EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1018164
Filing Year: 2025
Filename: 1018164_10-K_2025_0001018164-25-000027.json

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
INTRODUCTION
Willis Lease Finance Corporation with its subsidiaries (“WLFC” or the “Company”) is a leading lessor and servicer of commercial aircraft and aircraft engines. Our principal business objective is to build value for our shareholders by acquiring commercial aircraft and engines and managing those assets in order to provide a return on investment, primarily through lease rent and maintenance reserve revenues, as well as through management fees earned for managing assets owned by other parties. As of December 31, 2024, we had $2,635.9 million of equipment held in our operating lease portfolio, $183.6 million of notes receivable, $31.1 million of maintenance rights, and $21.6 million of investments in sales-type leases, which represented 354 engines, 16 aircraft, one marine vessel and other leased parts and equipment with 70 lessees in 37 countries. In addition to our owned portfolio, as of December 31, 2024, we managed a total lease portfolio of 277 engines, aircraft and related equipment for other parties.
Willis Aeronautical Services, Inc. (“Willis Aero”) is a wholly-owned and vertically-integrated subsidiary whose primary focus is the sale of aircraft engine parts and materials through the acquisition or consignment of aircraft and engines.
Willis Asset Management Limited (“Willis Asset Management”) is a wholly-owned and vertically-integrated subsidiary whose primary focus is the engine management and consulting business. Willis Asset Management had 225 engines, excluding WLFC engines, under management as of December 31, 2024.
We are a Delaware corporation, incorporated in 1998. Our executive offices are located at 4700 Lyons Technology Parkway, Coconut Creek, Florida 33073. We transact business directly and through our subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities (“VIE”) unless otherwise indicated.
We maintain a website at www.wlfc.global where our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports are available without charge, as soon as reasonably practicable following the time we electronically file them with, or furnish them to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The SEC also maintains an electronic Internet site that contains our reports, proxies and information statements, and other information that we file or furnish at http://www.sec.gov. References to our and the SEC’s website do not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on those websites and should not be considered part of this document.
We separate our business into two reportable segments, Leasing and Related Operations and Spare Parts Sales. Our business activities by reportable segment are described below.
Leasing and Related Operations
Our strategy is to lease aircraft and aircraft engines and provide related services to a diversified group of commercial aircraft operators and maintenance, repair and overhaul organizations (“MROs”) worldwide. Commercial aircraft operators need engines in addition to those installed on the aircraft that they operate. Spare engines are required to support fleet operation during the highly regulated maintenance cycle of aircraft engines. Furthermore, unscheduled events such as mechanical failure, Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) airworthiness directives, or manufacturer-recommended actions for maintenance, repair and overhaul of engines result in the need for spare engines.
Our engine portfolio primarily consists of noise-compliant Stage IV commercial jet engines manufactured by CFMI, General Electric, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, and International Aero Engines. These engines generally may be used on one or more aircraft types and are the most widely used engines in the world, powering Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, and Embraer aircraft.
We acquire engines for our leasing portfolio in a number of ways. We enter into sale and lease back transactions with operators of aircraft, original equipment manufacturers of engines, and MROs. We also purchase both new and used engines that are subject to a lease when purchased and on a speculative basis (i.e., without a lease attached from manufacturers or other parties which own such engines).
Total revenues from our Leasing and Related Operations reportable segment was 95.4% and 95.1% of the respective total consolidated revenue for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
At December 31, 2024, approximately 66.3% of our on-lease engines, aircraft, and related equipment (all of which we sometimes refer to as “equipment”) by net book value are leased and operated internationally. Substantially all leases relating to this equipment are denominated and payable in United States (“U.S.”) dollars, which is customary in the industry. Future leases may provide for payments to be made in other foreign currencies. In 2024, we leased our equipment to lessees domiciled in eight geographic regions or countries.
Spare Parts Sales
Our wholly-owned and vertically-integrated subsidiary Willis Aero primarily engages in the sale of aircraft engine parts and materials through the acquisition or consignment of engines from third parties or from the leasing portfolio. This business segment enables us to provide end-of-life solutions for the growing supply of surplus aircraft and engines, as well as manage the full life cycle of our lease assets, enhance the returns on our engine portfolio, and create incremental value for our shareholders.
INDUSTRY BACKGROUND - THE DEMAND FOR LEASED AIRCRAFT ENGINES
Historically, commercial aircraft operators owned rather than leased their spare engines. As engines become more powerful and technically sophisticated, they have also become more expensive to acquire and maintain. In part due to cash constraints on commercial aircraft operators and the costs associated with engine ownership, commercial aircraft operators have become more cost-conscious and now utilize operating leases for a portion of their spare engines. Engine leasing is a specialized business that has evolved into a discrete sector of the commercial aviation market. Participants in this sector need access to capital, as well as specialized technical knowledge, in order to compete successfully.
Growth in the spare engine leasing industry is dependent on two fundamental drivers:
•the number of commercial aircraft, and therefore engines, in the market; and
•the proportion of engines that are leased, rather than owned, by commercial aircraft operators.
Increased number of aircraft, and therefore engines, in the market
We believe that the number of commercial and cargo aircraft, and hence spare engines, will increase. Boeing projects 3.2% annual growth in the global commercial jet fleet, increasing the current fleet to 50,170 aircraft by 2043. Aircraft equipment manufacturers have predicted such an increase in aircraft to address the rapid growth of both passenger and cargo traffic in the Asian markets, as well as demand for new aircraft in more mature markets.
Increased lease penetration rate
Spare engines provide support for installed engines in the event of routine or other engine maintenance or unscheduled removal. The number of spare engines needed to service any fleet is determined by many factors. These factors include:
•the number and type of aircraft in an aircraft operator’s fleet;
•the geographic scope of such aircraft operator’s destinations;
•the time an engine is on-wing between removals;
•average shop visit time; and
•the number of spare engines an aircraft operator requires in order to ensure coverage for predicted and unscheduled removals.
We believe that commercial aircraft operators are increasingly considering their spare engines as significant capital assets, in which operating or finance leases may be more attractive than the outright ownership of spare engines. Industry analysts have forecasted that the percentage of leased engines is likely to increase over the next 15 years as engine leasing follows the growth of aircraft leasing. We believe this is due to the increasing cost of newer engines, the anticipated modernization of the worldwide aircraft fleet and the significant cost associated therewith, and the emergence of new niche-focused airlines which generally use leasing in order to obtain their capital assets.
ENGINE LEASING
As of December 31, 2024, the majority of our leases to air carriers, manufacturers and MROs were operating leases with the exception of certain failed sale-leaseback transactions classified as notes receivable under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 842 and investments in sales-type leases. Under operating leases, we retain the potential benefit and assume the risk of the residual value of the equipment, in contrast to finance leases in which the lessee has more of the potential benefits and risks of ownership. Operating leases allow commercial aircraft operators greater fleet and financial flexibility due to the relatively small initial capital outlay necessary to obtain use of the aircraft equipment and the availability of short-term and long-term leases to better meet their needs. Operating lease rates are generally higher than finance lease rates, in part because of the lessor retained residual value risk.
We describe our leases as “triple-net” operating leases. A triple-net operating lease requires the lessee to make the full lease payment and pay any other expenses associated with the use of the engines, such as maintenance, casualty and liability insurance, sales or use taxes and personal property taxes. The leases contain detailed provisions specifying the lessees’ responsibility for engine damage, maintenance standards, and the required condition of the engine upon return at the end of the lease. During the term of the lease, we require the lessee to maintain the engine in accordance with an approved maintenance program designed to meet applicable regulatory requirements in the jurisdictions in which the lessee operates.
We enter into both long-term and short-term leases which typically provide for monthly payment. Long-term leases typically have original lease terms in excess of one year. Characteristics of a long-term lease also include specified return conditions. Return conditions can be met by the customer through a maintenance overhaul in advance of asset return or a cash settlement at lease end resulting in maintenance revenue to the Company at that time. Maintenance reserves, also referred to as use fees, are often used for payment of maintenance overhauls in advance of asset returns by the lessee to the Company. Where a cash settlement is agreed upon, it may, in some instances, be taken from maintenance reserves paid by the lessee to the Company throughout the course of the lease. Short-term leases typically have an original lease term of less than one year. Short-term leases also include non-refundable, usage-based maintenance fees, which are billed at contractual rates and recognized as revenue over the term of the leases. Payment terms of our leases are predominantly monthly in advance for rent and in arrears for the expenses associated with the use of the engines. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, 47% and 46%, respectively, of the Company’s leases by net book value were short-term leases.
We try to mitigate risk where possible. For example, we analyze the credit risk associated with a lessee before entering into any significant lease transaction. Our credit analysis generally consists of evaluating the prospective lessee’s financial standing by utilizing financial statements and trade and/or banking references. In certain circumstances, we may require our lessees to provide additional credit support, such as a letter of credit or a guaranty from a bank or a third party or a security deposit. We manage our interest rate risk through maintaining a balance of fixed and floating rate debt which allows us to limit our exposure to interest rate movements while also allowing us to benefit from low short-term interest rates. The Company generally utilizes our credit facility as a warehouse facility, as well as our senior secured warehouse credit facility, to aggregate purchased assets. Historically, when the Company aggregates a critical mass of assets through revolver and warehouse financing, we refinance the assets through the issuance of long-term fixed rate debt through the Asset-Backed Security (“ABS”) and other markets. The maturity profile of the ABS term financings tend to better match the long-life characteristics of our long-life asset base. Furthermore, the Company also manages interest rate exposure through the purchasing of interest rate swaps which immunizes us from short-term rate movements that would influence the cost of our floating rate borrowings. At December 31, 2024 the Company had $1.4 billion of fixed rate financing. We also evaluate insurance and expropriation risk and evaluate and monitor the political and legal climate of the country in which a particular lessee is located in order to determine our ability to repossess our engines should the need arise. Despite these guidelines, we cannot give assurance that we will not experience collection problems or significant losses in the future. See Item 1A, “Risk Factors” below.
At the commencement of a lease, we may collect, in advance, a security deposit normally equal to at least one month’s lease payment. The security deposit is returned to the lessee after all lease return conditions have been met. As mentioned above, under the terms of some of our leases, during the term of the lease, the lessee pays amounts to us based on usage of the engine, which is referred to as maintenance reserves or use fees, which are designed to cover the expected future maintenance costs. For those leases in which the maintenance reserves are reimbursable to the lessee, maintenance reserves are collected and are reimbursed to the lessee when qualifying maintenance is performed. Under longer-term leases, to the extent that cumulative use fee billings are inadequate to fund expenditures required prior to return of the engine to us, the lessee is obligated to cover the shortfall.
During the lease period, our leases require that maintenance and inspection of the leased engines be performed at qualified maintenance facilities certified by the FAA or its foreign equivalent. In addition, when an engine becomes off-lease, it undergoes inspection to verify compliance with lease return conditions. Our management believes that our attention to our lessees and our emphasis on maintenance and inspection helps preserve residual values and generally helps us to recover our investment in our leased engines.
Upon termination of a lease, we will either enter into a new lease, sell, or part out (disassemble and sell the parts separately), the related engines or airframe. The demand for aftermarket engines for either sale or lease may be affected by a number of variables, including:
•general market conditions;
•regulatory changes (particularly those imposing environmental, maintenance, and other requirements on the operation of engines);
•changes in demand for air travel;
•fuel costs;
•changes in the supply and cost of aircraft equipment; and
•technological developments.
The value of a particular used engine or airframe varies greatly depending upon its condition, the maintenance services performed during the lease term and, as applicable, the number of hours or cycles remaining until the next major maintenance interval. If we are unable to lease or sell engines on favorable terms, our financial results and our ability to service debt may be adversely affected. See “Risk Factors” below.
The value of a particular model of engine is heavily dependent on the status of the types of aircraft on which it can be installed. We believe engine values tend to be stable as long as the host aircraft for the engines and the engines themselves are still being manufactured. Prices tend to remain stable and may even rise after a host aircraft is no longer manufactured as long as there is sufficient remaining demand for the host aircraft in the market. However, the value of an engine begins to decline rapidly once the host aircraft is retired from service and/or parted out in significant numbers. Engine values also may decline because of manufacturing defects that surface subsequent to initial manufacture and deployment.
As of December 31, 2024, we had $2,635.9 million of equipment held in our operating lease portfolio, $183.6 million of notes receivable, $31.1 million of maintenance rights, and $21.6 million of investments in sales-type leases, which represented 354 engines, 16 aircraft, one marine vessel and other leased parts and equipment. As of December 31, 2023, we had $2,112.8 million of equipment held in our operating lease portfolio, $92.6 million of notes receivable, $9.2 million of maintenance rights, and $8.8 million of investments in sales-type leases, which represented 337 engines, 12 aircraft, one marine vessel and other leased parts and equipment.
As of December 31, 2024, minimum future payments under non-cancelable operating leases were as follows:
Year (in thousands)
2025 $ 174,309
2026 80,143
2027 46,988
2028 19,096
2029 12,059
Thereafter 17,209
$ 349,804
As of December 31, 2024, minimum future payments under non-cancelable notes receivable and investments in sales-type leases were as follows:
Year (in thousands)
2025 $ 51,878
2026 24,569
2027 23,543
2028 22,518
2029 48,114
Thereafter 103,781
Total undiscounted lease receivables 274,403
Less: interest (69,168)
Total notes receivable and investments in sales-type leases $ 205,235
As of December 31, 2024, we had 70 lessees of commercial aircraft engines and related equipment, aircraft, and other leased parts and equipment in 37 countries. We believe the loss of any one customer would not have a significant long-term adverse effect on our business. We operate in a global market in which our engines are easily transferable among lessees located in many countries, which stabilizes demand and allows us to recover from a loss of a customer. We provide other engine leasing related services such as engine storage, Part 145 maintenance and aircraft tear down services to our customers as well.
In 2011 we entered into an agreement with Mitsui & Co., Ltd. to participate in a joint venture formed as a Dublin-based Irish limited company, Willis Mitsui & Company Engine Support Limited (“WMES”), for the purpose of acquiring and leasing jet engines. Each partner holds a 50% interest in the joint venture. WMES owned a lease portfolio of 50 engines with a net book value of $328.9 million as of December 31, 2024. Our investment in the joint venture was $44.8 million as of December 31, 2024.
In 2014 we entered into an agreement with China Aviation Supplies Import & Export Corporation (“CASC”) to participate in a joint venture named CASC Willis Lease Finance Company Limited (“CASC Willis”), a joint venture based in Shanghai, China. Each partner holds a 50% interest in the joint venture. CASC Willis acquires and leases jet engines to Chinese airlines and concentrates on meeting the fast-growing demand for leased commercial aircraft engines and aviation assets in the People’s Republic of China. CASC Willis owned a lease portfolio of four engines with a net book value of $37.3 million as of December 31, 2024. Our investment in the joint venture was $17.9 million as of December 31, 2024.
AIRCRAFT LEASING
As of December 31, 2024, our operating lease portfolio included six ATR 72-500 aircraft, three Boeing 737-700 aircraft, two A319-100 aircraft, two A320-214 aircraft, one A320-200 aircraft, one A320-232 aircraft, and one A320-233 aircraft, with an aggregate net book value of $161.0 million.
Our aircraft leases are “triple-net” leases, and the lessee is responsible for making the full lease payment and paying any other expenses associated with the use of the aircraft, such as maintenance, casualty and liability insurance, sales or use taxes and personal property taxes. In addition, the lessee is responsible for normal maintenance and repairs, and compliance with return conditions of flight equipment on lease. Under the provisions of many leases, for certain engine and airframe overhauls, we reimburse the lessee for costs incurred up to but not exceeding maintenance reserves the lessee has paid to us. Maintenance reserves are designed to cover the expected maintenance costs. The lessee is also responsible for compliance with all applicable laws and regulations with respect to the aircraft. We require our lessees to comply with FAA requirements. We periodically inspect our leased aircraft. Generally, we require a deposit as security for the lessee’s performance of obligations under the lease and the condition of the aircraft upon return. In addition, the leases contain extensive provisions regarding our remedies and rights in the event of a default by the lessee and specific provisions regarding the condition of the aircraft upon return. The lessee is required to continue to make lease payments under all circumstances, including periods during which the aircraft is not in operation due to maintenance or grounding.
SPARE PARTS SALES
The sale of spare parts is managed by the Company’s wholly-owned and vertically-integrated subsidiary, Willis Aero. Willis Aero primarily engages in the sale of aircraft engine parts and materials that it acquires via acquisition or consignment from third parties or from the leasing portfolio. This business segment enables our Company to provide end-of-life solutions for the growing supply of surplus aircraft and engines, as well as manage the full life cycle of our lease assets, enhance the returns on our engine portfolio, and create incremental value for our shareholders. As of December 31, 2024, spare parts inventory had a carrying value of $72.2 million.
ASSET MANAGEMENT
Willis Asset Management is a wholly-owned and vertically-integrated subsidiary whose primary focus is the engine management and consulting business. Willis Asset Management had 225 engines, excluding WLFC engines, under management as of December 31, 2024.
COMPETITION
The markets for our products and services are very competitive, and we face competition from a number of sources. These competitors include aircraft engine and aircraft parts manufacturers, aircraft and aircraft engine lessors, airline and aircraft service and repair companies, and aircraft and aircraft engine spare parts distributors. Many of our competitors have substantially greater resources than us. Those resources may include greater name recognition, larger product lines, complementary lines of business, greater financial, marketing, and information systems, and other resources. In addition, equipment manufacturers, aircraft maintenance providers, FAA certified repair facilities and other aviation aftermarket suppliers may vertically integrate into the markets that we serve, thereby significantly increasing industry competition and negatively impacting the Company. We can give no assurance that competitive pressures will not materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
We compete primarily with aircraft engine manufacturers as well as with other aircraft engine lessors. It is common for commercial aircraft operators and MROs to utilize several leasing companies to meet their aircraft engine needs and to minimize reliance on a single leasing company.
Our competitors compete with us in many ways, including pricing, technical expertise, lease flexibility, engine availability, supply reliability, customer service, and the quality and condition of engines. Many of our competitors have greater financial resources than we have, or are affiliates of larger companies. We emphasize the quality of our portfolio of aircraft engines, supply reliability, and high level of customer service to our aircraft equipment lessees. We focus on ensuring adequate aircraft engine availability in high-demand locations, dedicate large portions of our organization to building relationships with lessees, maintain close day-to-day coordination with lessees, and have developed an engine pooling arrangement that allows pool members quick access to available spare aircraft engines.
INSURANCE
In addition to requiring full indemnification under the terms of our leases, we require our lessees to carry the types of insurance customary in the air transportation industry, including comprehensive third-party liability insurance and physical damage and casualty insurance. We require that we be named as an additional insured on liability insurance policies with the Company and our lenders normally identified as the loss payee on policies carried by lessees for damage to the leased equipment. We monitor compliance with the insurance provisions of the leases. We also carry contingent physical damage and third-party liability insurance as well as product liability insurance at levels determined to be appropriate by the Company.
