Cheung Kong getting into plane leasing: sources

[SINGAPORE] Asia's richest man, Li Ka-shing, aims to become a force in the global aircraft leasing business as his flagship investment firm holds talks with a number of lessors on building up a portfolio of planes, people with direct knowledge of the matter said.

In what could be part of a series of deals, the Hong Kong tycoon's Cheung Kong (Holdings) is in discussions to form a joint venture with Mitsubishi Corp's leasing arm MC Aviation Partners, one of the executives said.

Mr Li is targeting a slice of the US$200 billion global aircraft portfolios held by lessors as part of a strategic move to diversify his investments and earn stable returns in a fast-growing industry.