ACMI News Today: Titan’s EU Wet-Lease A320, Apollo’s Aircraft-Backed easyJet Debt, My Freighter’s 10th 767F
Titan Airways puts an EU-registered A320 on the wet-lease market, Apollo leans on aircraft-backed debt for easyJet, My Freighter takes its 10th 767F, Zambia gets its first 737-400 freighter and Garuda Indonesia seeks fresh financing.
ACMI News Today: Titan Puts an EU-Registered A320 on the Wet-Lease Market as Apollo Leans on easyJet's Fleet for Financing
Aircraft are doing double duty as collateral and as capacity this week. Apollo is lining up aircraft-backed debt for its easyJet takeover, a UK ACMI specialist is moving a passenger jet onto its EU certificate, and freighter operators from Tashkent to Lusaka keep adding older conversions. Here is what matters for ACMI providers, lessors and capacity buyers today.
Today at a glance
Titan Airways is putting its Airbus shuttle A320 on the Maltese register and offering it for European wet lease. Apollo is expected to back most of its easyJet acquisition debt with aircraft, while easyJet trims winter seats on fuel costs. My Freighter takes its 10th 767F, Zambia gets its first 737-400 freighter and Garuda Indonesia goes back to lenders.
Titan Airways moves its Airbus shuttle A320 to Malta and opens it to EU wet lease
Titan Airways has confirmed a five-year contract to fly Airbus's factory shuttle between Toulouse and Hamburg-Finkenwerder, a role it took over from Volotea at the start of September. The 180-seat A320, currently registered G-POWM, is already leased to Titan Airways Malta and is being re-registered as 9H-ZTE, which Titan describes as its first passenger aircraft on the Maltese AOC.
Titan says the aircraft will be based at Finkenwerder and offered for ad-hoc charter and wet lease across Europe, giving EU operators access to its capacity without the complexity of a UK registration. Until now, the three aircraft on Titan Airways Malta's certificate have all been A321 converted freighters. ch-aviation also reported the move on October 9.
Apollo to favour aircraft-backed debt for its GBP 5.7bn easyJet takeover
Apollo Global Management is expected to use aircraft-backed financing rather than high-yield bonds for most or all of the GBP 3.5 billion debt package behind its easyJet acquisition, ch-aviation reported, citing Bloomberg. Apollo had first planned euro floating-rate notes and senior secured notes, but weaker high-yield markets and higher government bond yields have made loans secured on easyJet's A320-family fleet more attractive. Banks are expected to launch the package in late 2026 or early 2027.
easyJet chief executive Kenton Jarvis said on October 8 that he expects the takeover to complete in early 2027, with the scheme document due on October 15. The airline keeps its name, and the deal is structured to meet UK and EU ownership and control rules. Jarvis also said rising fuel costs will lead easyJet to cut up to 700,000 seats this winter.
My Freighter adds its 10th Boeing 767 freighter in Tashkent
Uzbekistan's My Freighter has received its 10th Boeing 767 freighter, UK67023, previously N342AX. The aircraft was ferried from Wilmington via Ostrava and reached Tashkent on October 4, taking the fleet to 11 aircraft. The airline has said one more freighter is due in October and two more by year-end.
Its ninth 767-300F joined in April on a six-year lease from ATSG's Cargo Aircraft Management. My Freighter has also been building Tashkent as a hub, with daily flights from Liège since August and interline agreements with Air Canada Cargo and Singapore Airlines Cargo.
Stabo Air inducts Zambia's first 737-400 freighter
Lusaka-based Stabo Air has added Zambia's first registered 737-400 freighter, 9J-BCA (msn 29202). The 28-year-old aircraft arrived from Bujumbura on September 25 and flew its first service to Entebbe on October 2. It is owned by an SPV of New Zealand's Airwork Group and dry leased to Stabo Air. It previously flew for Safe Air in Nairobi as 5Y-FQD.
Stabo Air's website lists weekly widebody cargo flights between Liège and Lusaka via Johannesburg, returning via Entebbe, with an MD-11F and a 747F.
Garuda Indonesia seeks more debt and longer fuel payment terms
Garuda Indonesia is seeking additional debt financing from banks and other sources to boost working capital, according to Bloomberg. It has also negotiated longer payment terms with fuel supplier Pertamina and is considering hedging as fuel and maintenance costs rise.
