share, for the period from inception to June 30, 2010. The increase in net income for 2011, compared to 2010, was primarily attributable to the acquisition and lease of additional aircraft and the effects of a one-time $35.8 million charge for the amortization of convertible debt discounts recorded during the second quarter of 2010.

For the six months ended June 30, 2011, we recorded $128.6 million in rental revenue, which includes overhaul revenue of $4.3 million. For the period from inception to June 30, 2010, we recorded $1.2 million in rental revenue, which includes overhaul revenue of $0.2 million. The increase in rental revenue for 2011, compared to 2010, was attributable to the acquisition and lease of additional aircraft. The full impact on rental revenue for aircraft acquired during the quarter will be reflected in subsequent periods.

Interest expense totaled $27.2 million and $38.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2011 and the period from inception to June 30, 2010, respectively. The change was primarily due to an increase in our outstanding debt balances resulting in a $17.3 million increase in interest, an increase of $3.8 million in amortization of our deferred debt issue costs and a $3.3 million extinguishment of debt charge resulting from replacing two banks in our Warehouse Facility in connection with its modification in April 2011, offset by a one-time $35.8 million charge for the amortization of convertible debt discounts recorded during the second quarter of 2010.

We recorded selling, general and administrative expenses of $21.1 million and $6.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2011 and the period from inception to June 30, 2010, respectively. 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.

During the six months ended June 30, 2011, the Company recorded $87.0 million of cash from operations compared to $2.0 million for the period from inception to June 30, 2010. The increase in cash from operating activities for 2011, compared to 2010, was primarily attributable to the acquisition and lease of additional aircraft.

Conference Call

In connection with the earnings release, Air Lease Corporation will host a conference call on August 11, 2011 at 4:30 PM Eastern Time to discuss the Company’s financial results for the second quarter of 2011.

Investors can participate in the conference call by dialing 1-800-798-2796 domestic or 1-617-614-6204 international. The passcode for the call is 11523124.

For your convenience, the conference call can be replayed in its entirety beginning at 7:30 PM ET on August 11, 2011 until 11:59 PM ET August 12, 2011. If you wish to listen to the replay of this conference call, please dial 1-888-286-8010 domestic or 1-617-801-6888 international and enter passcode 61067132.

The conference call will also be broadcast live through a link on the Investor Relations page of the Air Lease Corporation website at www.airleasecorp.com. Please visit the website at least 15 minutes prior to the call to register, download and install any necessary audio software. A replay of the broadcast will be available on the Investor Relations page of the Air Lease Corporation website.

About Air Lease Corporation

Launched in 2010, Air Lease Corporation is an aircraft leasing company based in Los Angeles, California that has airline customers throughout the world. ALC and its team of dedicated and experienced professionals are principally engaged in purchasing commercial aircraft and leasing them to its airline partners worldwide through customized aircraft leasing and financing solutions. For more information, visit ALC’s website at www.airleasecorp.com.