GOVERNMENT REGULATION
Our customers are subject to a high degree of regulation in the jurisdictions in which they operate. For example, the FAA regulates the manufacture, repair and operation of all aircraft operated in the U.S. and equivalent regulatory agencies in other countries, such as the European Aviation Safety Agency (“EASA”) in Europe, regulate aircraft operated in those countries. Such regulations also indirectly affect our business operations. All aircraft operated in the U.S. must be maintained under a continuous condition-monitoring program and must periodically undergo thorough inspection and maintenance. The inspection, maintenance and repair procedures for commercial aircraft are prescribed by regulatory authorities and can be performed only by certified repair facilities utilizing certified technicians. The FAA can suspend or revoke the authority of air carriers or their licensed personnel for failure to comply with regulations and ground aircraft if their airworthiness is in question.
While our leasing and reselling business is not regulated, the aircraft, engines and related parts that we purchase, lease and sell must be accompanied by documentation that enables the customer to comply with applicable regulatory requirements. Furthermore, before parts may be installed in an aircraft, they must meet certain standards of condition established by the FAA and/or the equivalent regulatory agencies in other countries. Specific regulations vary from country to country, although regulatory requirements in other countries are generally satisfied by compliance with FAA requirements. With respect to a particular engine or engine component, we utilize FAA and/or EASA certified repair stations to repair and certify engines and components to ensure marketability.
Governmental regulations where the related airframe is registered, and where the aircraft is operated, stipulate noise and emissions levels restrictions. For example, jurisdictions throughout the world have adopted noise regulations which require all aircraft to comply with Stage III noise requirements. In addition to the current Stage III compliance requirements, the U.S. and the International Civil Aviation Organization (“ICAO”) have adopted a more stringent set of Stage IV standards for noise levels which apply to engines manufactured or certified from 2006 onward. At this time, the U.S. regulations do not require any phase-out of aircraft that qualify only for Stage III compliance, but the European Union (“EU”) has established a framework for the imposition of operating limitations on non-Stage IV aircraft.
As of December 31, 2024, most of the engines in our lease portfolio are Stage IV engines and are generally suitable for use on one or more commonly used aircraft.
We believe that the aviation industry will be subject to continued regulatory activity. Additionally, increased oversight will continue to originate from the quality assurance departments of airline operators. We have been able to meet all such requirements to date, and are well positioned to meet any additional requirements that may be imposed. We cannot give assurance, however, that new, more stringent government regulations will not be adopted in the future or that any such new regulations, if enacted, would not have a material adverse impact on us.
FINANCING/SOURCE OF FUNDS
We, directly or through our Willis Engine Structured Trust III, IV, V, VI, and VII (“WEST III,” “WEST IV,” “WEST V,” “WEST VI,” and “WEST VII”) asset-backed securitizations, revolving credit facility, and senior secured warehouse credit facility, typically acquire engines with a combination of equity capital and funds borrowed from financial institutions. In May 2024, Willis Warehouse Facility (“WWFL”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into a secured credit agreement for the new senior secured warehouse credit facility. In order to facilitate financing and leasing of engines, most of our engines are generally owned through a statutory or common law trust that is wholly-owned by us or our subsidiaries. We usually borrow up to 85% of an engine’s purchase price. Substantially all of our assets secure our related indebtedness. We typically acquire engines from airlines, engine manufacturers or from other lessors. From time to time, we selectively acquire engines prior to a firm commitment to lease or sell the engine, depending on the price of the engine and market demand with the expectation that we can lease or sell such engines in the future. Additionally, for discrete financing purposes, we may enter into bi-lateral and preferred financing arrangements from time to time.
EMPLOYEES
As of December 31, 2024, we had a total of 447 employees, of which 445 are full-time employees (excluding consultants), in sales and marketing, technical service, and administration. None of our employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, and we believe our employee relations are satisfactory.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
The following risk factors and other information included in this Annual Report should be carefully considered. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may impair our business operations. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.
RISKS RELATING TO OUR BUSINESS
Risks Related to Our Operations
We are affected by the risks faced by commercial aircraft operators and MROs because they are our customers.
We operate as a supplier of engines, aircraft and related parts (“aviation equipment”) to commercial aircraft operators and MROs and are indirectly impacted by many of the risks facing commercial aircraft operators and MROs. The ability of each of our lessees to perform their obligations under the relevant lease and the demand to purchase aviation equipment will depend primarily on the lessee’s (or in the case of parts and materials, the purchaser’s) financial condition and cash flow. This may be affected by factors beyond our control, including:
•general economic conditions in the countries in which our customers operate, including changes in gross domestic product;
•demand for air travel and air cargo shipments;
•increased competition;
•the availability of government support, which may be in the form of subsidies, loans (including export/import financing), guarantees, equity investments or otherwise;
•changes in interest rates and the availability and terms of credit available to commercial aircraft operators including covenants in financings, terms imposed by credit card issuers, collateral posting requirements contained in fuel hedging contracts and the ability of airlines and MROs to make or refinance principal payments as they come due;
•geopolitical and other events, including those arising from war, concerns about security, terrorism, war, pandemics and similar public health concerns and political instability;
•changing political conditions, including risk of rising protectionism and imposition of new trade barriers;
•inclement weather and natural disasters;
•environmental compliance and other regulatory costs, including noise regulations, emissions regulations, climate change initiatives, and aircraft age limitations;
•potential and actual cyberattacks, including information hacking, viruses and malware;
•labor contracts, labor costs and strikes or stoppages at commercial aircraft operators;
•operating costs, including the price and availability of fuel, maintenance costs, and insurance costs and coverages;
•technological developments;
•airport access and air traffic control infrastructure constraints;
•industry capacity, utilization and general market conditions; and
•market prices for aviation equipment.
To the extent that our customers are negatively affected by these risk factors, we may experience:
•a decrease in demand for some types of aviation equipment in our portfolio;
•greater credit risks from our customers, and a higher incidence of lessee defaults and corresponding repossessions;
•an inability to quickly lease engines and aircraft on commercially acceptable terms when these become available through our purchase commitments and regular lease terminations;
•shorter lease terms, which may increase our expenses and reduce our utilization rates; and
•fewer opportunities to manage aviation equipment for other companies, and/or less profitable terms.
Our operating results vary and comparisons to results for preceding periods may not be meaningful.
Due to a number of factors, including the risks described in this Item 1A, our operating results may fluctuate. These fluctuations may also be caused by:
•the timing and number of purchases and sales of engines or aircraft;
•the timing and amount of maintenance reserve revenues recorded resulting from the termination of long-term leases, for which significant amounts of maintenance reserves may have accumulated;
•the termination or announced termination of production of particular aircraft and engine types;
•the retirement or announced retirement of particular aircraft models by aircraft operators;
•the operating history of any particular engine, aircraft or engine or aircraft model;
•the length of our operating leases; and
•the timing of necessary overhauls of engines and aircraft.
These risks may reduce our utilization rates, lease margins, maintenance reserve revenues, and proceeds from engine and aircraft sales, and result in higher legal, technical, maintenance, storage and insurance costs related to repossession and the cost of engines being off lease. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the availability of engines and aircraft for lease or sale periodically experiences cycles of oversupply and undersupply of given engine or aircraft models. The incidence of an oversupply of engines or aircraft may produce substantial decreases in lease rates and the appraised and resale value of aviation equipment and may increase the time and costs incurred to lease or sell engines.
We anticipate that fluctuations from period to period will continue in the future. As a result, we believe that comparisons to results for preceding periods may not be meaningful and that results of prior periods should not be relied upon as an indication of our future performance.
We and our customers operate in a highly regulated industry and changes in laws or regulations may adversely affect our ability to lease or sell our engines or aircraft.
Licenses and consents
We and our customers operate in a highly regulated industry. A number of our leases require specific governmental or regulatory licenses, consents or approvals. These include consents for certain payments under the leases and for the export, import, or re-export of our engines or aircraft. Failure by our customers or us to obtain certain licenses and approvals could negatively affect our ability to conduct our business. In addition, the shipment of goods, services and technology across international borders subjects the operation of our assets to international trade laws and regulations. Moreover, many countries, including the United States, control the export and reexport of certain goods, services and technology and impose related export recordkeeping and reporting obligations. Consents needed in connection with future leasing or sale of our engines or aircraft may not be received timely or have economically feasible terms. Any of these events could adversely affect our ability to lease or sell engines or aircraft. Governments also may impose economic sanctions against certain countries, persons and other entities that may restrict or prohibit transactions involving such countries, persons and entities. If any such regulations or sanctions affect our customers, our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows may be materially adversely affected.
Civil aviation regulation
Users of engines and aircraft are subject to general civil aviation authorities, including the FAA and the EASA, who regulate the maintenance of engines and issue airworthiness directives. Airworthiness directives typically set forth special maintenance actions or modifications to certain engine and aircraft types or series of specific engines that must be implemented for the engine or aircraft to remain in service. Also, airworthiness directives may require the lessee to make more frequent inspections of an engine, aircraft, or particular engine parts. Each lessee of an engine or aircraft generally is responsible for complying with all airworthiness directives. However, if the engine or aircraft is off lease, we may be forced to bear the cost of compliance with such airworthiness directives, and if the engine or aircraft is leased, subject to the terms of the lease, if any, we may be forced to share the cost of compliance.
Environmental regulation
Our operations and assets are subject to various U.S. federal, state and local laws and regulations, and non-U.S. laws and regulations related to the protection of the environment. We could incur substantial costs, including capital and other expenditures, to comply with such requirements, as well as fines, penalties, or civil or criminal sanctions and third-party claims, if we were to violate or become liable under such laws or regulations. In addition, it is expected that the new U.S. administration will seek to enact changes to numerous areas of law and regulations currently in effect related to our industry. The nature, timing and economic effects of potential changes to the current legal and regulatory framework affecting our business under the new administration remain highly uncertain and may impact our results of operations, costs, or liabilities. There can be no assurance that any changes in laws, regulations or governmental policy will not have an adverse impact on our business.
Governmental regulations of noise and emissions levels may be applicable where the related airframe is registered and where the aircraft is operated. For example, jurisdictions throughout the world have adopted noise regulations which require all aircraft to comply with Stage III noise requirements. In addition to the current Stage III compliance requirements, the U.S. and the ICAO have adopted a more stringent set of Stage IV standards for noise levels which apply to engines manufactured or certified from 2006 onward. At this time, the U.S. regulations do not require any phase-out of aircraft that qualify only for Stage III compliance, but the EU has established a framework for the imposition of operating limitations on non-Stage IV aircraft. These regulations could limit the economic life of our engines and aircraft or reduce their value, could limit our ability to lease or sell the non-compliant engines or aircraft or, if modifications are permitted, require us to make significant additional investments in the engines or aircraft to make them compliant.
The U.S. and other jurisdictions are imposing more stringent limits on the emission of nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide emissions from engines, consistent with ICAO standards. Although, these limits generally apply only to engines manufactured after 1999, new laws could be passed in the future that also impose limits on older engines, thereby subjecting our older engines to existing or new emissions limitations or indirect taxation. These limits may also impact growth levels in air travel. In 2005, the EU launched an Emissions Trading System limiting greenhouse gas emissions by various industries and persons, including aircraft operators. However, in an April 2023 directive, the European Parliament and European Council adopted components of the European Commission’s “Fit for 55” proposal, which will modify the ETS system by phasing out free emissions allowances for the aviation sector by 2026. The directive entered force in June 2023, and was required to be transposed into national law by member states by December 31, 2023. In addition, the ICAO has adopted the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (“CORSIA”), a global market-based scheme aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions from international aviation that will become mandatory in 2027. At least 126 countries, including the United States, have indicated that they will participate in the voluntary phase-in of CORSIA from 2024 onwards. Limitations on emissions, such as the ETS and CORSIA, could favor the use of younger, more fuel-efficient aircraft, since they generally produce lower levels of emissions per passenger, which could adversely affect our ability to re-lease or otherwise dispose of less efficient older aircraft on a timely basis, on favorable terms, or at all. Concerns over global warming, climate change, or other environmental issues could result in more stringent limitations on the operation of older, non-compliant engines and aircraft.
Scrutiny of the airline industry and its potential negative impacts on the environment may result in decreased demand for air travel, which may in turn cause lessees to default on their lease payment obligations to us which would negatively affect our financial condition, cash flow and results of operations.
The airline industry has also come under increased scrutiny by the press, the public and investors regarding the impact of air travel on the environment, including emissions to the air, discharges to surface and subsurface waters, safe drinking water, aircraft noise, the management of hazardous substances, oils and waste materials and other environmental impacts related to aircraft operations. If such scrutiny results in reduced air travel or increased costs to air travel, it may affect demand for our aircraft and engines, lessees’ ability to make rental and other lease payments and reduce the value we receive for our aircraft and engines upon any disposition, which would negatively affect our financial condition, cash flow and results of operations. In addition, growing demand to transition to lower-carbon technologies, such as sustainable aviation fuels that may be developed over time, may increase our costs or reduce demand for our aircraft or engines or airline travel more generally.
We are subject to governmental regulation and our failure to comply with these regulations could cause the government to withdraw or revoke our authorizations and approvals to do business and could subject us to penalties and sanctions that could harm our business.
Governmental agencies throughout the world, including the FAA, highly regulate the manufacture, repair, and operation of all aircraft operated in the U.S. and equivalent regulatory agencies in other countries, such as the EASA in Europe, regulate aircraft operated in those countries. We include, with the aircraft, engines and related parts that we purchase, lease and sell to our customers, documentation certifying that each part complies with applicable regulatory requirements and meets applicable standards of airworthiness established by the FAA or the equivalent regulatory agencies in other countries. Specific regulations vary from country to country, although regulatory requirements in other countries are generally satisfied by compliance with FAA requirements. With respect to a particular engine or engine component, we utilize FAA and/or EASA certified repair stations to repair and certify engines and components to ensure marketability. The revocation or suspension of any of our material authorizations or approvals would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. New and more stringent government regulations, if adopted and enacted, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, certain product sales to foreign countries require approval or licensing from the U.S. government. Denial of export licenses could reduce our sales to those countries and could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Failure to comply with anti-corruption laws, trade controls, economic sanctions and similar laws and regulations could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences.
Our operations are subject to U.S. and foreign anti-corruption and trade control laws and regulations, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) and other anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions, including the UK Bribery Act 2010, export controls, and economic sanctions programs, including those administered by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), and the Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) of the Department of Commerce.
As part of our business, we may deal with state-owned business enterprises, the employees of which are considered foreign officials for purposes of the FCPA’s prohibition on providing anything of value to foreign officials in connection with obtaining or retaining business or securing any improper business advantage. In addition, we must comply with various laws and regulations relating to the export of products and technology from the U.S. and other countries having jurisdiction over our operations. Obtaining the necessary export license or other authorization for a particular lease may be time-consuming and may result in the delay or loss of leasing opportunities.
We are also subject to certain economic and trade sanctions programs that are administered by OFAC, which prohibit or restrict transactions to or from, or dealings with, specified countries, their governments, and in certain circumstances, their nationals, and with individuals and entities that are specially designated nationals of those countries. It is possible that, without our knowledge, engines or other equipment that we export end up in the possession of individuals or entities that have been designated by OFAC or are located in a country subject to sanctions.
We have established policies and procedures designed to assist with our compliance with these laws and regulations. However, maintaining and enhancing our policies and procedures in response to changing laws and regulations or business circumstances can be costly and place restrictions on our operations, and we cannot guarantee that the precautions we take will prevent violations of anti-corruption and trade control laws and regulations. Violations of these regulations are punishable by civil penalties, including fines, denial of export privileges, injunctions, asset seizures, debarment from government contracts, and revocations or restrictions of licenses, as well as criminal fines and imprisonment. In addition, the costs associated with responding to a government investigation and remediating any violations can be substantial. Accordingly, violations could adversely affect, among other things, our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Our aircraft, engines or parts could cause bodily injury or property damage, exposing us to liability claims.
We are exposed to potential liability claims if the use of our aircraft, engines or parts is alleged to have caused bodily injury or property damage. Our leases require our lessees to indemnify us against these claims and to carry insurance customary in the air transportation industry, including liability, property damage, and all-risk hull insurance on our engines and on our aircraft at agreed upon levels. We can give no assurance that one or more catastrophic events will not exceed insurance coverage limits or that lessees’ insurance will cover all claims that may be asserted against us. Any insurance coverage deficiency or default by lessees under their indemnification or insurance obligations may reduce our recovery of losses upon an event of loss or subject the Company to monetary losses for which recovery is unavailable.
Our financial reporting for lease revenue may be adversely impacted by any future change to lease accounting, as well as any future change to current tax laws or accounting principles pertaining to operating or other lease financing.
Our lessees enjoy favorable accounting and tax treatment generally by using operating leases. Changes in tax laws or accounting principles that make operating leases less attractive to our lessees could have a material adverse effect on demand for our leases and on our business.
Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”). If there are future changes in GAAP with regard to how we and our customers must account for leases, it could change the way we and our customers conduct our businesses and, therefore, could have a potential adverse effect on our business.
We may not be adequately covered by insurance.
