Aircraft Mega-Deals Prompt Bubble Warning From Industry Veterans

  • Airlines are flooding the market, says Qatar’s Al Baker
  • ‘They’re like kids in a candy shop’: Air Lease’s Udvar-Hazy
WATCH: Steve Udvar-Hazy, chairman and co-founder of Air Lease Corp. cautioned of an impending glut of aircraft capacity as airlines desperate for planes place mega-orders during a travel upcycle.Source: Bloomberg
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In less than a year, the global aviation industry has gone from near annihilation to exuberant enthusiasm. Fleet groundings and huge losses have given way to massive profits, and airlines are outdoing one another with record orders.

The industry’s newfound swagger was on full display Monday, when Indigo agreed to buy 500 Airbus SE jets, eclipsing a record set only months ago by Air India. Those add to huge purchases by Ryanair Holdings Plc and Saudi startup Riyadh Air earlier this year, with announced deals approaching 1,500 aircraft.