New air finance kingpin promises cautious style

[DUBLIN] When he takes a top seat in the US$200 billion aviation finance world later this year, Irish accountant Aengus Kelly will bring a new caution to an industry long known for risk-taking and marketing swagger.

After steering his underdog firm AerCap through the financial crisis unscathed, he engineered the most audacious deal in the sector for two decades with the takeover of struggling industry pioneer ILFC, quadrupling its fleet.

Last month's provisional deal propels AerCap to be the world's second-largest lessor behind General Electric's GECAS and has spurred talk of consolidation in the tier below.