By virtue of holding title to engines and aircraft, parties suffering damage as a result of the malfunction of an engine or aircraft may assert that lessors are strictly liable for the resulting losses. Such liability may be asserted even where the lessor is not directly controlling the operation of the relevant aircraft. While we maintain contingent insurance covering losses not covered by our lessees’ insurance, such coverage may not be available in circumstances in which the lessees’ insurance coverage is insufficient. In addition, if a lessee is not obligated to maintain sufficient insurance, we may incur the costs of additional insurance coverage during the related lease. Under certain of our debt facilities, we are required to obtain political risk insurance for leases to lessees in specified jurisdictions. We can give no assurance that such insurance will be available at commercially reasonable rates, if at all.
We and our lenders generally are named as additional insureds on liability insurance policies carried by our lessees and are usually the loss payees for damage to our engines and aircraft. However, an uninsured or partially insured claim, or a claim for which third-party indemnification is not available, could have a material adverse effect upon us. A loss of an aircraft in which we lease the airframe, an engine or other leased equipment could result in significant monetary claims for which there may not be sufficient insurance coverage.
Natural disasters, public health emergencies, and other business disruptions could cause significant harm to our customer base, which may materially adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Our U.S. and international operations and warehouse facilities are susceptible to losses and interruptions caused by floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, typhoons, and similar natural disasters, public health emergencies, as well as power outages, telecommunications failures, and similar events. Climate change may exacerbate certain of these threats, including the frequency and severity of weather-related events and other natural disasters.
A decrease in air travel, lack of demand for air travel, or downturn in the aviation industry caused by public health emergencies or natural disasters could result in lower utilization of our engine and aircraft assets, which could in turn materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the occurrence of natural disasters and health emergency or similar events in any of the regions in which we operate could disrupt and materially and adversely impact the operations of our business.
Cyberattacks or other information security breaches could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.
Our operations are becoming increasingly dependent on information technologies. Threats to our information technology systems continue to grow, and include, among other things, power outages, natural disasters, malware, ransomware, phishing, computer viruses, human error, and unexpected complications as our information technology systems are maintained or upgraded. Significant damage or interruption to our information technology systems, including cyberattacks, could lead to the loss of sensitive information, including that of our customers, suppliers, and employees, result in operational disruption, or require expensive investment to fix or replace our information technology systems. Such losses could harm our reputation and result in competitive disadvantages, litigation, regulatory enforcement actions, lost revenues, additional costs, and liabilities. In turn, this could adversely affect our business strategy, operating results, and financial condition.
We have been subject to cybersecurity incidents in the past and may be again in the future. Due to the evolving nature and increased sophistication of these cybersecurity threats, the potential impact of any future incident cannot be predicted with certainty. Although we employ a number of measures to prevent, detect and mitigate these threats, even the most well-protected information, networks, systems and facilities remain potentially vulnerable because the techniques used in such attempted security breaches evolve and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, and in some cases are designed to not be detected and, in fact, may not be detected. Accordingly, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate security barriers or other preventative measures, and thus it is impossible for us to entirely mitigate this risk. Any such incidents could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition, especially if we fail to maintain sufficient insurance coverage to cover liabilities incurred or are unable to recover any funds lost in data, security and/or system breaches, and could result in a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Moreover, we may face increased costs as we continue to evolve our cyber defenses in order to contend with changing risks, and possible increased costs of complying with cybersecurity laws and regulations. These costs and losses associated with these risks are difficult to predict and quantify, but could have a significant adverse effect on our operating results.
Risks Related to Our Aviation Assets
The value and lease rates of our engines and aircraft could decline.
The value of a particular model of engine depends heavily on the types of aircraft on which it may be installed and the supply of available engines. We believe engine values tend to be relatively stable so long as there is sufficient demand for the host aircraft. The demand for aircraft depends on numerous factors, including age, technology, and customer preference. We believe the value of an engine begins to decline rapidly once the host aircraft begins to be retired from service and/or is used for spare parts in significant numbers. Certain types of engines and aircraft may be used in significant numbers by commercial aircraft operators that are currently experiencing financial difficulties. If such operators were to file for protection under bankruptcy laws or commence liquidation or similar proceedings, the resulting over-supply of engines and aircraft from these operators could have an adverse effect on the demand for the affected engine and aircraft types and the value of such aviation equipment.
Upon termination of a lease, we may be unable to enter into new leases or sell the affected aviation equipment on acceptable terms.
We directly or indirectly own the aviation equipment that we lease to customers and bear the risk of not recovering our entire investment through leasing and selling the applicable equipment. Upon termination of a lease, we seek to enter a new lease, sell or part-out the applicable aviation equipment. We also selectively sell aviation equipment on an opportunistic basis. We cannot give assurance that we will be able to find, in a timely manner or at all, a lessee or a buyer for aviation equipment coming off-lease or for the associated parts. If we do find a lessee, we may not be able to obtain satisfactory lease rates and terms (including maintenance and redelivery conditions) or rates and terms comparable to our current leases, and we can give no assurance that the creditworthiness of any future lessee will be equal to or better than that of the existing lessees of our equipment. As of December 31, 2024, engines on-lease with lease terms of 12 months or less and engines off-lease constituted approximately 75% of our assets. These engines may frequently need to be remarketed, which could drive up our operating costs associated with such equipment. Such higher operating costs could have a material, adverse impact on our results of operations and profitability.
Although leases of engines account for most of our revenue, leases of aircraft expose us to greater risks than leases of engines and these risks could materially impact our financial condition and results of operations.
We are exposed to a number of risks related to our aircraft leasing activities. For example, leases of aircraft subject us to greater maintenance risks because the maintenance fees we charge may not cover aircraft maintenance costs that may be higher than anticipated. In addition, we face greater credit risk from lessees in this line of business as the assets that we lease to them tend to have higher net book values than individual engines. Moreover, aircraft technology is constantly improving and, as a result, particular models and types of aircraft tend to become less in demand and ultimately obsolete over time as newer, more advanced and efficient aircraft become available. Consequently, we may experience difficulty in leasing or selling aircraft. Any of these risks could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
We carry the risk of maintenance for our leased assets. Our maintenance reserves may be inadequate or lessees may default on their obligations to perform maintenance, which could increase our expenses.
Under most of our engine and aircraft leases, the lessee makes monthly maintenance reserve payments to us based on the asset’s usage and management’s estimate of maintenance costs. A certain level of maintenance reserve payments on the WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, WEST VII, and WWFL engines are held in related engine reserve restricted cash accounts. Generally, the lessee under long-term leases is responsible for all scheduled maintenance costs, even if they exceed the amounts of maintenance reserves paid. As of December 31, 2024, 65 of our leases comprising approximately 24% of the net book value of our on-lease assets do not provide for any monthly maintenance reserve payments to be made by lessees, and we can give no assurance that future leases of our engines or aircraft will require maintenance reserves. In some cases, including engine and aircraft repossessions, we may decide to pay for refurbishments or repairs if the accumulated use fees are inadequate.
We can give no assurance that our operating cash flows and available liquidity reserves, including the amounts held in the reserve restricted cash accounts, will be sufficient to fund necessary engine and aircraft maintenance. Actual maintenance reserve payments by lessees and other cash that we receive may be significantly less than projected as a result of numerous factors, including defaults by lessees. Furthermore, we can provide no assurance that lessees will meet their obligations to make maintenance reserve payments or perform required scheduled maintenance or, to the extent that maintenance reserve payments are insufficient, to cover the cost of refurbishments or repairs.
Failures by lessees to meet their maintenance and recordkeeping obligations under our leases could adversely affect the value of our leased engines and aircraft and our ability to re-lease the engines and aircraft in a timely manner following termination of the leases.
The value and income producing potential of an engine or aircraft depends heavily on it being maintained in accordance with an approved maintenance system and complying with all applicable governmental directives and manufacturer requirements. In addition, for an engine or aircraft to be available for service, all records, logs, licenses and documentation relating to maintenance and operations of the engine or aircraft must be maintained in accordance with governmental and manufacturer specifications.
Pursuant to our leases, the lessees are primarily responsible for maintaining the engines or aircraft, keeping related records and complying with governmental directives and manufacturer requirements. Certain lessees have experienced, and may experience in the future, difficulties meeting their maintenance and recordkeeping obligations as specified by the terms of our leases.
Our ability to determine the condition of the engines or aircraft and whether the lessees are properly maintaining our assets is generally limited to the lessees’ reporting of monthly usage and any maintenance performed, confirmed by periodic inspections performed by us and third parties. A lessee’s failure to meet its maintenance or recordkeeping obligations under a lease could result in:
•grounding of the related engine or aircraft;
•repossession that would likely cause us to incur additional and potentially substantial expenditures to restore the engine or aircraft to an acceptable maintenance condition;
•a need to incur additional costs and devote resources to recreate the records prior to the sale or lease of the engine or aircraft;
•loss of lease revenue while we perform refurbishments or repairs and recreate records; and
•a lower lease rate and/or shorter lease term under a new lease entered into by us following repossession of the engine or aircraft.
Any of these events may adversely affect the value of the engine or aircraft, unless and until remedied, and reduce our revenues and increase our expenses. If aviation equipment is damaged during a lease and we are unable to recover our damages from the lessee or though insurance, we may incur a loss.
The advent of superior engine and aircraft technology and higher production levels could cause our existing portfolio of aviation equipment to become outdated and therefore less desirable.
As manufacturers introduce technological innovations and new types of engines and aircraft, certain engines and aircraft in our existing portfolio of aviation equipment may become less desirable to potential lessees or purchasers. This next generation of engines and aircraft is expected to deliver improved fuel consumption and reduced noise and emissions with lower operating costs compared to current-technology aircraft.
The introduction of new models of engines and aircraft and the potential resulting overcapacity in supply, could adversely affect the residual values and the lease rates for our engines and aircraft, our ability to lease or sell our engines and aircraft on favorable terms, or at all, or result in us recording future impairment charges.
Our customers face intense competition and some carriers are in troubled financial condition.
As a general matter, commercial aircraft operators with weak capital structures are more likely than well-capitalized operators to seek operating leases, and, at any time, investors should expect some lessees and sub-lessees to experience payment difficulties. As a result of such commercial aircraft operators’ weak financial condition and lack of liquidity, a portion of lessees over time may be significantly in arrears in their rental or maintenance payments and may default on their lease obligations. Given the size of our portfolio of engines and aircraft, we expect that from time to time some lessees will be slow in making, or will fail to make, their payments in full under their leases. As of December 31, 2024, we had an aggregate of approximately $3.9 million in lease rent and $3.6 million in maintenance reserve payments more than 30 days past due, compared to $10.5 million in lease rent and $8.9 million in maintenance reserve payments more than 30 days past due as of December 31, 2023. Our inability to collect receivables or to repossess engines, aircraft or other leased equipment in the event of a default by a lessee could have a material adverse effect on us.
We may not correctly assess the credit risk of each lessee or may not be in a position to charge risk-adjusted lease rates, and lessees may be unable to meet their financial and other obligations under our leases in the future. A delayed, reduced, or missed rental payment from a lessee may decrease our revenues and cash flow and may adversely affect our ability to make payments on our indebtedness or to comply with financial covenants in our loan documents (see “Our Financing Facilities Impose Restrictions on our Operations”). While we typically experience some level of delinquency under our leases, default levels may increase over time, particularly as our portfolio of engines and aircraft ages or if economic conditions deteriorate.
Various airlines have filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. and in foreign jurisdictions, with some seeking to restructure their operations and others ceasing operations entirely. In the case of airlines that are restructuring, such airlines often reduce their flights or eliminate the use of certain types of aircraft and the related engine types. Applicable bankruptcy laws often allow these airlines to terminate leases early and to return our engines or aircraft without meeting the contractual return conditions. In that case, we may not be paid the full amount, or any part, of our claims for these lease terminations. Alternatively, we might negotiate agreements with those airlines under which the airline continues to lease the engine or aircraft, but under modified lease terms. If requests for payment restructuring or rescheduling are made and granted, reduced or deferred rental payments may be payable over all or some part of the remaining term of the lease, although the terms of any revised payment schedules may be unfavorable and such payments may not be made. In the case of an airline which has ceased operations entirely, in addition to the risk of nonpayment, we face the enhanced risk of deterioration or total loss of an engine or aircraft while it is under uncertain custody and control. In that case, we may be required to take legal action to secure the return of the engine or aircraft and its records or, alternatively, to negotiate a settlement under which we can immediately recover the engine or aircraft and its records in exchange for waiving subsequent legal claims.
We may not be able to repossess an engine or aircraft when the lessee defaults, and even if we are able to repossess the engine or aircraft, we may have to expend significant funds in the repossession, remarketing and leasing of the asset.
When a lessee defaults and such default is not cured in a timely manner, we typically seek to terminate the lease and repossess the engine or aircraft. If a defaulting lessee contests the termination and repossession or is under court protection, enforcement of our rights under the lease may be difficult, expensive and time-consuming. We may not realize any practical benefits from our legal rights, and we may need to obtain consents to export the engine or aircraft. As a result, the relevant asset may be off-lease or not producing revenue for a prolonged period. In addition, we will incur direct costs associated with repossessing our engine or aircraft. These costs may include legal and similar costs, the direct costs of transporting, storing and insuring the engine or aircraft, and costs associated with necessary maintenance and recordkeeping to make the asset available for lease or sale. During this time, we will realize no revenue from the leased engine or aircraft, and we will continue to be obligated to pay any debt financing applicable to the asset. If an engine is installed on an airframe, the airframe may be owned by an aircraft lessor or other third party. Our ability to recover engines installed on airframes may depend on the cooperation of the airframe owner.
Risks Related to Our Orders of New Engines
We have committed to purchase new engines in 2025 with an aggregate value of up to $107.6 million. Our ability to lease these assets on favorable terms, if at all, may be adversely affected by risks to the commercial airline industry generally. If we are unable to obtain commitments for the remaining deliveries or otherwise satisfy our contractual obligations to the engine manufacturers, we will be subject to several potential risks, including:
•forfeiting advance deposits, as well as incurring certain significant costs related to these commitments, such as contractual damages and legal, accounting, and financial advisory expenses;
•defaulting on any future lease commitments we may have entered into with respect to these engines, which could result in monetary damages and strained relationships with lessees;
•failing to realize the benefits of purchasing and leasing the engines; and
•risking harm to our business reputation, which would make it more difficult to purchase and lease engines in the future on agreeable terms, if at all.
Risks Related to Our Capital Structure
Our future growth and profitability will depend on our ability to acquire aviation equipment and make other strategic investments. As a result, our inability to obtain sufficient capital to finance these acquisitions would constrain our ability to grow our portfolio and to increase our revenues.
Our business is capital intensive and highly leveraged. Accordingly, our ability to successfully execute our business strategy and maintain our operations depends on the availability and cost of debt and equity capital. Additionally, our ability to borrow against our portfolio of engines, aircraft, and strategic investments is dependent, in part, on the appraised value of such engines, aircraft, and investments. If the appraised value of our portfolio declines, we may be required to either refrain from borrowings or reduce the principal outstanding under certain of our debt facilities.
A significant increase in our cost to acquire engines and aircraft, or in our cost of strategic investments, due to increased interest expense or cost of capital will make it more difficult for us to make accretive acquisitions. The disruptions may also adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our continued growth. Although we have adequate debt commitments from our lenders, assuming they are willing and able to meet their contractual obligation to lend to us, market disruptions may adversely affect our ability to raise additional equity capital to fund future growth, requiring us to rely on internally generated funds. This would lower our rate of capital investment which, in turn, could materially and adversely affect the business and the Company's results of operations.
We can give no assurance that the capital we need will be available to us on favorable terms, or at all. Our inability to obtain sufficient capital, or to renew or expand our credit facilities, could result in increased funding costs and would limit our ability to:
•meet the terms and maturities of our existing and future debt facilities;
•add new equipment to our portfolio;
•fund our working capital needs and maintain adequate liquidity; and
•finance other growth initiatives.
Our financing facilities impose restrictions on our operations.
We have, and expect to continue to have, various credit and financing arrangements with third parties. These financing arrangements are secured by all or substantially all of our assets. Our existing credit and financing arrangements require us to meet certain financial condition tests. Our revolving credit facility prohibits our purchasing or redeeming stock, or declaring or paying dividends on shares of any class or series of our common or preferred stock if an event of default under such facility has or will occur and remains uncured. The agreements governing our debt, including the issuance of notes by WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, and WEST VII, as well as the loans under our senior secured warehouse credit facility, also include restrictive financial covenants. A breach of those and other covenants could, unless waived or amended by our creditors, result in a cross-default to other indebtedness and an acceleration of all or substantially all of our debt. We have obtained waivers and amendments to our financing agreements in the past, but we cannot provide any assurance that we will receive such waivers or amendments in the future if we request or require them. If our outstanding debt is accelerated at any time, we likely would have little or no cash or other assets available after payment of our debts, which could cause the value or market price of our outstanding equity securities to decline significantly and we would have few, if any, assets available for distributions to our equity holders in liquidation.
We are exposed to interest rate risk on our leases, which could have a negative impact on our margins.
We are affected by fluctuations in interest rates. Our lease rates are generally fixed, and a portion of our debt bears variable rate interest based on one-month term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), so changes in interest rates directly affect our lease margins. From time to time, we seek to reduce our interest rate volatility and uncertainty through hedging with interest rate derivative contracts with respect to a portion of our debt. Our lease margins, earnings and cash flows may be adversely affected by increases in interest rates. To the extent we do not have hedges or other derivatives in place, or if our hedges or other derivatives do not mitigate our interest rate exposure from an economic standpoint, we would be adversely affected by increasing interest rates. One-month term SOFR was approximately 4.37% and 5.38% on December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
