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AN IRISH-BASED aircraft leasing company is to buy 20 new cargo planes from an Israeli aviation and defence company with ties to the war in Gaza.
AerCap, whose headquarters is in Dublin, partnered with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) back in 2019 to convert Boeing 777-300 passenger planes to enable them to carry cargo.
The project, nicknamed ‘Big Twin’, is significant as the freighter planes will be among the largest in operation.
The agreement between the two companies is worth approximately $400 million (€340 million).
AerCap has ordered 20 of these aircraft, with an option to buy a further 10, a press release in 2023 stated.
After years of delays, the project’s first converted plane has now been approved to enter service by the US Federal Aviation Administration and the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel.
IAI, which is converting the plane, has close ties with the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). It is owned by the Israeli state and supplies equipment, including drones, for use in the war in Gaza.
The planes that AerCap are buying from IAI will be leased to other cargo airlines and so won’t be used by the IDF.
Neither AerCap or Israel Aerospace Industries responded to a request for comment.
Alongside its civil operations, IAI produces a range of equipment for the IDF, including missiles, weapon systems for fighter jets and air defence systems.
The company also produces large unmanned drones, which the IDF use to carry out airstrikes in Gaza, and smaller quadcopters, also known as loitering munitions.
Loitering munitions, sometimes fitted with bombs or guns, have been used by the IDF for attacks in Gaza.
IAI’s involvement in Israel’s attacks on Iran in June this year is also featured prominently in a promotional video on the company’s website.
Once the first freighter 777-300 aircraft is delivered by IAI, AerCap will reportedly lease it to US cargo airline Kalitta Air.
Kalitta Air describes itself as a “leading provider” of commercial aircraft for the US Air Force Mobility Command, “contributing to the operational readiness and success of U.S. military missions globally”.
The company was involved in the Gulf War in the 1990s under the now-defunct business name American International Airways. In 2024, Israeli media reported that Kalitta Air was among several cargo airlines that delivered military equipment from the US to an air base in southern Israel.
It is unclear what cargo the Boeing 777-300 will carry. Kalitta Air did not respond to a request for comment.
Aircraft leasing is common in the aviation industry, and Ireland is a hub for these companies. Roughly a quarter of the world’s commercial planes are owned by companies based in Ireland.
In May this year, The Journal Investigates reported that AerCap was among the Irish companies leasing aircraft to operators running deportation flights for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The Irish government has previously supported some of the companies involved through funding or through millions in investments.
This includes AerCap, which received investment from the Department of Enterprise, through IDA Ireland. A government press release at the time said the investment resulted in the creation of “over 100 new highly skilled jobs in Ireland”.
The monetary value of this investment has not been publicly disclosed.
“IDA Ireland does not comment on individual client operations,” a spokesperson told The Journal Investigates.
The Department of Enterprise declined to comment when asked about their investment in AerCap previously and referred us to the IDA’s statement.
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Conor O’Carroll is an investigative reporter with The Journal Investigates.
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