Carlyle Aviation Partners Acquires Fly Leasing Limited

Sumitomo Corporation, SMBC Aviation Capital, Apollo and Brookfield Acquire Air Lease Corporation

September 2, 2025

Transportation

Air Lease Corporation has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired in a 100% cash transaction by a newly established holding company, Sumisho Air Lease Corporation (Ireland) DAC, backed by Sumitomo Corporation, SMBC Aviation Capital, Apollo managed funds, and Brookfield. The deal values Air Lease at about $7.4 billion (approximately $28.2 billion including assumed/refinanced debt) at $65.00 per share, with expected closing in the first half of 2026.

SKY Leasing Acquires JetBlue Ventures

May 5, 2025

Financial Services

SKY Leasing has acquired JetBlue Ventures, JetBlue Airways' corporate venture capital arm. The deal transfers ownership of the San Francisco–based VC firm to SKY while JetBlue remains a strategic partner and JetBlue Ventures continues to manage its existing and future investments under a brand licensing agreement.

Leviate Air Group Acquires Majority Interest in Chairman Aviation

October 21, 2024

Transportation

Leviate Air Group has acquired a majority interest in Chairman Aviation, bringing Chairman's fleet and operations under closer management while maintaining its own air carrier certificate. The deal expands Leviate's service offerings and fleet mix (including additional Citation X, Citation X+ and Citation CJ3+ aircraft) to better serve high-net-worth and corporate clients.

Apollo, J.F. Lehman & Hill City Capital Acquire Atlas Air Worldwide for $5.2 Billion

March 17, 2023

Transportation

An investor group led by funds managed by affiliates of Apollo, together with J.F. Lehman & Company and Hill City Capital, acquired Atlas Air Worldwide for an enterprise value of approximately $5.2 billion, paying $102.50 per share in cash. Atlas Air Worldwide will become privately held and continue operating under its existing leadership to accelerate execution of its strategic plan and capitalize on long-term demand for global air cargo services.

The Sterling Group and Capitol Meridian Partners Acquire PrimeFlight Aviation Services from Carlyle

March 6, 2023

Transportation

The Sterling Group and Capitol Meridian Partners have agreed to acquire PrimeFlight Aviation Services from funds managed by Carlyle in a 50/50 partnership; financial terms were not disclosed and the deal is expected to close by Q3 2023. Headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, PrimeFlight operates roughly 235 stations globally and employs about 12,000 people, providing ground handling, fueling, deicing, GSE maintenance and other airport services to airlines, airports and cargo operators.

Carlyle Acquires CBAM Partners' Credit Portfolio

March 9, 2022

Financial Services

The Carlyle Group's Global Credit platform agreed to acquire a portfolio of CLOs and private credit assets from CBAM Partners (an affiliate of Eldridge) for $615 million in cash plus ~4.2 million newly issued Carlyle common shares. The deal, expected to close in H1 2022, boosts Carlyle's Global Credit AUM from $73 billion to about $88 billion and makes it the world’s largest CLO manager by AUM.