An increase in interest rates or in our borrowing margin would increase the cost of servicing our debt and could reduce our profitability.
A significant portion of our outstanding debt bears interest at floating rates. As a result, to the extent we have not hedged against rising interest rates, an increase in the applicable benchmark interest rates would increase our cost of servicing our debt and could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, and cash flows.
In addition, we regularly refinance our indebtedness. If interest rates or our borrowing margins increase between the time an existing financing arrangement was consummated and the time such financing arrangement is refinanced, the cost of servicing our debt would increase and our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.
We have risks in managing our portfolio of engines to meet customer needs.
The relatively long life cycles of aircraft and jet engines can be shortened by world events, government regulation, or customer preferences. We seek to manage these risks by trying to anticipate demand for particular engine and aircraft types, maintaining a portfolio mix of engines that we believe is diversified and that will have long-term value and will be sought by lessees in the global market for jet engines, and by selling engines and aircraft that we expect will experience obsolescence or declining usefulness in the foreseeable future.
Each of the WEST finance vehicles and our senior secured warehouse credit facility have various limitations on how we, as servicer, are allowed to manage the trusts. These restrictions include, but are not limited to, total replacement funds held during a given 12-month period and lifetime of the trust, below value dispositions as well as limitations on sales subject to part out agreements.
These limitations on our ability to sell equipment in our portfolio could diminish our ability to manage and optimize our portfolio of airline equipment and, as a result, could have a material and adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, and cash flows.
Our inability to maintain sufficient liquidity could limit our operational flexibility and also impact our ability to make payments on our obligations as they come due.
In addition to being capital intensive and highly leveraged, our business also requires that we maintain sufficient liquidity to enable us to contribute the non-financed portion of engine and aircraft purchases as well as to service our payment obligations to our creditors as they become due, despite the fact that the timing and amounts of payments under our leases do not match the timing under our debt service obligations. Our restricted cash is unavailable for general corporate purposes. Accordingly, our ability to successfully execute our business strategy and maintain our operations depends on our ability to continue to maintain sufficient liquidity, cash, and available credit under our credit facilities. Our liquidity could be adversely impacted if we are subjected to one or more of the following: a significant decline in lease revenues, a material increase in interest expense that is not matched by a corresponding increase in lease rates, a significant increase in operating expenses, or a reduction in our available credit under our credit facilities. If we do not maintain sufficient liquidity, our ability to meet our payment obligations to creditors or to borrow additional funds could become impaired as could our ability to make dividend payments or other distributions to our equity holders. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Financial Position, Liquidity and Capital Resources.”
Inflation may adversely affect us by increasing costs beyond what we can recover through price increases.
In prior years, inflation rates have increased throughout the U.S. economy. Increased inflation rates can adversely affect us by increasing our costs of labor, goods, and other operating costs and may reduce demand for air travel. In addition, inflation is often accompanied by higher interest rates, which could reduce the fair value of our outstanding debt obligations. In an inflationary environment, depending on airline industry and other economic conditions, we may be unable to raise prices enough to keep up with the rate of inflation, which would reduce our profit margins. We have experienced, and continue to experience, increases in the prices of labor and other costs of providing service. Continued inflationary pressures could impact our profitability and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Risks Related to The Common Stock Trading Price
The Company’s common stock trading price may be affected by numerous factors that may impose a financial risk on the Company’s stockholders.
The trading price of our common stock may fluctuate due to many factors, including but not limited to the following:
•risks relating to our business described in this Annual Report;
•sales or purchases of our securities by a few stockholders or even a single significant stockholder;
•general economic conditions;
•changes in accounting mandated under GAAP;
•quarterly variations in our operating results;
•our financial condition, performance and prospects;
•changes in dividends on our common stock;
•changes in financial estimates by us;
•the level, direction and volatility of interest rates and expectations of changes in rates;
•the market for securities similar to our common stock;
•changes in our capital structure, including additional issuances by us of debt or equity securities; and
•failure to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting.
As it relates to changes in dividends on our common stock, the declaration and payment of future dividends are dependent on many factors, including, but not limited to, our financial condition, and are at the discretion of the Company’s Board of Directors. If the Company fails to meet expectations related to dividends, the price of the Company’s common stock may decline. In addition, the U.S. stock markets have experienced price and volume volatility that have affected many companies’ stock prices, often for reasons unrelated to the operating performance of those companies.
Risks Related to Our Foreign Operations
A substantial portion of our lease revenue comes from foreign customers, subjecting us to divergent regulatory requirements.
For the year ended December 31, 2024, approximately 69% of our lease rent revenue was generated by leases to foreign customers. Such international leases present risks to us because certain foreign laws, regulations, and judicial procedures may not be as protective of lessor rights as those which apply in the U.S. We are also subject to risks of foreign laws that affect the timing and access to courts and may limit our remedies when collecting lease payments and recovering assets. We also can give no assurance that political instability abroad and changes in the policies of foreign nations will not present expropriation risks in the future that are not covered by insurance.
Substantially all of our leases require payments in U.S. dollars but many of our customers operate in other currencies; if foreign currencies devalue against the U.S. dollar, our lessees may be unable to make their payments to us.
Substantially all of our current leases require that payments be made in U.S. dollars. If the currency that our lessees typically use in operating their businesses devalues against the U.S. dollar, those lessees could encounter difficulties in making payments in U.S. dollars. Furthermore, many foreign countries have currency and exchange laws regulating international payments that may impede or prevent payments from being paid to us in U.S. dollars. Future leases may provide for payments to be made in euros or other foreign currencies. Any change in the currency exchange rate that reduces the amount of U.S. dollars obtained by us upon conversion of future lease payments denominated in euros or other foreign currencies, may, if not appropriately hedged by us, have a material adverse effect on us and increase the volatility of our earnings. If payments on our leases are made in foreign currency, our risks and hedging costs will increase.
We operate globally and are affected by our customers’ local and regional economic and other risks.
We believe that our customers’ growth and financial condition are driven by economic growth in their service areas. The largest portion of our foreign lease revenues comes from the Asia-Pacific and European regions. Some of these airline operations are among the most heavily regulated in the world. At the same time, low-cost carriers have exerted substantial competitive and financial pressure on major Asia-Pacific and European airlines. Low-cost carriers are having similar effects in North America and elsewhere.
We are also exposed to the specific economic, geopolitical and political conditions and associated risks of the Asia-Pacific and European regions. These risks can include economic recessions, regional impacts of epidemic diseases, burdensome local regulations, armed conflicts or, in extreme cases, increased risks of requisition or other loss of our engines and aircraft and risks of wide-ranging sanctions prohibiting us from leasing in certain jurisdictions. These risks can be exacerbated in jurisdictions where we have a concentration of customers or assets. An adverse geopolitical, political or economic event in any region or country in which our lessees or our engines and aircraft are concentrated could affect the ability of our lessees to meet their obligations to us, expose us to legal or political risks associated with the affected jurisdictions, or impact our ability to recover our assets all of which could have a material and adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flows, liquidity and results of operations and our ability to comply with financial covenants.
We may not be able to enforce our rights as a creditor if a lessee files for bankruptcy outside of the U.S.
When a debtor seeks protection under the United States Bankruptcy Code (“Bankruptcy Code”), creditors are automatically stayed from enforcing their rights. In the case of U.S.-certificated airlines, Section 1110 of the Bankruptcy Code provides certain relief to lessors of aircraft equipment. Section 1110 has been the subject of significant litigation, and we can give no assurance that Section 1110 will protect our investment in aircraft or engines in the event of a lessee’s bankruptcy. In addition, Section 1110 does not apply to lessees located outside of the U.S. and applicable foreign laws may not provide comparable protection.
Liens on our engines or aircraft could exceed the value of such assets, which could negatively affect our ability to repossess, lease or sell a particular engine or aircraft.
Liens that secure the payment of repairers’ charges or other liens may, depending on the jurisdiction, attach to engines and aircraft. Engines also may be installed on airframes to which liens unrelated to the engines have attached. These liens may secure substantial sums that may, in certain jurisdictions or for limited types of liens, exceed the value of the particular engine or aircraft to which the liens have attached. In some jurisdictions, a lien may give the holder the right to detain or, in limited cases, sell or cause the forfeiture of the engine or aircraft. Such liens may have priority over our interest as well as our creditors’ interests in the engines or aircraft, either because they have such priority under applicable local law or because our creditors’ security interests are not filed in jurisdictions outside the U.S. These liens and lien holders could impair our ability to repossess and lease or sell the engines or aircraft. We cannot give assurance that our lessees will comply with their obligations to discharge third-party liens on our assets. If they do not, we may, in the future, find it necessary to pay the claims secured by such liens to repossess such assets.
In certain countries, an engine affixed to an aircraft may become an accession to the aircraft and we may not be able to exercise our ownership rights over the engine.
In some jurisdictions, an engine affixed to an aircraft may become an accession to the aircraft, so that the ownership rights of the owner of the aircraft supersede the ownership rights of the owner of the engine. If an aircraft is security for the owner’s obligations to a third party, the security interest in the aircraft may supersede our rights as owner of the engine. This legal principle could limit our ability to repossess an engine in the event of a lessee bankruptcy or lease default while the aircraft with the engine installed remains in such a jurisdiction. We may suffer a loss if we are not able to repossess engines leased to lessees in these jurisdictions.
Changes to trade policy, tariff, sanction and import/export regulations may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Changes in U.S. or international, political, regulatory and economic conditions or in laws and policies governing foreign trade and investment in the territories or countries where we currently conduct our business, could adversely affect our business. The executive branch of the U.S. government has instituted or proposed changes in trade policies that include the negotiation or termination of trade agreements, the imposition of higher tariffs on imports into the U.S., economic sanctions on corporations or countries, and other government regulations affecting trade between the U.S. and other countries that will affect the manner in which we conduct our business. Trading partners of the U.S. have also implemented and threatened to implement retaliatory tariffs and/or other impediments to trade.
As a result of new or threatened tariffs, sanctions and/or impediments to trade, both from the U.S. and other countries, there may be greater restrictions and economic disincentives on international trade. The new or threatened tariffs, sanctions and other changes in trade policy could trigger retaliatory actions by affected countries, and certain foreign governments have instituted or are considering imposing tariffs and/or economic sanctions on certain U.S. goods. The impact of these tariffs is subject to a number of factors, including the effective date and duration of such tariffs, changes in the amount, scope and nature of the tariffs in the future, any retaliatory responses to such actions that the target countries may take and any mitigating actions that may become available. A significant portion of our business could be impacted by changes to the trade policies of the U.S. and foreign countries (including governmental action related to tariffs, international trade agreements, or economic sanctions). Such changes have the potential to adversely impact the U.S. economy or certain sectors thereof, our industry, and the global demand for our products and services, and as a result, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Small Size and Corporate Structure
Intense competition in our industry, particularly with major companies with substantially greater financial, personnel, marketing and other resources, could cause our revenues and business to suffer.
The engine and aircraft leasing and related services industry is highly competitive and global. Our primary competitors include AerCap Holdings N.V., Shannon Engine Support Ltd., Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce Partners Finance, Engine Lease Finance Corporation, FTAI Aviation LTD., MTU Aero Engines Holding AG, SMBC Aero Engine Lease B.V., and StandardAero, Inc.
Our primary competitors generally have significantly greater financial, personnel and other resources, as well as a physical presence in more locations, than we do. In addition, competing engine lessors may have lower costs of capital and may provide financial or technical services or other inducements to customers, including the ability to sell or lease aircraft, offer maintenance and repair services, or provide other forms of financing that we do not provide. We cannot give assurance that we will be able to compete effectively or that competitive pressures will not adversely affect us.
There is no organized market for the spare engines or the aircraft we purchase. Typically, we purchase engines and aircraft from commercial aircraft operators, engine manufacturers, MROs and other suppliers. We rely on our representatives, advertisements, and reputation to generate opportunities to purchase and sell engines and aircraft. The market for purchasing engine and aircraft portfolios is highly competitive, generally involving an auction bidding process. We can give no assurance that engines and aircraft will continue to be available to us on acceptable terms and in the types and quantities we seek consistent with the diversification requirements of our debt facilities and our portfolio diversification goals.
Substantially all of our assets are pledged to our creditors.
Substantially all of our assets are pledged to secure our obligations to creditors. Our revolving credit and senior secured warehouse credit banks have a lien on all of our assets, including our residual interests in WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, WEST VII, and WWFL. Due to WEST III’s, WEST IV’s, WEST V’s, WEST VI’s, WEST VII’s, and WWFL’s bankruptcy remote structures, that interest is subject to the prior payments of WEST III’s, WEST IV’s, WEST V’s, WEST VI’s, WEST VII’s, and WWFL’s debt and other obligations. Therefore, our rights and the rights of our creditors to participate in any distribution of the assets of WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, WEST VII, and WWFL upon liquidation, reorganization, dissolution or winding up will be subject to the prior claims of WEST III’s, WEST IV’s, WEST V’s, WEST VI’s, WEST VII’s, and WWFL’s creditors. Similarly, the rights of our shareholders are subject to satisfaction of the claims of our lenders and other creditors.
We may be unable to manage the expansion of our operations.
We can give no assurance that we will be able to manage effectively the current and potential expansion of our operations, or that if we are successful expanding our operations that our systems, procedures, or controls will be adequate to support our operations, in which event our business, financial condition, results, and cash flows could be adversely affected.
Any acquisition or expansion involves various risks, which may include some or all of the following:
•incurring or assuming additional debt;
•diversion of management’s time and attention from ongoing business operations;
•future charges to earnings related to the possible impairment of goodwill and the write down of other intangible assets;
•risks of unknown or contingent liabilities;
•difficulties in the assimilation of operations, services, products and personnel;
•unanticipated costs and delays;
•risks that the acquired business does not perform consistently with our growth and profitability expectations;
•risks that growth will strain our infrastructure, staff, internal controls, and management, which may require additional personnel, time, and expenditures; and
•potential loss of key employees and customers.
Any of the above factors could have a material adverse effect on us.
We are effectively controlled by one principal stockholder who has the power to contest the outcome of most matters submitted to the stockholders for approval and to affect our stock prices adversely if he were to sell substantial amounts of his common stock.
Charles F. Willis, IV, who is the founder of WLFC and currently serves as our Executive Chairman, has served as a Director since our establishment in 1985, served as Chief Executive Officer from 1985 until April 2022, served as President until July 2011, and has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors from 1996 until April 2022, when he became Executive Chairman.
As of December 31, 2024, Mr. Willis beneficially owned or had the ability to direct the voting of 3,018,806 shares of our common stock, representing approximately 42% of the issued shares of our common stock. As a result, Mr. Willis effectively controls the Company and has the power to contest the outcome of substantially all matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of the Company's board of directors. This concentration of ownership and decision making may make it more difficult for other stockholders to effect substantial changes in our company and may also have the effect of delaying, preventing or expediting, as the case may be, a change in control of our Company. In addition, future sales by Mr. Willis of substantial amounts of the Company’s common stock, or the potential for such sales, could adversely affect the prevailing market price of the Company’s common stock.
Our business might suffer if we were to lose the services of certain key employees.
Our business operations depend upon our key employees, including our executive officers. Loss of any of these employees, particularly our Executive Chairman, could have a material adverse effect on our business as our key employees have knowledge of our industry and customers and would be difficult to replace.
We are the servicer and administrative agent for the WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, and WEST VII facilities and the servicer agent for WWFL, and our cash flows would be materially and adversely affected if we were removed from these positions.
We are the servicer and administrative agent with respect to engines in the WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, and WEST VII facilities and the servicer agent with respect to engines in WWFL. We receive monthly fees of 11.5% as servicer (3.5% of which is subordinated in each case) and 2.0% as administrative agent of the aggregate net rents actually received by WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, and WEST VII on their engines. We receive monthly fees of 8.0% as servicer (3.5% of which is subordinated in each case) of the aggregate net rents actually received by WWFL for WWFL engines. We may be removed as servicer and or administrative agent of our WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, WEST VII, and WWFL facilities by an affirmative vote of a requisite number of the WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, WEST VII, and WWFL note holders. Such vote could happen upon the occurrence of certain specified events as outlined in the WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, WEST VII, and WWFL servicing and or administrative agency agreements.
As of December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with the financial covenants set forth in the WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, WEST VII, and WWFL servicing and or administrative agency agreements. There can be no assurance that we will be in compliance with these covenants in the future or will not otherwise be terminated as servicer and or administrative agent for the WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, WEST VII, and or WWFL facilities. If we are removed from such role with those facilities, our expenses would increase as our consolidated VIE’s WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, WEST VII, and WWFL would have to hire an outside provider to replace the servicer and administrative agent functions, and we would be materially and adversely affected. Consequently, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows would be adversely affected.
Provisions in Delaware law and our charter and bylaws might prevent or delay a change of control.
Certain provisions of law, our amended certificate of incorporation, bylaws and amended rights agreement could make the following more difficult: (1) an acquisition of us by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or otherwise, and (2) the removal of incumbent officers and directors.
Our board of directors has authorized the issuance of shares of Series A Preferred Stock, by us and to Development Bank of Japan Inc. (“DBJ”), with American Stock Transfer and Trust Company serving as rights agent. The rights agreement could make it more difficult to proceed with and tends to discourage a merger, tender offer or proxy contest. Our amended certificate of incorporation also provides that stockholder action can be taken only at an annual or special meeting of stockholders and may not be taken by written consent and, in certain circumstances relating to acquisitions or other changes in control, requires an 80% super majority vote of all outstanding shares of our common stock. Our bylaws also limit the ability of stockholders to raise matters at a meeting of stockholders without giving advance notice.

