ORIX Aviation to Acquire Newport-Based AerFin in Deal Worth About £475m
Why It MattersAircraft lessors moving into aftermarket parts, repair and end-of-life management signals a push toward owning whole-lifecycle asset value rather than leasing alone, tightening ties between lessors and maintenance suppliers.
Japanese firm ORIX Aviation has agreed to acquire AerFin, a Newport aviation company that has grown into a global supplier of aircraft engines, parts and maintenance services, in a deal worth about £475m. AerFin employs more than 230 people, operates from sites in the UK and around the world, and was founded by Bob James. It buys, sells, leases and repairs aircraft, engines and components, and says it serves more than 600 organisations. In 2025 it moved into a new purpose-built 116,000 sq ft facility at Indurent Park in Newport.
ORIX Aviation is the aircraft leasing arm of Japanese financial services group ORIX Group. For ORIX Aviation, the acquisition extends its activities beyond aircraft ownership and leasing into aftermarket services and end-of-life aircraft management, and the company said the combination would strengthen its capabilities across the whole lifecycle of an aircraft. AerFin was majority owned by private equity investor CataCap before the sale, and the deal marks CataCap's exit.
AerFin chief executive Simon Goodson called the acquisition a "defining moment" in the company's history and said support from ORIX Group would provide "the confidence and platform" to grow the business. ORIX Aviation chief executive James Meyler said AerFin had built "a leading aviation aftermarket platform" backed by extensive technical expertise and an international customer base. Founder Bob James said he was pleased to see the business move to "a long-term home" capable of supporting its next phase of expansion.
