Orix Aviation in Lease-Back Talks With 787 Customers

Orix Corp. (8591)’s aviation unit is in talks with 787 Dreamliner customers to buy the new aircraft and lease it back to the airlines, helping expand the finance company’s plane fleet and market share.

Orix Aviation is discussing 10- to 12-year lease agreements, David Power, the unit’s chief executive officer, said in an interview in Tokyo on July 5. He declined to name specific companies or how many planes he is aiming to buy.

“The 787 we think is a super aircraft. It’s very appealing in terms of its fuel efficiency,” Power said. “We’ve already negotiated with some airlines.”

The Dublin-based unit plans to boost aircraft under lease and management and its customer base by about 50 percent, Power said. Orix is targeting demand for global air travel that Boeing Co. (BA) (BA), the world’s second-biggest planemaker, predicts will spur annual passenger traffic growth of about 5 percent over the next two decades.

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