Milestone Aviation Group has completed a multi-aircraft transaction with Omni Helicopters International (OHI) covering three new Leonardo AW189 helicopters, two Sikorsky S-92 helicopters in full all-weather search and rescue (SAR) configuration and a five-year lease extension on one AW139. The AW189s will support offshore oil and gas growth in Brazil, and the S-92s will add SAR capacity in South America.

Milestone, an AerCap company, announced the deal in a press release dated November 5, 2026, datelined Dublin. The three AW189s are a purchase and leaseback, with deliveries scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026 and the first quarter of 2027. The two S-92s are expected in the first quarter of 2027.

What each aircraft will do

Omni currently operates the AW139 in offshore oil and gas work and will extend its lease by five years. Milestone said the S-92s will support SAR growth and consolidation in South America, and described the transaction as a significant investment in the region’s offshore and SAR sectors that also reinforces the future of the S-92 platform.

Pat Sheedy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Milestone, said the company is pleased to strengthen its long-standing partnership with Omni and called the two SAR-configured S-92s a major investment in Brazil’s search and rescue capacity. “Brazil remains a key market for Milestone,” he said, citing the S-92’s reliability, payload and all-weather performance.

Jeremy Akel, Group Chief Executive Officer of OHI, said the deal is another step in Omni’s ability to deliver safe, reliable, mission-critical aviation services across South America. He said the partnership lets Omni invest in the right aircraft and that the additions strengthen its Offshore Energy and Search and Rescue capabilities.

A long-running lessor relationship

The transaction adds to earlier deals between the two companies. In March 2025, at Verticon in Dallas, Milestone announced lease agreements with OHI for seven helicopters: two Airbus H145s, one Airbus H135, one new Airbus H160, one new Airbus H175 and lease extensions on two Sikorsky S-92s. That H160 was Milestone’s first placement in Brazil, where Petrobras was to use it for oil and gas projects.

Milestone, which marked 15 years as a helicopter lessor in 2025, describes itself as the world’s leading helicopter leasing and financing company. It offers operating leases, purchase and leasebacks, secured debt financing, engine leasing and fleet advisory services, and supports about 50 customers in about 35 countries. Its parent, AerCap, serves about 300 customers and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

OHI, which describes itself as Latin America’s largest provider of air mobility and delivery solutions, operates through Omni Taxi Aéreo in Brazil, Omni Helicopters Guyana Inc. and Omni Helicopters International Mozambique. Its services include crew change, emergency medical services, firefighting, SAR, and cargo and utility work.

S-92 support in Brazil

Sheedy also pointed to the recent opening of the first Sikorsky-authorized S-92 Customer Support Center, in Cabo Frio. Heli-One, a helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider, opened the center on May 27, 2026, with the support of Sikorsky and Milestone. It provides scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on any S-92 in the region and is the foundation of a planned S-92 Center of Excellence offering parts provisioning, overhaul and repair. Kevin Spengler, Heli-One President, said the center will shorten maintenance turnaround times and improve parts provisioning.

In its May 2026 release, Lockheed Martin said Milestone owned 17 of the approximately 40 S-92 aircraft operating in South America, and that about 275 S-92s were operational worldwide, most of them carrying crews to offshore oil and gas rigs. The S-92 carries 19 passengers up to a 200 nautical mile radius.

Sikorsky has also announced a new U.S. production line for the S-92A. Lockheed Martin said that by 2028 Sikorsky will be able to produce 12 S-92A+ aircraft a year, and that the S-92A+ has a new main gearbox with a minimum of 6,000 flight hours between overhauls and a maximum gross weight of 27,700 pounds.

Milestone did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction.

Aircraft Engine Lease Finance (AELF), a US-based commercial aircraft lessor, has acquired two Airbus A330 aircraft on lease to Madrid-based Wamos Air from entities managed by AerCap, adding a charter and wet-lease specialist to the airlines that lease its A330 fleet.

In a press release dated November 9, 2026, AELF said the transaction covers an Airbus A330-300 manufactured in 2011 and an Airbus A330-200 manufactured in 2009. The release did not disclose financial terms. The deal follows Deucalion Aviation’s March 2026 announcement that it had arranged the acquisition of three A330s on lease to the same airline for institutional investors.

AELF’s case for the A330

Joe Cirillo, President and Chief Commercial Officer of AELF, said the company was “thrilled to welcome Wamos Air as a lessee” and remains committed to what he called its “longstanding investment thesis for the A330 platform.” He set out that thesis in the release:

“The A330’s mid-life capital cost relative to new-technology aircraft, coupled with limited current-generation alternatives, supports its sustained value. With OEM production rates insufficient to meet mid-term demand, we expect continued narrowbody-like liquidity from Trent- and GE-powered A330 variants.”

According to the release, AELF’s A330 fleet is leased to airlines across North America, Europe and Africa and sits alongside a narrowbody portfolio of Boeing 737 aircraft. The company says it focuses heavily on the A330 and 737 types, and that it buys both aircraft already on lease and dormant or stub-leased assets, which it returns to service through maintenance and remarketing programs.

The release did not give the two aircraft’s serial numbers, engine types or remaining lease terms.

How AELF has built its A330 portfolio

AELF, which has offices in Chicago and Medley, Florida, is an Expedition Partners company and says it has been in operation for over a decade. On March 3, 2025, at the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) Americas convention in Phoenix, it announced the acquisition of a 2016-vintage A330-300, MSN 1754, on lease to South African Airways, in a deal arranged by Arena Aviation Capital. In that release, AELF said it also leases a fleet of A330-200s.