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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Our principal offices are located in Coconut Creek, Florida where we own 60,000 square feet of office and warehouse space. We also own 130,000 square feet of office and warehouse space in Bridgend, Wales, UK. We lease 60,000 square feet of hangar and office space in Darlington, UK. We lease 45,000 square feet of warehouse space in Pompano Beach, Florida. We sub-lease 1,615 square feet of office and warehouse space for our operations in San Diego, California. We lease 4,166 square feet of office space in Dublin, Ireland and 1,348 square feet of office space in London, UK. We also lease facilities for sales and operations in Larkspur, California; Shanghai, China; Singapore; Blagnac, France; and Gandhinagar, India.
The Company’s Leasing and Related Operations segment conducts business in all of the properties above except for Pompano Beach. The Spare Parts segment primarily conducts business in the Coconut Creek and Pompano Beach, Florida facilities.

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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
None.

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ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS
Our Common Stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol WLFC. As of March 3, 2025, there were 5,567 shareholders of record of our Common Stock.
We paid $10.7 million in dividends to our common shareholders during the year ended December 31, 2024. The declaration and amount of any future cash dividends will be subject to the sole discretion of the Board of Directors and will depend upon many factors, including our business, financial condition and results of operations and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors from time to time.
In September 2024, the Company entered into a Series A Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with DBJ, which refinanced the Company’s Series A-1 and Series A-2 Preferred Stock into one $65.0 million Series A Preferred Stock series (the “Series A Preferred Stock”), which accrues quarterly dividends at the rate per annum of 8.35% per share. The Company’s Series A-1 Preferred Stock accrued quarterly dividends at the rate per annum of 6.5% per share through October 15, 2023 and accrued at the rate per annum of 8.5% per share thereafter through September 26, 2024. The Series A-2 Preferred Stock accrued quarterly dividends at the rate per annum of 6.5% per share. The Series A Preferred Stock has a redemption price of $20.00 per share plus dividends accrued but not paid.
The following table outlines our Equity Compensation Plan Information:
Plan Category Number of securities to be
issued upon exercise of
outstanding
options, warrants and rights Weighted-average exercise
price of outstanding
options, warrants and rights Number of securities
remaining available for
future issuance under
equity compensation
plans (excluding securities
reflected in column (a))
(a) (b) (c)
Plans Not Approved by Shareholders:
None n/a n/a n/a
Plans Approved by Shareholders:
Employee Stock Purchase Plan - n/a 93,863
2023 Stock Incentive Plan - n/a 1,592,342
Total - n/a 1,686,205
The 2023 Incentive Stock Plan (the “2023 Plan”) amended and restated the prior 2021 Incentive Stock Plan. The 2023 Plan authorized 1,750,000 shares for issuance, plus the number of shares remaining for issuance under the prior stock plan and any future forfeited awards under the prior plan. Stock-based compensation is in the form of restricted stock awards (“RSAs”). The RSAs are subject to either service-based vesting, which is typically between one and four years, in which a specific period of continued employment must pass before an award vests, or performance-based vesting, which is typically between one and two years. The expense associated with these awards is recognized on a straight-line basis over the respective vesting period, with forfeitures accounted for as they occur. For any vesting tranche of an award, the cumulative amount of compensation cost recognized is equal to the portion of the grant-date fair value of the award tranche that is actually vested at that date.
As of December 31, 2024, the Company had granted 2,052,254 RSAs under the 2023 Plan and prior plans and has 1,592,342 shares available for future issuance. The fair value of the restricted stock awards equaled the stock price at the grant date.
In December 2024, the Board of Directors approved the renewal of the existing common stock repurchase plan which allows for repurchases of up to $60.0 million of the Company’s common stock, extending the plan through December 31, 2026. Repurchased shares are immediately retired. During 2024 and 2023, no shares were repurchased. At December 31, 2024, approximately $39.6 million was available to purchase shares under the plan. As of December 31, 2024, the total number of shares of common stock issued was approximately 7.2 million.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
ITEM 6. [RESERVED]

