AerCap & GECAS: The combined leasing giants would place a gulf between them and all other competitors 

The rumours of a proposed merger between AerCap and GECAS broke over the weekend with a flurry of headlines. GE and AerCap stock jumped on the news in pre-trading so investors seem to like the idea. There has been no official comment from either party but should the merger go ahead, the combined company would control a substantial chunk of the aircraft leasing market and solidify AerCap’s position as the world largest lessor, and likely for some time since the combined fleet is estimated at 2,052 installed aircraft today plus 531 on order, thanks to data from Cirium. GECAS has