In May 2025, AELF bought an A330-200, MSN 1104, from Avolon. The aircraft, powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent engines, remained on operating lease to Hawaiian Airlines and became AELF’s first aircraft with that carrier. In August 2025, the lessor leased an A330-200, MSN 489, to euroAtlantic Airways of Portugal. AELF said it was the first Airbus aircraft for the ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) operator, which had flown only Boeing aircraft in its 30-year history.

AELF has also lined up new financing. In January 2026, AELF said it had raised $355 million in committed capital or term financings during 2025 from lenders including Investec, Absa Group, Merchants Bank and Natixis, to pursue growth opportunities and expand its fleet. In February 2026, it promoted Cirillo, who has 20 years of aircraft leasing experience and has held leadership roles at AELF since its inception, to President while he kept the Chief Commercial Officer role.

Wamos Air and its A330 lessors

Wamos Air traces its history to 2003, when it was founded as Pullmantur Air, and took the Wamos name in 2014. The airline, which describes itself as “Europe’s number one in charter and wet lease operations,” says it flies to 200 airports in 87 countries. Enrique Saiz has been chief executive since 2012, according to the company.

The fleet has grown since 2022. Wamos Air says that in 2022 it modernized its fleet to four A330-200s and five A330-300s; its fleet page now lists thirteen aircraft, eight A330-300s and five A330-200s.

On March 3, 2026, Deucalion Aviation said it had arranged the purchase of three Wamos Air A330s, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent engines, acting as arranger and servicer for institutional investors. Nate Riggs, Deucalion’s Chief Commercial Officer, said at the time that “The A330 remains a highly versatile variant.” Deucalion, which says it manages over $2 billion in aircraft assets, focuses on mid- to end-of-life widebody aircraft.

China Eastern Airlines (MU) has selected CFM International LEAP-1A engines for 101 new Airbus A320neo family aircraft, a mix of A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR models. The agreement, signed on November 6, 2026, at the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, also covers spare engines and a long-term services agreement.

CFM International announced the selection in a press release dated November 6, 2026. The release is the engine maker’s own account of an agreement first reported in AirPro News coverage of GE Aerospace’s record signings at the expo, and it adds the aircraft models involved, the size of China Eastern’s existing CFM-powered fleet and the history of the relationship. CFM did not disclose the value of the agreement, the number of engines it covers or a delivery schedule.

What the airline and the engine maker said

Xiaoqun He, executive vice president at China Eastern Airlines, said: “CFM LEAP engines are helping us build one of the most modern fleets in the industry.” He said the airline was pleased to strengthen the relationship, and that an airline’s success depends on engine reliability, fuel efficiency, and support and services, which in his view makes CFM a natural partner.

Weiming Xiang, president of CFM Greater China, said the agreement extends a relationship of more than four decades. He said CFM is committed to “the highest standards of reliability, efficiency, and utilization.”

A fleet already built on CFM engines

The new order adds to a fleet that already runs on CFM engines across several aircraft families. According to CFM, China Eastern operates 215 A320neo and A321neo aircraft with LEAP-1A engines, Boeing 737 MAX aircraft with LEAP-1B engines and COMAC C919 aircraft with LEAP-1C engines. The airline also operates more than 380 aircraft with CFM56 engines, including Airbus A320ceo and Boeing 737NG models.

The company profile in the release describes China Eastern, headquartered in Shanghai, as one of three major state-owned Chinese airlines, operating more than 820 aircraft in what it calls one of the youngest fleets in the world. As a SkyTeam member, the airline serves nearly 1,000 destinations in more than 100 countries and regions and carries more than 150 million passengers a year, according to the same profile. The AirPro Atlas lists the SkyTeam carrier with five hubs.

Four decades of CFM engines at China Eastern

China Eastern was CFM’s first customer in mainland China. The relationship dates to 1985, when China Eastern Yunnan took delivery of its first Boeing 737-300, powered by CFM56-3C engines, according to CFM.

GE Aerospace gave figures for the wider GE and CFM engine base in China at the previous edition of the expo. In a release dated November 6, 2025, from the 8th CIIE, it said that it and CFM served more than 60 Chinese airline customers, with more than 7,800 engines in service and nearly 5,000 on order. At that expo, China Eastern signed a purchase agreement for 39 spare engines covering the LEAP-1A, LEAP-1C and CFM56-7B, according to the same release, which describes the LEAP-1C as the only designated foreign engine for the COMAC C919 fleet.

CFM International is a 50/50 joint venture between GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines, founded in 1974. It describes itself as the world’s leading commercial aircraft engine supplier. Beyond producing the LEAP family, it supports the LEAP and CFM56 fleets in service, and its RISE program develops new propulsion technologies.

Where the LEAP program stands

The agreement comes ten years after the LEAP entered service. CFM said it has delivered more than 10,000 LEAP engines, which have accumulated more than 100 million flight hours.

CFM is upgrading the LEAP fleet with a high-pressure turbine (HPT) durability kit intended to extend time on wing, and a reverse bleed system (RBS) intended to reduce the maintenance burden on airlines. The company said its aims are high engine availability, strong maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) performance, a competitive cost of ownership and aftermarket competition through an open MRO ecosystem. In Greater China, GE Aerospace said in its 2025 release that a network of eight partner or licensed MRO shops, two engine component storefronts and one on-site quick-turn shop covered all GE and CFM engine models used in China. Its Shanghai Lingang quick-turn shop and SSAMC, a joint venture with Air China, both offered domestic LEAP-1C quick-turn capability, and AirPro News has covered SSAMC’s LEAP maintenance work in China.