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report.
A discussion of our results of operations for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 is included our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on March 15, 2024 under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
OVERVIEW
Forward-Looking Statements. This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding prospects or future results of operations or financial position, made in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are forward-looking. We use words such as anticipates, believes, expects, future, intends, and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect management’s current expectations and are inherently uncertain. Actual results could differ materially for a variety of reasons, including, among others: the effects on the airline industry and the global economy of events such as the current high interest rate and inflationary environment; changes in oil prices and other disruptions to the world markets; trends in the airline industry and our ability to capitalize on those trends, including growth rates of markets and other economic factors; risks associated with owning and leasing jet engines and aircraft; our ability to successfully negotiate equipment purchases, sales and leases, to collect outstanding amounts due and to control costs and expenses; managing the risks and impacts of potential and actual security breaches, cyberattacks, privacy breaches or data breaches, including business, service, or operational disruptions, the unauthorized access to or disclosure of data, financial loss, reputational damage, increased response and remediation costs, legal and regulatory proceedings or other unfavorable outcomes; changes in interest rates and availability of capital, both to us and our customers; our ability to continue to meet the changing customer demands; regulatory changes affecting airline operations, aircraft maintenance, accounting standards and taxes; the market value of engines and other assets in our portfolio; and the impact of pandemics or other public health crises on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. These risks and uncertainties, as well as other risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ significantly from management’s expectations, are described in greater detail in Item 1A “Risk Factors” of Part I which, along with the other discussion in this report, describes some, but not all, of the factors that could cause actual results to differ significantly from management’s expectations.
General. Our core business is acquiring and leasing commercial aircraft and aircraft engines and related aircraft equipment pursuant to operating leases, all of which we sometimes collectively refer to as “equipment.” As of December 31, 2024, the majority of our leases were operating leases with the exception of certain failed sale-leaseback transactions classified as notes receivable under the guidance provided by ASC 842 and investments in sales-type leases. As of December 31, 2024, we had 70 lessees in 37 countries. Our portfolio is continually changing due to acquisitions and sales. As of December 31, 2024, we had $2,635.9 million of equipment held in our operating lease portfolio, $183.6 million of notes receivable, $31.1 million of maintenance rights, and $21.6 million of investments in sales-type leases, which represented, in aggregate, 354 engines, 16 aircraft, one marine vessel and other leased parts and equipment. As of December 31, 2024, we also managed 277 engines, aircraft and related equipment on behalf of other parties.
Willis Aero is a wholly-owned and vertically-integrated subsidiary whose primary focus is the sale of aircraft engine parts and materials through the acquisition or consignment of aircraft engines. As of December 31, 2024, we had $72.2 million in spare parts inventory. Willis Asset Management is a wholly-owned and vertically-integrated subsidiary whose primary focus is the engine management and consulting business.
In 2011 we entered into an agreement with Mitsui & Co., Ltd. to participate in a joint venture formed as a Dublin-based Irish limited company, WMES, for the purpose of acquiring and leasing jet engines. Each partner holds a 50% interest in the joint venture. WMES owned a lease portfolio of 50 engines with a net book value of $328.9 million at December 31, 2024. Our investment in the joint venture was $44.8 million as of December 31, 2024.
In 2014 we entered into an agreement with CASC to participate in CASC Willis, a joint venture based in Shanghai, China. Each partner holds a 50% interest in the joint venture. CASC Willis acquires and leases jet engines to Chinese airlines and concentrates on meeting the fast-growing demand for leased commercial aircraft engines and aviation assets in the People’s Republic of China. CASC Willis owned a lease portfolio of four engines with a net book value of $37.3 million as of December 31, 2024. Our investment in the joint venture was $17.9 million as of December 31, 2024.
We actively manage our portfolio and structure our leases to maximize the residual values of our leased assets. Our leasing business focuses on popular Stage IV commercial jet engines manufactured by CFMI, General Electric, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, and International Aero Engines. These engines are the most widely used engines in the world, powering Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, and Embraer aircraft.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to residual values, estimated asset lives, impairments, bad debts, and credit losses. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
We believe the following critical accounting policies, grouped by our activities, affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements:
Leasing Related Activities. Revenue from leasing of aircraft equipment is recognized as operating lease revenue on a straight-line basis over the terms of the applicable lease agreements. Where collection cannot be reasonably assured, for example, upon a lessee bankruptcy, we do not recognize revenue until cash is received. We also estimate and charge to income a provision for bad debts based on our experience in the business and with each specific customer and the level of past due accounts. The financial condition of our customers may deteriorate and result in actual losses exceeding the estimated allowances. In addition, any deterioration in the financial condition of our customers may adversely affect future lease revenues. As of December 31, 2024, the majority of our leases were operating leases with the exception of certain failed sale-leaseback transactions classified as notes receivable under the guidance provided by ASC 842 and investments in sales-type leases. Under these leases, we retain title to the leased equipment, thereby retaining the potential benefit and assuming the risk of the residual value of the leased equipment.
We generally depreciate engines on a straight-line basis over 15 years to a 55% residual value. Aircraft and airframes are generally depreciated on a straight-line basis over 13 to 20 years to a 17% residual value. The marine vessel is depreciated on a straight-line basis over an estimated useful life of 18 years to a 15% residual value. Other leased parts and equipment are generally depreciated on a straight-line basis over 14 to 15 years to a 25% residual value. When we pay for major overhauls, which improve functionality or extend the original useful life, they are capitalized and depreciated over the shorter of the estimated period to the next overhaul (“deferral method”) or the remaining useful life of the equipment. We do not accrue for planned major maintenance. For equipment which is unlikely to be repaired at the end of its current expected life, and is likely to be disassembled upon lease termination, we depreciate the equipment over its estimated life to a residual value based on an estimate of the wholesale value of the parts after disassembly. As of December 31, 2024, 14 engines having a net book value of $11.6 million were depreciated under this policy with estimated remaining useful lives up to 34 months.
Asset Valuation. Long-lived assets and certain identifiable intangibles to be held and used are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable, and long-lived assets and certain identifiable intangibles to be disposed of are reported at the lower of carrying amount or fair value less cost to sell. When a long-lived asset is written down and moved to equipment held for sale from equipment held for lease, it is no longer depreciated.
On a quarterly basis, management monitors the lease portfolio for events which may indicate that a particular asset may need to be evaluated for potential impairment. These events may include a decision to part-out or sell an asset, knowledge of specific damage to an asset, or supply/demand events which may impact the Company’s ability to lease an asset in the future. On an annual basis, even absent any such ‘triggering event’, we evaluate the carrying value of the assets in our lease portfolio to determine if any impairment exists.
Impairment may be identified by several factors, including, comparison of estimated sales proceeds or forecasted undiscounted cash flows over the life of the asset with the asset’s book value. If the forecasted undiscounted cash flows are less than the book value, the asset is written down to its fair value. When evaluating for impairment, we test at the individual asset level (e.g., engine or aircraft), as each asset generates its own stream of cash flows, including lease rents, maintenance reserves and repair costs.
We must make assumptions which underlie the most significant and subjective estimates in determining whether any impairment exists. Those estimates, and the underlying assumptions, are as follows:
•Fair value - we determine fair value by reference to independent appraisals, quoted market prices (e.g., an offer to purchase) and other factors, including but not limited to current data from airlines, engine manufacturers and MRO providers, as well as specific market sales and repair cost data.
•Future cash flows - when evaluating the future cash flows that an asset will generate, we make assumptions regarding the lease market for specific engine models, including estimates of market lease rates and future demand. These assumptions are based upon lease rates that we are obtaining in the current market as well as our expectation of future demand for the specific engine/aircraft model.
If the forecasted undiscounted cash flows and fair value of our long-lived assets decrease in the future, we may incur impairment charges. Write-downs of equipment to their estimated fair values totaled $11.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily reflecting an adjustment of the carrying value of one airframe and 11 engines. As of December 31, 2024, included within equipment held for lease and equipment held for sale was $50.8 million in remaining book value of 16 assets which were previously written down.
Write-downs of equipment to their estimated fair values totaled $4.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily reflecting an adjustment of the carrying value of five engines and two airframes. As of December 31, 2023, included within equipment held for lease and equipment held for sale was $31.9 million in remaining book value of 15 assets which were previously written down.
Management continuously monitors the aviation industry and evaluates any trends, events and uncertainties involving airlines, individual aircraft and engine models, as well as the engine leasing and sale market which would materially affect the methodology or assumptions employed by WLFC. We do not consider there to be any trends, events or uncertainties that currently exist or that are reasonably likely to occur that would materially affect our methodology or assumptions. However, should any arise, we will adjust our methodology and our disclosure accordingly.
Spare parts inventory is stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. An impairment charge for excess or inactive inventory is recorded based upon an analysis that considers current inventory levels, historical usage patterns, future sales expectations, and salvage value.
RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
The most recent adopted and to be adopted accounting pronouncements are described in Note 1(x) to our Consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Year Ended December 31, 2024 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2023
Revenue is summarized as follows:
Years Ended December 31,
2024 2023 % Change
(dollars in thousands)
Lease rent revenue $ 238,236 $ 213,138 11.8 %
Maintenance reserve revenue 213,908 133,668 60.0 %
Spare parts and equipment sales 27,099 20,359 33.1 %
Interest revenue 11,683 8,721 34.0 %
Gain on sale of leased equipment 45,063 10,581 325.9 %
Maintenance services revenue 24,158 24,168 - %
Other revenue 9,076 7,920 14.6 %
Total revenue $ 569,223 $ 418,555 36.0 %
Lease Rent Revenue. Lease rent revenue consists of rental income from long-term and short-term engine leases, aircraft leases, and other leased parts and equipment. Lease rent revenue increased by $25.1 million, or 11.8%, to $238.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 from $213.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase is primarily due to an increase in the average size of the portfolio as compared to that of the prior period, offset by a slight decrease in average utilization (based on net book value) of equipment held in our operating lease portfolio, primarily as a result of the Company’s significant purchases of engines during December 2024, the majority of which were off-lease as of December 31, 2024.
Two customers accounted for approximately 11% each of total lease rent revenue during the year ended December 31, 2024. One customer accounted for approximately 15% of total lease rent revenue during the year ended December 31, 2023.
As of December 31, 2024, the Company had $2,635.9 million of equipment held in our operating lease portfolio, $183.6 million of notes receivable, $31.1 million of maintenance rights, and $21.6 million of investments in sales-type leases. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $2,112.8 million of equipment held in our operating lease portfolio, $92.6 million of notes receivable, $9.2 million of maintenance rights, and $8.8 million of investments in sales-type leases. Average utilization (based on net book value) was approximately 83% and 84% for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Maintenance Reserve Revenue. Maintenance reserve revenue for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased $80.2 million, or 60.0%, to $213.9 million from $133.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Long-term maintenance revenue was $39.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $15.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Long-term maintenance revenue is influenced by end of lease compensation and the realization of long-term maintenance reserves associated with engines coming off lease. Engines out on lease with “non-reimbursable” usage fees generated $174.5 million of short-term maintenance revenues for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $118.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, an increase of $56.2 million or 47.5%. The increase in short-term maintenance reserve revenue was influenced by an increase in the number of engines on short-term lease conditions, the timing of recognition of in-substance fixed payments, and the systematic, contractual increase in the hourly and cyclical usage rates on our engines.
Spare Parts and Equipment Sales. Spare parts and equipment sales for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased by $6.7 million, or 33.1%, to $27.1 million compared to $20.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase in spare parts sales reflects the demand for surplus material that we are seeing as operators extend the lives of their current generation engine portfolios. Equipment sales for the year ended December 31, 2024 were $1.0 million for the sale of one engine. There were no equipment sales for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Interest Revenue. Interest revenue increased by $3.0 million, or 34.0%, to $11.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, from $8.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase primarily reflects an increase in notes receivable related to failed sale-leasebacks in which the Company was the buyer-lessor and on sales-type leases.
Gain on Sale of Leased Equipment. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we sold 35 engines, eight airframes, and other parts and equipment from the lease portfolio for a net gain of $45.1 million. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we sold 28 engines, one airframe, and other parts and equipment from the lease portfolio for a net gain of $10.6 million.
Maintenance Services Revenue. Maintenance services revenue predominantly represents fleet management, engine and aircraft storage and repair services, and revenue related to management of fixed base operator services to third-party customers. Maintenance services revenue remained relatively flat for the year ended December 31, 2024.
Other Revenue. Other revenue increased by $1.2 million, or 14.6%, to $9.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 from $7.9 million in 2023. Other revenue consists primarily of managed service fee revenue related to the servicing of engines for the WMES lease portfolio. The increase for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to that of the prior year primarily reflects increased managed service revenue. These services include management of the WMES lease portfolio, which occurs on an ongoing basis, as well as marketing, which occurs on a transactional basis.
Depreciation and Amortization Expense. Depreciation and amortization expense increased $1.5 million, or 1.7%, to $92.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $90.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase is primarily due to an increase in the size of our lease portfolio.
Cost of Spare Parts and Equipment Sales. Cost of spare parts and equipment sales increased by $7.6 million, or 50.3%, to $22.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $15.2 million in the prior year period, reflecting the increase in spare parts and equipment sales. Cost of equipment sales were $0.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. There were no equipment or cost of equipment sales for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Cost of Maintenance Services. Cost of maintenance services increased by $3.3 million, or 15.6%, to $24.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $21.2 million for the for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase is primarily related to an increase in personnel costs, as a result of expansion of our aircraft tear down and repair services business, as well as an increase in facility related costs.
Write-down of Equipment. Write-downs of equipment to their estimated fair values totaled $11.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily reflecting an adjustment of the carrying value of one airframe and 11 engines. Write-downs of equipment to their estimated fair values totaled $4.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily reflecting an adjustment of the carrying value of two airframes and five engines.
General and Administrative Expenses. General and administrative expenses increased by $31.0 million, or 26.8%, to $146.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $115.7 million in 2023. The increase primarily reflects a $35.5 million increase in personnel costs, partially offset by a $3.3 million decrease in other taxes related to international tax treaties. Increased personnel costs included approximately $14.4 million of costs related directly and indirectly to share-based compensation, which was influenced by the rapid appreciation of the market value of the Company’s common stock. Share-based compensation included one-time special awards of $3.0 million and $1.7 million made at the direction of the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company to our Executive Chairman and our President, respectively. Further, incentive compensation increased by $9.2 million as a result of full-year business performance to date as the Company’s incentive compensation expense has historically been formulaically derived from consolidated pre-tax, pre-incentive compensation earnings.
Technical Expense. Technical expenses consist of the non-capitalized cost of engine repairs, engine thrust rental fees, outsourced technical support services, sublease engine rental expense, engine storage, and freight costs. These expenses decreased by $5.8 million, or 20.7%, to $22.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $28.1 million in 2023. The decrease is primarily due to a lower level of engine repair activity as compared to that of the prior period.
Net Finance Costs. Net finance costs increased by $26.0 million, or 33.0%, to $104.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, from $78.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, primarily due to an overall higher level of debt obligations, including increased borrowing costs. Interest expense associated with WEST VII Series A 2023 term notes payable increased by $25.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, as the notes payable was not issued until late 2023. Further, there was additional interest expense of $6.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 associated with WWFL, as the senior secured warehouse facility was not entered into until 2024. Additionally, derivative-related receipts were $12.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $23.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, as certain swap positions ran off. These increases were offset by a decrease in interest expense of $18.2 million associated with the Company’s credit facility for the year ended December 31, 2024, due to a decrease in the average outstanding balance of the credit facility over the course of the year.
Income Taxes. Income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased by $20.7 million, or 88.6% to $44.0 million from $23.3 million for the comparable period in 2023. The effective tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 was 28.8% and 34.8%, respectively. The decrease in the effective tax rate was predominantly due to a decrease in state taxes as a percentage of the overall rate.
FINANCIAL POSITION, LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
At December 31, 2024, the Company had $132.5 million of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash. At December 31, 2024, $7.3 million in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash were held in foreign subsidiaries.
We generate significant cash flow from our core business as evidenced by our net cash provided by operating activities, which was $284.4 million in 2024. Beyond cash provided through operations, we generally fund the growth of our business through a combination of equity and corporate borrowings secured by our equipment lease portfolio. Cash of approximately $1.3 billion and $625.7 million in the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, was derived from this borrowing activity. In these same time periods $840.0 million and $665.5 million, respectively, was used to pay down related debt.
Our credit facility and senior secured warehouse credit facility are our primary source of capital to grow our business. We also access the ABS and other markets to establish term fixed rate debt financing to better match our long-lived assets. The ABS market continues to be open for issuers like the Company. Refer to Note 5 of the consolidated financial statements for a detailed discussion of the Company’s debt obligations.
Preferred Stock Dividends
In October 2016, the Company sold and issued to DBJ an aggregate of 1,000,000 shares of the Company’s Series A Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share (the “Series A Preferred Stock”) at a purchase price of $20.00 per share. The net proceeds to the Company after deducting investor fees were $19.8 million.
In September 2017, the Company sold and issued to DBJ an aggregate of 1,500,000 shares of the Company’s Series A-2 Preferred Stock, $0.01 par value per share (the “Series A-2 Preferred Stock”) at a purchase price of $20.00 per share. The net proceeds to the Company after deducting issuance costs were $29.7 million.
In September 2024, the Company entered into a Series A Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with DBJ, which refinanced and expanded the Company’s Series A-1 and Series A-2 Preferred Stock into one $65.0 million Series A Preferred Stock series (the “Series A Preferred Stock”), which accrues quarterly dividends at the rate per annum of 8.35% per share. The net proceeds after deducting issuance costs were $13.1 million.
The Company’s Series A-1 Preferred Stock accrued quarterly dividends at the rate per annum of 6.5% per share through October 15, 2023 and accrued at the rate per annum of 8.5% per share thereafter through September 26, 2024. The Series A-2 Preferred Stock accrued quarterly dividends at the rate per annum of 6.5% per share. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company paid total preferred stock dividends of $3.5 million and $3.2 million, respectively.
Cash Flows Discussion
Cash flows provided by operating activities were $284.4 million and $229.7 million in the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The $54.7 million, or 23.8%, increase in operating cash flows was primarily driven by a 60.0% increase in maintenance reserve revenue, reflecting increased levels of usage fees resulting from high levels of travel and supply chain constraints. Additionally, payments received on sales-type leases increased $25.9 million, and changes in receivables contributed to $38.5 million of incremental operating cash flows as collections improved. Partially offsetting these increases in operating cash flows was a year over year $29.5 million decline in cash flows from changes in inventory, reflecting investment in parts of high demand engine types, and a $27.0 million decline in cash flows from changes in unearned revenue driven by the increase in long-term maintenance revenue recognition. Cash flows from operations are driven significantly by payments made under our lease agreements, which comprise lease revenue, security deposits, and maintenance reserves, and are offset by interest expense and general and administrative costs. Cash received as maintenance reserve payments for some of our engines on lease are partially restricted by our debt arrangements. The lease revenue stream, in the short term, is at fixed rates while a portion of our debt is at variable rates. If interest rates increase, it is unlikely we could increase lease rates in the short term and this would cause a reduction in our earnings and operating cash flows. Revenue and maintenance reserves are also affected by the amount of equipment off lease. Approximately 74% and 84%, by book value, of our assets were on-lease as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Our year-end 2024 on-lease rate was influenced by a large, late December 2024 purchase of nine off-lease Pratt & Whitney GTF Advantage™ engines. The average utilization rate for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was approximately 83% and 84%, respectively. If there is an increase in off-lease rates or deterioration in lease rates that are not offset by reductions in interest rates, there will be a negative impact on earnings and cash flows from operations.
Cash flows used in investing activities were $764.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 and primarily reflected $830.5 million for the purchase of equipment held for operating lease (including capitalized costs and prepaid deposits made during the year), and $101.8 million related to leases entered into during 2024 which were classified as notes receivable under ASC 842, partly offset by $171.2 million in proceeds from sales of equipment (net of selling expenses). Cash flows used in investing activities were $92.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 and primarily reflected $163.6 million for the purchase of equipment held for operating lease (including capitalized costs and prepaid deposits made during the year), and $15.4 million related to a lease entered into during 2023 which was classified as a note receivable under ASC 842, partly offset by $85.1 million in proceeds from sales of equipment (net of selling expenses).
Cash flows provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 were $445.0 million and primarily reflected $1,305.7 million and $13.1 million in proceeds from the issuance of debt obligations and preferred stock, respectively, partly offset by $840.0 million in principal payments, $11.6 million in new debt issuance costs, and $10.7 million in common stock cash dividends paid. Cash flows used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023 were $57.9 million and primarily reflected $665.5 million in principal payments and $9.4 million in new debt issuance costs, partly offset by $625.7 million in proceeds from the issuance of debt obligation.
Debt Obligations and Covenant Compliance
At December 31, 2024, debt obligations totaled $2,264.6 million, net of unamortized debt issuance costs and note discounts, payable with interest rates varying between approximately 2.3% and 8.0%. Substantially all of our assets are pledged to secure our obligations to creditors. For further information on our debt instruments, see Note 5 “Debt Obligations” in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K.
In October 2024, the Company entered into a new, $1.0 billion, five-year, revolving credit facility with a consortium of lenders, refinancing its $500.0 million credit facility. The purpose of the revolving credit facility is to finance the acquisition of equipment for lease as well as for general working capital purposes, with the amounts drawn under the facility not to exceed that which is allowed under the borrowing base as defined by the credit agreement. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, $307.0 million and $355.0 million were available under this facility, respectively. On a quarterly basis, the interest rate is adjusted based on the Company’s leverage ratio, as calculated under the terms of the revolving credit facility. Under the revolving credit facility, some subsidiaries except WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, WEST VII, and WWFL jointly and severally guarantee payment and performance of the terms of the loan agreement. The guarantee would be triggered by a default under the agreement.
In May 2024, WWFL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, entered into a secured credit agreement with the Bank of Utah as security trustee and administrative agent and Bank of America, N.A. as facility agent. The secured credit agreement provides for a five-year non-recourse, senior secured warehouse credit facility with an availability period of two years and an initial committed amount of up to $500.0 million. The purpose of the senior secured warehouse credit facility is to finance the acquisition of equipment for lease as well as for general working capital purposes, with the amounts drawn under the facility not to exceed that which is allowed under the borrowing base as defined by the credit agreement. As of December 31, 2024, $278.1 million was available under this facility. On a quarterly basis, the interest rate is adjusted based on the Company’s leverage ratio, as calculated under the terms of the senior secured warehouse credit facility. Pursuant to the secured warehouse credit facility, some subsidiaries except WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, and WEST VII jointly and severally guarantee payment and performance of the terms of the loan agreement. The guarantee would be triggered by a default under the agreement.
In October 2023, the Company and its direct, wholly-owned subsidiary WEST VII, closed its offering of $410.0 million aggregate principal amount of fixed rate notes. The notes are secured by, among other things, WEST VII’s direct and indirect interests in a portfolio of aircraft engines and airframes. The notes have a fixed coupon of 8.00%, an expected maturity in October 2029, and a final maturity date in October 2048. The notes were issued at a price of 98.84814% of par. Principal on the notes is payable monthly to the extent of available cash in accordance with a priority of payments included in the indenture.
The assets of WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, WEST VII, and WWFL are not available to satisfy the Company’s obligations other than the obligations specific to that WEST entity or WWFL. WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, WEST VII, and WWFL are consolidated for financial statement presentation purposes. WEST III’s, WEST IV’s, WEST V’s, WEST VI’s, WEST VII’s, and WWFL’s abilities to make distributions and pay dividends to the Company are subject to the prior payments of their debt and other obligations and their maintenance of adequate reserves and capital. Under WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, WEST VII, and WWFL, cash is collected in restricted accounts, which is used to service the debt and any remaining amounts, after debt service and defined expenses, are distributed to the Company. Additionally, a portion of maintenance reserve payments and lease security deposits are formulaically accumulated in restricted accounts and are available to fund future maintenance events and to secure lease payments, respectively. The WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, WEST VII, and WWFL indentures require that a minimum threshold of maintenance reserve and security deposit balances be held in restricted cash accounts.
Virtually all of the Company’s debt requires ongoing compliance with the covenants of each financing, including debt and tangible net worth ratios, minimum interest coverage ratios, and other eligibility criteria including asset type, customer and geographic concentration restrictions. The Company also has certain negative financial covenants such as liens, advances, changes in business, sales of assets, dividends and stock repurchases. Compliance with these covenants is tested either monthly, quarterly, or annually, as required, and the Company was in full compliance with all financial covenant requirements at December 31, 2024.
At December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with the covenants specified in our revolving credit facility, including the Interest Coverage Ratio requirement of at least 2.25 to 1.00, and the Total Leverage Ratio requirement of not greater than 4.50 to 1.00. The Interest Coverage Ratio, as defined in the credit facility, is the ratio of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and other one-time charges to consolidated interest expense. The Total Leverage Ratio, as defined in the credit facility, is the ratio of total indebtedness to tangible net worth. At December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with the covenants specified in the WEST III, WEST IV, WEST V, WEST VI, WEST VII, and WWFL indentures and servicing and other debt related agreements.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
Repayments of our gross debt obligations primarily consist of scheduled installments due under term loans and are funded by the use of unrestricted cash reserves and from cash flows from ongoing operations. The table below summarizes our contractual commitments at December 31, 2024:
Payment due by period (in thousands)
Total Less than
1 Year 1-3 Years 3-5 Years More than
5 Years
Debt obligations $ 2,292,726 $ 70,690 $ 462,253 $ 1,704,231 $ 55,552
Interest payments under debt obligations 548,240 132,103 239,030 172,410 4,697
Purchase obligations 374,567 107,609 266,958 - -
Operating lease obligations 6,372 3,161 1,924 1,078 209
Total $ 3,221,905 $ 313,563 $ 970,165 $ 1,877,719 $ 60,458
From time to time we enter into contractual commitments to purchase engines directly from original equipment manufacturers. We are currently committed to purchasing six additional new LEAP-1B engines and 15 additional new LEAP-1A engines for an aggregate total of $374.6 million by 2027. Our purchase agreements generally contain terms that allow the Company to defer or cancel purchase commitments in certain situations. These deferrals or conversions would not result in penalties or increased costs other than any potential increase due to the normal year-over-year change in engine list prices, which is akin to ordinary inflation.
In December 2020, we entered into definitive agreements for the purchase of 25 Pratt & Whitney aircraft engines. As part of the purchase, we have committed to certain future overhaul and maintenance services which are anticipated to range between $93.3 million and $121.4 million by 2030.
$297.1 million of variable interest payments due under debt obligations, scheduled above, are estimated by applying the interest rates applicable at December 31, 2024 to the remaining debt, adjusted for the estimated debt repayments identified in the table above. Actual interest payments made will vary due to actual changes in the rates for one-month term SOFR.
We believe our equity base, internally generated funds and existing debt facilities are sufficient to maintain our level of operations through 2025. A decline in the level of internally generated funds could result if the amount of equipment off-lease increases, there is a decrease in availability under our existing debt facilities, or there is a significant step-up in borrowing costs. Such decline would impair our ability to sustain our level of operations. We continue to discuss additions to our capital base with our commercial and investment banks. If we are not able to access additional capital, our ability to continue to grow our asset base consistent with historical trends will be impaired and our future growth limited to that which can be funded from internally generated capital.
MANAGEMENT OF INTEREST RATE EXPOSURE
At December 31, 2024, $914.9 million of our borrowings were on a variable rate basis at various interest rates tied to one-month term SOFR. Our equipment leases are generally structured at fixed rental rates for specified terms. Increases in interest rates could narrow or result in a negative spread between the rental revenue we realize under our leases and the interest rate that we pay under our borrowings. Historically, we have entered into interest rate derivative instruments to mitigate our exposure to interest rate risk; such investments are not intended to speculate or trade in derivative products. As of December 31, 2024, we have six interest rate swap agreements. During 2021, the Company entered into four fixed-rate interest swap agreements, each having notional amounts of $100.0 million, two of which matured during the year ended December 31, 2024 and two of which had remaining terms of 13 months as of December 31, 2024. One interest rate swap agreement was entered into during 2019, having a notional amount of $100.0 million, which matured during the year ended December 31, 2024. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company entered into three fixed-rate interest swap agreements, each having notional amounts of $50.0 million, and with remaining terms of 53 months as of December 31, 2024. During the year ended December 31, 2024, the Company also entered into one fixed-rate interest swap agreement, having a notional amount of $75.0 million, and with a remaining term of 53 months as of December 31, 2024. The derivative instruments were each designated as cash flow hedges at inception and recorded at fair value. The net fair value of the interest rate swaps as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 was $11.0 million and $16.5 million, respectively, each representing an asset and reflected within Other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
We record derivative instruments at fair value as either an asset or liability. We have used derivative instruments (primarily interest rate swaps) to manage the risk of interest rate fluctuation. While substantially all of our derivative transactions are entered into for the purposes described above, hedge accounting is only applied when specific criteria have been met and it is practical to do so. In order to apply hedge accounting, the transaction must be designated as a hedge and the hedge relationship must be highly effective. The hedging instrument’s effectiveness is assessed utilizing regression at the inception of the hedge and either regression or qualitative analysis on at least a quarterly basis throughout its life. All of the transactions that we have designated as hedges are accounted for as cash flow hedges. The effective portion of the gain or loss on a derivative instrument designated as a cash flow hedge is reported as a component of other comprehensive income and is reclassified into earnings in the period during which the transaction being hedged affects earnings. The ineffective portion of these hedges flows through earnings in the current period. The Company recorded an adjustment to interest expense of $(12.0) million and $(23.4) million during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, from derivative investments.
For any interest rate swaps that we enter into, we will be exposed to risk in the event of non-performance of the interest rate hedge counter-parties. We anticipate that we may hedge additional amounts of our floating rate debt in the future.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Joint Ventures
“Other revenue” on the Consolidated Statements of Income includes management fees earned of $4.8 million and $2.4 million during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, related to the servicing of engines for the WMES lease portfolio.
During 2024, the Company sold four engines to WMES for $50.5 million, which resulted in a net gain of $12.7 million for the Company. During 2023, WMES sold one engine to the Company for $22.3 million, and the Company sold two engines to WMES for $28.8 million, which resulted in a net gain of $6.5 million for the Company.
Other
During 2024, the Company paid approximately $0.1 million expense to Mikchalk Lake, LLC, an entity in which our Executive Chairman retains an ownership interest. These expenses were for lodging and other business-related services and were approved by the Board’s Independent Directors.