The carrier plans to spend the rest of its USD 1.4 billion financing from sovereign wealth fund Danantara Indonesia on aircraft maintenance over the next six months, and is separately planning a rights issue of up to 124.4 billion shares.
Deal tracker
| Deal | Parties | Aircraft | Timing | Capacity signal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus shuttleContract / ACMI | Titan Airways → Airbus | 1 × A320 (9H-ZTE) | Five years from September 2026 | New EU-registered narrowbody for wet lease |
| easyJet takeoverM&A financing | Apollo → easyJet | A320-family fleet as collateral | Debt launch late 2026 / early 2027 | Lenders favour aircraft-secured debt |
| 10th 767 freighterFleet growth | My Freighter | 1 × 767F (UK67023) | Arrived October 4 | Central Asian widebody cargo expansion |
| 737-400SF inductionDry lease | Airwork SPV → Stabo Air | 1 × 737-400SF (9J-BCA) | In service from October 2 | Narrowbody feeder for African cargo |
| 787-8 wet leasePassenger ACMI | Undisclosed provider → Azul | 1 × 787-8 | Reported October 8 | Widebody ACMI still filling long-haul gaps |
Other moves worth tracking
- Azul: the Brazilian carrier is set to wet lease a 787-8, ch-aviation reported on October 8. Azul has used euroAtlantic widebodies on international routes, including a 777-200 between Lisbon and Campinas, but the provider for the 787 has not been named publicly.
- Estonia: the government plans to liquidate state-owned lessor Transpordi Varahaldus by 3Q27. The lessor was set up only to supply Nordica and its ACMI unit Xfly, and sold its last CRJ900ER to Regional One earlier this year.
- PIA: the newly privatised airline's board has cut several senior roles. PIA had planned to add two wet-leased aircraft from October on a six-month term.
For capacity buyers comparing options, see our list of top cargo ACMI providers and our guide to cargo hub selection. Operators financing freighter acquisitions or conversions can explore structured finance advisory through Financely.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Titan Airways' Airbus shuttle A320 matter for European wet-lease buyers?
Titan Airways has a five-year contract to fly Airbus's factory shuttle between Toulouse and Hamburg-Finkenwerder, taking over from Volotea. The 180-seat A320 is moving from the UK register to Titan Airways Malta as 9H-ZTE, and Titan says it will also offer the aircraft for ad-hoc charter and wet lease across Europe, giving EU customers access without the complications of a UK-registered aircraft.
How will Apollo finance its takeover of easyJet?
Bloomberg reported that Apollo is expected to favour aircraft-backed financing over high-yield bonds for most or all of the GBP 3.5 billion debt package behind the GBP 5.7 billion deal. easyJet's CEO said on October 8, 2026 that he expects the takeover to complete in early 2027, subject to regulatory approval.
How large is My Freighter's Boeing 767 fleet now?
My Freighter received its 10th Boeing 767 freighter, registered UK67023, at its Tashkent hub on October 4, 2026, taking its total fleet to 11 aircraft. The airline has said one more freighter is due in October and two more by the end of 2026.
What is Garuda Indonesia doing to shore up its finances?
According to Bloomberg, Garuda Indonesia is seeking additional debt from banks and other sources for working capital, has negotiated longer payment terms with fuel supplier Pertamina and is considering fuel hedging. It plans to spend the rest of its USD 1.4 billion financing from Danantara Indonesia on aircraft maintenance over the next six months and is planning a rights issue of up to 124.4 billion shares.
Key takeaways
Aircraft are central to both sides of this week's news. Apollo's preference for aircraft-backed debt shows lenders still trust narrowbody collateral more than unsecured bonds, while easyJet's winter seat cuts and Garuda's funding search show how fuel and maintenance costs are squeezing airlines. On the supply side, Titan's EU-registered A320 adds flexible narrowbody capacity in Europe, and freighter growth in Central Asia and Africa continues to rely on older conversions. Capacity buyers should check AOC and registration terms, maintenance reserves and fuel clauses before winter contracts are signed. For more, see leading air cargo charter brokers.
Need freighter or ACMI capacity?
Blue Cube Aviation supports airlines, operators and aviation counterparties seeking aircraft leasing and ACMI solutions across passenger, cargo and specialist capacity requirements.
Request an Aircraft Leasing Quote →
