Lesha Bank broadens aviation exposure with new 18-aircraft portfolio

Lesha is taking a more structured route into aviation: Qatar-listed Lesha Bank has acquired equity interests in a diversified aviation portfolio with an aggregate market value of more than USD 1 bn through its Lesha Aviation Fund, according to a Qatar Stock Exchange disclosure (pdf). The bank didn’t specify how much it invested or the size of the equity interest it acquired.

What’s in the bag: The portfolio comprises 18 aircraft leased to nine airlines across eight countries and was acquired through an aviation asset-backed securities transaction. Lesha Aviation Capital, the bank’s Dublin-based aircraft leasing platform, will manage the portfolio.

The growth play: Lesha added five Boeing 777-300ERs to its portfolio in late 2024, followed with an indirect investment in Edinburgh Airport in April 2025, lost out to DAE on Macquarie AirFinance earlier this year, and acquired Amedeo Air Four Plus in a GBP 190 mn acquisition days later.

There’s more in the pipeline: Lesha Aviation Capital says it now has more than 70 aircraft across signed investments, compared with 28 aircraft in its closed portfolio — meaning most of what it’s committed to hasn’t closed yet. The platform manages around USD 2.7 bn in aviation assets, with operations spread across Doha, Dublin, and London, though it’s not clear from public disclosures whether today’s agreement is already counted in that total.