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ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Our primary market risk exposure is that of interest rate risk. A change in SOFR rates would affect our cost of borrowing. Increases in interest rates, which may cause us to raise the implicit rates charged to our customers, could result in a reduction in demand for our leases. Alternatively, we may price our leases based on market rates so as to keep the fleet on-lease and suffer a decrease in our operating margin due to interest costs that we are unable to pass on to our customers. As of December 31, 2024, $914.9 million of our outstanding debt is variable rate debt. We estimate that for every 1% increase or decrease in interest rate, the annual interest expense for our variable rate debt, would increase or decrease $4.9 million, as compared to $0.5 million as of December 31, 2023.
We hedge a portion of our borrowings from time to time, effectively fixing the rate of these borrowings. This hedging activity helps protect us against reduced margins on longer term fixed rate leases. Such hedging activities may limit our ability to participate in the benefits of any decrease in interest rates, but may also protect us from increases in interest rates. Furthermore, since lease rates tend to vary with interest rate levels, it is possible that we can adjust lease rates for the effect of change in interest rates at the termination of leases. Other financial assets and liabilities are at fixed rates.
We are also exposed to currency devaluation risk. During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, 69% and 66% of our total lease rent revenues came from non-U.S. domiciled lessees, respectively. Substantially all of our leases require payment in U.S. dollars. If these lessees’ currency devalues against the U.S. dollar, the lessees could potentially encounter difficulty in making their lease payments.

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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
The information required by this item is submitted as a separate section of this report beginning on page 44.

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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
None.

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ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
(a)Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures. Based on management’s evaluation (with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”)), as of the end of the period covered by this report, our CEO and CFO have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“the Exchange Act”)), are effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and is accumulated and communicated to management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
(b)Inherent Limitations on Controls. Management, including the CEO and CFO, does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent or detect all errors and fraud. Any control system, no matter how well designed and operated, is based upon certain assumptions and can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that its objectives will be met. Further, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to errors or fraud will not occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. The design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs.
(c)Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our internal control over financial reporting includes policies and procedures that: (a) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect our transactions and dispositions of assets; (b) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and Board of Directors; and (c) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on our financial statements. Our internal control over financial reporting is a process designed with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer or persons performing similar functions to provide reasonable assurance to our management and board of directors regarding the reliability of financial reporting and preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounted principles.
Our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024. In making this assessment, we used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013). Based on this assessment our management believes that, as of December 31, 2024, our internal control over financial reporting is effective under those criteria.
Grant Thornton LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm that audited the Company’s 2024 consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report, issued an audit report on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Grant Thornton’s audit report appears on page 45.
(d)Changes in internal control over financial reporting. There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting during our fourth fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2024 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plans
During the quarter ended December 31, 2024, none of the Company’s Section 16 officers or directors informed us of the adoption, modification, or termination of a “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” or a “non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement,” as those terms are defined in Regulation S-K, Item 408.
PART III

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ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT
We have adopted a Standards of Ethical Conduct Policy (the “Code of Ethics”) that applies to all directors and employees including our Chief Executive Officer, President, and Chief Financial Officer. The Code of Ethics is available on our website at www.wlfc.global. If we make any substantive amendments to the Code of Ethics or grant any waiver from a provision of the code to our Chief Executive Officer, President, or Chief Financial Officer, we will disclose the nature of the amendment or waiver on our website at www.wlfc.global under “Corporate Governance” or in a report on Form 8-K.
We have a long-standing commitment to ethical business conduct and compliance with applicable laws and regulations. As part of this commitment, we have adopted an Insider Trading Policy, which is filed as Exhibit 19.1 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024.
The remainder of the information required by this item is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement.

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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement.

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ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The information in Item 5 of this report regarding our Equity Compensation Plans is incorporated herein by reference. The remainder of the information required by this item is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement.

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ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement.

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ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to our Proxy Statement.
PART IV

