ACIA Aero Leasing (“ACIA”), a leading provider of regional aircraft leasing and lease management services, today announced the purchase of two Embraer ERJ145 aircraft from Jetcraft Commercial (“Jetcraft”), the commercial aircraft division of a global leader in jet sales and acquisitions, Jetcraft.

The aircraft covered under the sale transaction, structured by Jetcraft and sourced from HOP! Air France, will be ferried over to Johannesburg, South Africa and Toulouse, France for pre-delivery maintenance work before entering into service with ACIA’s existing airline customers.

“It’s been a pleasure working with the Jetcraft and HOP! Air France teams on executing this aircraft acquisition,” commented ACIA Aero Leasing Chief Executive Officer Mick Mooney, adding that the transaction is part of continued efforts to strengthen ACIA’s already significant footprint in South Africa. “We look forward to future collaboration with Jetcraft as we provide the region’s airlines with access to a diverse inventory of aircraft and customized financing solutions.”

Raphael Haddad, President of Jetcraft Commercial, said: “Jetcraft has been successful in structuring the sale of numerous aircraft from the HOP! Air France portfolio over the last twelve months. We’re seeing an increasing requirement among operators for the ERJ145 type due to its operating capabilities. We hope to work with ACIA to facilitate the lessor’s further acquisitions of the aircraft type.”

The ERJ145 is well suited for harsh operating environments, according to the ACIA team, who believe the aircraft type provides right-sized capacity and operating economics that meet the specific needs of African operators.

“We are currently working on additional mandates to acquire aircraft for our existing customers in Africa,” disclosed Mooney, specifying that they include ATRs in cargo and passenger configurations, as well as larger Embraer and CRJ jets. “We’ll be announcing these acquisitions in the very near term.”