ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA, November 22, 2010 -- GE Capital Aviation Services Limited (GECAS), the commercial aircraft leasing and financing arm of GE, announced today at the 42nd general assembly of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) the opening of new offices in Accra, Ghana and Cape Town, South Africa to expand and strengthen relationships with its airline customers in Africa. The Accra office will serve airline customers in West and Central Africa. The Cape Town office will focus on customers in southeastern Africa. North Africa will continue to be covered by GECAS' Dubai office.
"Africa offers an excellent growth opportunity for GECAS given the breadth of our fleet and product offerings," said Norman C.T. Liu, President and CEO of GECAS. " The region has a huge emerging consumer base, tremendous natural resources, and deepening global trade relationships."
The offices will report into Jonty Nel, who is based in Dubai and oversees the Middle East, Africa and CIS region. "We have over $2.5 billion of aircraft in Africa in 14 countries," said Nel. "The new offices enable us to be closer to our customers and will allow us to expand into many more countries."
GECAS also announced three aircraft transactions: four Boeing 737-800s leased to South African Airways; an Airbus A320 leased to Senegal Airlines, and a lease with GECAS financing of one Boeing 737-400 aircraft to Buraq Airlines in Libya.
About GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS)
GECAS, the U.S. and Irish commercial aircraft financing and leasing business of GE, has a fleet of over 1,800 owned and managed aircraft with approximately 245 airlines in over 75 countries. GECAS offers a wide range of aircraft types and financing options, including operating leases and secured debt financing, and also provides productivity solutions including spare engine leasing, spare parts financing and management. GECAS, a unit of GE Capital, has offices in 25 cities around the world.
GE is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that is built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.ge.com. GE is Imagination at Work.
Dan Whitney
GE Capital Aviation Services
[email protected]
203-585-2268
203-300-8707