ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Keita Ishii, President & COO; hereinafter "ITOCHU") announced today that it has invested in Sirius Aviation Capital Holdings Limited (headquartered in Abu Dhabi Global Market [ADGM]; Edward Coughlan, CEO; hereinafter "Sirius"), a dedicated aviation investment manager that invests in and manages mid-life aircraft on operating lease to airline customers globally. ITOCHU joins existing shareholder Abu Dhabi Catalyst Partners, the Abu-Dhabi based strategic investment platform jointly owned by Mubadala Capital and Alpha Wave Global.

Global air passenger traffic continues to grow while constrained new aircraft deliveries have sustained strong airline demand for leased capacity, particularly in the mid-life segment. Investor interest in the aircraft leasing sector is growing, and the importance of companies capable of providing specialized services such as aircraft acquisition, lease management, and remarketing (resale) is continuing to increase.

Under the leadership of a management team with extensive experience in aviation investment and the aircraft leasing sector, Sirius provides end-to-end investment management services to investors across aircraft acquisition, debt finance arranging, lease management, remarketing and sales. Leveraging its strong network with airlines and aircraft investors, Sirius has built its business around the mid-life aircraft segment, and its focus on this area has enabled it to deliver risk-adjusted returns to investors since it was established in 2019.

Through this investment, ITOCHU aims to further expand its aircraft investment business by combining Sirius’s expertise and network with the strengths of ITOCHU’s own business, including its portfolio of over 90 aircraft and engines as well as its long-established presence across global aviation markets. ITOCHU will also seek to create new synergies in the aviation sector, including related businesses such as the aerospace aftermarket.

Under its management policy, "The Brand-new Deal – Profit opportunities are shifting downstream," ITOCHU is driving business expansion starting from downstream sectors and stepping up its investment in growth. ITOCHU will take this investment as an opportunity to further strengthen its business base within the aircraft value chain and work to expand its global commercial aircraft business.