Lessor Avolon posts Q1 net loss due to Russian leases and impact of international sanctions

Dublin-based aircraft leasing company Avolon announced this week it it posted a first-quarter net loss mainly due to the impact of sanctions on Russia. “As disclosed in Q1 update, as of 31 March, Avolon had 10 owned aircraft located in Russia representing less than 1 percent of Avolon’s portfolio value net of security deposits and maintenance reserves,” the company said. “During the quarter, Avolon recognised an impairment of $304 million in respect of our exposure to Russia, reducing the carrying value of the 10 owned aircraft to zero. This impairment is partly offset by the net release of $43 million in other lease associated balances resulting in a $261 million net impact to the income statement.” The company said as a result of the impairment, it is reporting a net loss of $182 million for the quarter, and an adjusted net income, excluding the impact of Russia of $80 million for the period. Dómhnal Slattery, Avolon CEO, said “As we reflect on our performance during the quarter, first and foremost our minds are with the people of Ukraine and those – both at home and abroad – that are impacted at this time. We are hopeful for a swift and peaceful end to the conflict. Given the impact of sanctions, we are recognising an impairment charge of $304 million in the first quarter in relation to our aircraft which were previously on lease in Russia. While we continue to make every effort to recover these assets and are pleased to have repossessed four aircraft, we are recognising the full impairment this quarter, putting the financial impact of Russian sanctions firmly behind us.” The company also announced: It delivered $658 million of lease revenue and generated $320 million of net cash from operating activities in the quarter; Ended the quarter with total available liquidity of $5.4 billion, including $477 million of unrestricted cash and $4.9 billion of undrawn debt facilities; Raised $300 million of drawn and revolving unsecured debt facilities, bringing total revolving debt capacity to $5.9 billion at quarter end; Declared and paid a dividend of $12.5 million in respect of FY21 and released $104.7 million of previously withheld dividends to Bohai; Ended the year with a secured debt to total assets ratio of 20 percent, over $17 billion of unencumbered assets and net leverage of 2.4x; Owned and managed fleet of 592 aircraft at quarter end, with total orders and commitments for 240 fuel-efficient, new technology aircraft; Average owned fleet age of six years with an average remaining lease term of almost seven years; Delivered a total of six new aircraft to four customers and transitioned 11 aircraft to follow-on lessees; Executed commitments for the sale and leaseback of 16 aircraft; Sold three owned aircraft and entered into letters of intent for the sale of a further 35 owned aircraft; and Ended the first quarter with a total of 142 airline customers operating in 61 countries. “Despite the headwinds of COVID-19 and Russian sanctions, we delivered our strongest quarterly underlying performance since the onset of the pandemic,” Slattery added. “Our improved year-on-year performance was largely driven by the rapid reopening of borders in Asia and increased flying globally, which supported a further improvement in the financial health of our customers and resulted in increased cash collection rates. This performance re-affirms the inherent strengths of our business and the absolute resilience of the aircraft leasing model, providing us with confidence in the outlook for the remainder of the year.” For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Kay Rolland at [email protected]