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ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(a) (1) Financial Statements
The response to this portion of Item 15 is submitted as a separate section of this report beginning on page 44.
(a) (2) Financial Statement Schedules
Schedule II, Valuation Accounts, is submitted as a separate section of this report starting on page 82.
All other financial statement schedules have been omitted as the required information is not pertinent to the Registrant or is not material or because the required information is included in the Financial Statements and Notes thereto.
(a) (3),(b) and (c):Exhibits: The response to this portion of Item 15 is submitted below.
EXHIBITS
Exhibit
Number Description
3.1 Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, dated March 12, 1998, as amended by the Certificate of Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation, dated April 28, 1998 and further amended by the Certificate of Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation dated May 22, 2024.
3.2 Bylaws, dated April 18, 2001 as amended by (1) Amendment to Bylaws, dated November 13, 2001, (2) Amendment to Bylaws, dated December 16, 2008, (3) Amendment to Bylaws, dated September 28, 2010, (4) Amendment to Bylaws, dated August 5, 2013, and (5) Amendment to Bylaws, dated October 7, 2016.
4.1 Rights Agreement dated as of September 24, 1999, by and between the Registrant and American Stock Transfer and Trust Company, as Rights Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to our report on Form 8-K filed on October 4, 1999).
4.2 First Amendment to Rights Agreement dated as of November 30, 2000, by and between the registrant and American Stock Transfer and Trust Company, as Rights Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our report on Form 8-K filed on December 15, 2000).
4.3 Second Amendment to Rights Agreement dated as of December 15, 2005, by and between the Registrant and American Stock Transfer and Trust Company, as Rights Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.5 to our report on Form 10-K filed on March 31, 2009).
4.3.1 Third Amendment to Rights Agreement dated as of September 30, 2008, by and between the Registrant and American Stock Transfer and Trust Company, as Rights Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.6 to our report on Form 10-K filed on March 31, 2009).
4.4 Fourth Amendment to Rights Agreement dated August 27, 2018, by and between the Registrant and American Stock Transfer and Trust Company, as Rights Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3.1 to our report on Form 10-K filed on March 12, 2020).
4.5 Form of Certificate of Designations of the Registrant with respect to the Series I Junior Participating Preferred Stock (formerly known as “Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock”) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.7 to our report on Form 10-K filed on March 31, 2009).
4.6 Form of Amendment No. 1 to Certificate of Designations of the Registrant with respect to Series I Junior Participating Preferred Stock (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.8 to our report on Form 10-K filed on March 31, 2009).
4.7 Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Designations, Preferences, and Relative Rights and Limitations of Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock dated as of September 25, 2017 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to our report on Form 8-K filed on September 28, 2017).
4.8 Description of Securities (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.7 to our report on Form 10-K filed March 12, 2020).
4.9 Certificate Eliminating Series I Junior Participating Preferred Stock of Willis Lease Finance Corporation dated as of October 7, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to our report on Form 8-K filed October 18, 2016).
4.10 First Amendment to Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Designations, Preferences, and Relative Rights and Limitations of Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock, dated as of September 28, 2023 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our report on Form 8-K filed September 28, 2023)
4.11 Third Amended and Restated Certificate of Designations, Preferences, and Relative Rights and Limitations of Series A Preferred Stock, dated as of September 12, 2024 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to our report on Form 10-Q filed November 4, 2024).
10.1† Form of Indemnification Agreement entered into between the Registrant and its directors and officers (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our report on Form 8-K filed on October 1, 2010).
10.2† Amended and Restated 2007 Stock Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Proxy Statement for 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders filed on April 28, 2015).
10.3† Employment Agreement, dated as of March 3, 2022 and effective as of April 1, 2022, by and between the Registrant and Charles F. Willis IV (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to our report on Form 10-Q filed on May 10, 2022).
10.4† Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Scott B. Flaherty dated May 20, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our report on Form 8-K filed on May 25, 2016).
10.5† Employment Agreement between the Registrant and Dean M. Poulakidas dated March 31, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 to our report on Form 8-K filed on June 19, 2013).
10.6* Trust Indenture dated as of September 14, 2012 among Willis Engine Securitization Trust II, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as trustee, the Registrant and Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to our report on Form 10-Q filed on November 9, 2012).
10.7* Security Trust Agreement dated as of September 14, 2012 by and among Willis Engine Securitization Trust II, Willis Engine Securitization (Ireland) Limited, the Engine Trusts listed on Schedule V thereto, each of the additional grantors referred to therein and from time to time made a party thereto and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to our report on Form 10-Q filed on November 9, 2012).
10.8* Note Purchase Agreement dated as of September 6, 2012 by and among Willis Engine Securitization Trust II, the Registrant, Credit Agricole Securities (USA) Inc. and Goldman, Sachs & Co. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.16 to our report on Form 10-Q filed on November 9, 2012).
10.9* Servicing Agreement dated as of September 17, 2012 between Willis Engine Securitization Trust II, the Registrant and the entities listed on Appendix A thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to our report on Form 10-Q filed on November 9, 2012).
10.10* Administrative Agency Agreement dated as of September 17, 2012 among Willis Engine Securitization Trust II, the Registrant, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as trustee, and the entities listed on Appendix A thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.18 to our report on Form 10-Q filed on November 9, 2012).
10.11† Employment Agreement, dated as of August 2, 2022, by and between the Registrant and Brian R. Hole (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our report on Form 10-Q filed on November 4, 2022).
10.12† Employment Agreement, dated as of March 2022 and effective as of April 1, 2022, by and between the Registrant and Austin C. Willis (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our report on Form 10-Q filed on May 10, 2022).
10.13 Trust Amendment No. 2 dated as of September 9, 2016 to Amended and Restated Trust Agreement of Willis Engine Securitization Trust II dated as of September 14, 2012 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our report on Form 8-K filed September 20, 2016).
10.14 General Supplement 2016-1 dated as of September 9, 2016 to Trust Indenture dated as of September 14, 2012 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to our report on Form 8-K filed September 20, 2016).
10.15 Series A Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement dated as of October 11, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our report on Form 8-K filed October 18, 2016).
10.16* Asset Purchase Agreement dated as of August 4, 2017 between the Registrant and Willis Engine Structured Trust III. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.20 to our report on Form 10-Q filed on November 9, 2017).
10.17* Security Trust Agreement dated as of August 4, 2017 among Willis Engine Structured Trust III, each Grantor referred to therein and from time to time made a party thereto and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.21 to our report on Form 10-Q filed on November 9, 2017).
10.18* Servicing Agreement dated as of August 4, 2017 among Willis Engine Structured Trust III, the Registrant and each Service Group Member referred to therein and from time to time made a party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.22 to our report on Form 10-Q filed on November 9, 2017).
10.19* Administrative Agency Agreement dated as of August 4, 2017 among Willis Engine Structured Trust III, the Registrant, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as trustee, and each Managed Group Member referred to therein and from time to time made a party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 to our report on Form 10-Q filed on November 9, 2017).
10.20* Revolving Credit Agreement dated as of August 4, 2017 among Willis Engine Structured Trust III, BNP Paribas and the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.24 to our report on Form 10-Q filed on November 9, 2017).
10.21* Series A-2 Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement dated as of September 22, 2017 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our report on Form 8-K filed on September 28, 2017).
10.22* General Terms Agreement No. CFM-1-1028985 dated December 22, 2017 between CFM International, Inc. and the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.26 to our report on Form 10-K filed on March 15, 2018).
10.23* Letter Agreement No. 1 to GTA No. 1-1028985 dated December 22, 2017 between CFM International, Inc. and the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.27 to our report on Form 10-K filed March 15, 2018).
10.24* General Terms Agreement No. GE-1-2299982290-2 dated May 26, 2010 by and amongst General Electric Company, GE Engine Services Distribution, LLC, the Registrant and WEST Engine Funding LLC (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.28 to our report on Form 10-K filed March 15, 2018).
10.25* Letter Agreement No. 3 to GTA No. 1-2299982290 dated December 22, 2017 between General Electric Corporation and the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.29 to our report on Form 10-K filed March 15, 2018).
10.26* Amendment No. 2 to General Terms Agreement No. GE-1-2299982290-2 dated December 22, 2017 between General Electric Company and the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.30 to our report on Form 10-K filed March 15, 2018).
10.27* Agreement by and between IAE International Aero Engines AG and the Registrant, dated March 16, 2018, to purchase spare engines (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.31 to our report on Form 10-Q filed May 10, 2018).
10.28 Redemption Agreement to purchase 294,787 shares of common stock dated as of March 29, 2018 between the Registrant and M3 Partners, LP (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.32 to our report on Form 10-Q filed May 10, 2018).
10.29† 2018 Stock Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Proxy Statement for 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders filed on April 27, 2018).
10.30* Administrative Agency Agreement dated as of August 22, 2018 among Willis Engine Structured Trust IV, the Registrant, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as trustee, and each Managed Group Member referred to therein and from time to time made a party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.34 to our report on Form 10-Q filed November 7, 2018).
10.31* Asset Purchase Agreement dated as of August 22, 2018 between the Registrant and Willis Engine Structured Trust IV (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.35 to our report on Form 10-Q filed November 7, 2018).
10.32* Trust Indenture dated as of August 22, 2018 among Willis Engine Structured Trust IV, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as Trustee, the Registrant and Bank of America, N.A. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.36 to our report on Form 10-Q filed November 7, 2018).
10.33* Revolving Credit Agreement dated as of August 22, 2018 among Willis Engine Structured Trust IV, Bank of America, N.A. and the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.37 to our report on Form 10-Q filed November 7, 2018).
10.34* Servicing Agreement dated as of August 22, 2018 among Willis Engine Structured Trust IV, the Registrant and each Service Group Member referred to therein and from time to time made a party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.38 to our report on Form 10-Q filed November 7, 2018).
10.35* Security Trust Agreement dated as of August 22, 2018 among Willis Engine Structured Trust IV, each Grantor referred to therein and from time to time made a party thereto and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as security trustee and operating bank (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.39 to our report on Form 10-Q filed November 7, 2018).
10.36* Amendment No. 1 to Agreement to Purchase Spare Engines, dated July 25, 2018, between IAE International Aero Engines AG and Willis Lease Finance Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.40 to our report on Form 10-Q filed November 7, 2018).
10.37* Amendment No. 2 to Agreement to Purchase Spare Engines, dated August 9, 2018, between IAE International Aero Engines AG and Willis Lease Finance Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.41 to our report on Form 10-Q filed November 7, 2018).
10.38* Trust Indenture dated as of August 4, 2017 among Willis Engine Structured Trust III, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as trustee, the Registrant and BNP Paribas (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.6 to our report on Form 10-Q filed on November 9, 2017).
10.39* Amendment No. 3 to Agreement to Purchase Spare Engines, dated March 22, 2019, between IAE International Aero Engines AG and Willis Lease Finance Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.43 to our report on Form 10-Q filed on May 8, 2019).
10.40* Amendment No. 4 to Agreement to Purchase Spare Engines, dated June 27, 2019, between IAE International Aero Engines AG and Willis Lease Finance Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.44 to our report on Form 10-Q filed on August 7, 2019).
10.41* Letter Agreement No. 2 to GTA No. 1-1028985 dated December 12, 2019 between CFM International, Inc. and Willis Lease Finance Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.43 to our report on Form 10-K filed on March 12, 2020).
10.42* Amended and Restated Administrative Agency Agreement, dated as of March 3, 2020, among Willis Engine Structured Trust V, the Registrant, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as trustee, and each Managed Group Member referred to therein and from time to time made a party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.45 to our report on Form 10-Q filed May 6, 2020).
10.43* Asset Purchase Agreement, dated as of March 3, 2020, between the Registrant and Willis Engine Structured Trust V (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.46 to our report on Form 10-Q filed May 6, 2020).
10.44* Amended and Restated Trust Indenture, dated as of March 3, 2020 among Willis Engine Structured Trust V, Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as Trustee, the Registrant, and Bank of America, N.A. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.47 to our report on Form 10-Q filed May 6, 2020).
10.45* Revolving Credit Agreement, dated March 3, 2020, among Willis Engine Structured Trust V, Bank of America, N.A., and the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.48 to our report on Form 10-Q filed May 6, 2020).
10.46* Amended and Restated Servicing Agreement, dated as of March 3, 2020, among Willis Engine Structured Trust V, the Registrant, and each Serviced Group Member referred to therein and from time to time made a party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.49 to our report on Form 10-Q filed May 6, 2020).
10.47* Amended and Restated Security Trust Agreement, dated as of March 3, 2020, among Willis Engine Structured Trust V, each Grantor referred to therein and from time to time made a party thereto and Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as Security Trustee and Operating Bank (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.50 to our report on Form 10-Q filed May 6, 2020).
10.48* Excluded Property Purchase Agreement, dated as of March 3, 2020, among the Registrant, West Engine Acquisition LLC, and Willis Engine Structured Trust V (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.51 to our report on Form 10-Q filed May 6, 2020).
10.49* Agreement by and between International Aero Engines, LLC and the Registrant, dated March 27, 2020, to purchase spare engines (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.52 to our report on Form 10-Q filed May 6, 2020).
10.50* Letter Agreement No. 4 to GTA No. 1-2299982290 dated March 31, 2020 between General Electric Company and the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.53 to our report on Form 10-Q filed May 6, 2020).
10.51* Used Engines Sales Agreement dated December 3, 2020 between Pratt & Whitney Engine Leasing, LLC and the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.54 to our report on Form 10-K filed March 15, 2021).
10.52* Used Engine Sales Agreement dated December 3, 2020 between [*] Engine Leasing, LLC and the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.55 to our report on Form 10-K filed March 15, 2021).
10.53* [*] Fixed Price Repair Agreement by and between the Registrant and Raytheon Technologies Corporation dated December 3, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.56 to our report on Form 10-K filed March 15, 2021).
10.54* [*] Fixed Price Repair Agreement by and between the Registrant and International Aero Engines, LLC dated December 3, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.57 to our report on Form 10-K filed March 15, 2021).
10.55* Administrative Agency Agreement, dated as of May 17, 2021, among Willis Engine Structured Trust VI, the Registrant, U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, and each Managed Group Member referred to therein and from time to time made a party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.59 to our report on Form 10-Q filed August 8, 2021).
10.56* Asset Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 17, 2021, between the Registrant and Willis Engine Structured Trust VI (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.60 to our report on Form 10-Q filed August 8, 2021).
10.57*# Trust Indenture, dated as of May 17, 2021, among Willis Engine Structured Trust VI, U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee, the Registrant and Bank of America, N.A. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.61 to our report on Form 10-Q filed August 8, 2021).
10.58 Revolving Credit Agreement, dated as of May 17, 2021, among Willis Engine Structured Trust VI, Bank of America, N.A. and the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.62 to our report on Form 10-Q filed August 8, 2021).
10.59 Servicing Agreement, dated as of May 17, 2021, among Willis Engine Structured Trust VI, the Registrant and each Service Group Member referred to therein and from time to time made a party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.63 to our report on Form 10-Q filed August 8, 2021).
10.60* Security Trust Agreement, dated as of May 17, 2021, among Willis Engine Structured Trust VI, each Grantor referred to therein and from time to time made a party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association, as security trustee and operating bank (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.64 to our report on Form 10-Q filed August 8, 2021).
10.61* Administrative Agency Agreement, dated as of October 31, 2023, among Willis Engine Structured Trust VII, the Registrant, U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, and each Managed Group Member referred to therein and from time to time made a party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.69 to our report on Form 10-K filed March 15, 2024).
10.62* Asset Purchase Agreement, dated as of October 31, 2023, between the Registrant and Willis Engine Structured Trust VII (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.70 to our report on Form 10-K filed March 15, 2024).
10.63* Trust Indenture, dated as of October 31, 2023, among Willis Engine Structured Trust VII, U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee, the Registrant and Bank of America, N.A. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.71 to our report on Form 10-K filed March 15, 2024).
10.64* Revolving Credit Agreement, dated as of October 31, 2023, among Willis Engine Structured Trust VII, Bank of America, N.A. and the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.72 to our report on Form 10-K filed March 15, 2024).
10.65 Servicing Agreement, dated as of October 31, 2023, among Willis Engine Structured Trust VII, the Registrant and each Service Group Member referred to therein and from time to time made a party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.73 to our report on Form 10-K filed March 15, 2024).
10.66* Security Trust Agreement, dated as of October 31, 2023, among Willis Engine Structured Trust VII, each Grantor referred to therein and from time to time made a party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association, as security trustee and operating bank (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.74 to our report on Form 10-K filed March 15, 2024).
10.67* Secured Credit Agreement, dated as of May 3, 2024, among Willis Warehouse Facility, LLC, as Borrower, Bank of Utah, as Security Trustee and Administrative Agent, Bank of America, N.A., as Facility Agent, and the Lenders party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our report on Form 10-Q filed August 2, 2024).
10.68* Servicing Agreement, dated as of May 3, 2024, among Willis Warehouse Facility LLC, the Registrant, as Servicer, and each Serviced Group Member (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to our report on Form 10-Q filed August 2, 2024).
10.69* Security Agreement, dated as of May 3, 2024, among Willis Warehouse Facility, LLC as Borrower, Bank of Utah, as Security Trustee and the other Grantors party thereto (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to our report on Form 10-Q filed August 2, 2024).
10.70* Pledge Agreement, dated as of May 3, 2024, among Registrant, and Bank of Utah, as Security Trustee (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to our report on Form 10-Q filed August 2, 2024).
10.71* Contract to Purchase [*] Spare Engines and QEC Kits dated June 19, 2024 between International Aero Engines, LLC and Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to our report on Form 10-Q filed August 2, 2024).
10.72* Series A Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of September 12, 2024 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to our report on Form 10-Q filed November 4, 2024).
10.73† Employment Agreement, dated as of October 8, 2024, by and between the Company and Brian R. Hole (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to our report on Form 10-Q filed November 4, 2024).
10.74* Credit Agreement, dated as of October 31, 2024, among, inter alia, the Company, as Borrower, Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent, and the Lenders party thereto.
10.75 Limited Waiver No. 1 to Credit Agreement, among the Company, as Borrower, Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent, and the Guarantors party thereto.
10.76 Contract to Purchase PW1133G-JM Spare Engines, dated as of December 17, 2024, by and between International Aero Engines, LLC and the Registrant.
19.1 Insider Trading Policy.
21.1 Subsidiaries of the Registrant.
23.1 Consent of Grant Thornton LLP.
31.1 Certification of Austin C. Willis, pursuant to Section 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2 Certification of Scott B. Flaherty, pursuant to Section 1350 as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32 Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
97.1 Compensation Recovery Policy (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 97.1 to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 15, 2024).
101.INS XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.
101 The following financial statements from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, formatted in Inline XBRL: (i) Consolidated Balance Sheets, (ii) Consolidated Statements of Income, (iii) Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, (iv) Consolidated Statements of Redeemable Preferred Stock and Shareholders’ Equity, (v) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows and (vi) Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, tagged as blocks of text and including detailed tags.
104 Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101).
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* Certain portions of this exhibit have been redacted pursuant to a Securities and Exchange Commission order granting confidential treatment or constitute confidential information have been redacted in accordance with Regulation S-K, Item 601(b)(10).
# Portions of this exhibit have been omitted in accordance with Item 601(b)(10)(iv) of Regulation S-K.
† Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.