By Business & Finance 
Aengus Kelly, CEO of AerCap, is our Business Person of the Month for January 2026, in association with KPMG. AerCap is the world’s largest aircraft leasing company.
By Héloïse Chaudot
Aengus Kelly
Aengus Kelly has been CEO and Executive Director of AerCap, the world’s largest aircraft leasing company, since May 2011.
Kelly began his career at KPMG Dublin, where he held his position for three years after graduating from the university.
In 1998, he joined the aviation leasing and financing sector with Guinness Peat Aviation (GPA). He continued with GPA’s successor organisations, including AerFi and Debis AirFinance in Amsterdam.
Aengus Kelly is a Chartered Accountant who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and a Master’s degree in Accounting from University College, Dublin.
AerCap
AerCap, the parent company of Milestone Aviation, reported a net profit of $3.8 billion for 2025, reflecting a strong year for the Dublin-headquartered aircraft and helicopter lessor.
Commenting on the performance, CEO Aengus Kelly highlighted solid demand in the group’s helicopter leasing business, with Milestone continuing to report high utilisation across its fleet.
The results underscore the breadth of AerCap’s portfolio, which spans commercial aircraft, engines and helicopters, and its positioning across multiple segments of the global aviation leasing market.
Kelly said, “During the year, we sold $3.9 billion of assets for record gains on the sale of $819 million. We reinvested in our core business by purchasing $5.4 billion of assets and added 103 aircraft firm orders and options to our order book, while returning $2.6 billion of capital to our shareholders.”
Business Person of the Month
The Business Person of the Month Award, in association with KPMG, recognises outstanding leaders in Irish business. It especially acknowledges those who have made significant contributions to the business community of Ireland.
Recipients of the award are automatically put forward as candidates for the prestigious Business Person of the Year Award at the annual Business & Finance Awards. For any inquiries, please contact priyanka.kotian@businessandfinance.com.
Business & Finance, Business Person of the Month
Business & Finance, in association with KPMG, recognises excellence in business through the ‘Business Person of the Month’ award. This award seeks to recognise noteworthy achievements in business leadership, and, particularly, those that make a telling contribution to the wider business community in Ireland.
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