Kieran Corr, former head of aviation finance at Standard Chartered, has formed a new Dublin-based aircraft leasing venture, AERA Aviation Capital, where he will also serve as CEO.
The AERA team includes Chris Helme as chief financial officer, Will McCallum as chief commercial officer, and Alan Corr as commercial associate.
“Our goal is to build a durable, full-service aviation capital business that can scale with partners across both aircraft and secured debt financing, bringing airlines and investors together,” AERA said, speaking to Airline Economics.
The new company highlighted its “dual-capability model” that “sets it apart”, with it offering both debt and leasing solutions, bolstered by its experienced team.
The team all share experience at Standard Chartered’s aircraft leasing business, which was purchased by AviLease in 2023. The team also brings together their individual experiences from key sector companies such as GPA, AviLease, and BOC Aviation.
“We have a proven record of delivering comprehensive aircraft leasing and financing solutions to airlines, banks, investors and financiers worldwide, bringing more than 60 years of aviation finance experience and the know-how of having transacted business with more than 120 airlines in over 50 countries, across a wide variety of deals - OEM orderbook, remarketing, PDP, SLB, and a wider variety of debt financings,” the company said.
AERA has capital secured – enabling a swift launch and establishment in the sector. With this capital secured, Kieran and his team are already beginning to source transactions and explore partnerships for funding deals in 2026.
AERA said it aims to offer partners “quick and clear solutions”, coupled with a deep partnership that will support partners through market cycles.
Kieran was recognised in Airline Economics’ Legends Awards for 2023, celebrating his then-retirement following the sale of Standard Chartered’s aviation business.
At the time, he spoke highly of his time in the industry – a rewarding path that paved the way for personal development. It is no surprise, then, that he has been drawn back into the industry once again with this new venture.