Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

3 Months Ended

May 31, 2022

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure and Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Organization

Aircastle Limited (“Aircastle,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our”) is a Bermuda exempted company that was incorporated on October 29, 2004 under the provisions of Section 14 of the Companies Act of 1981 of Bermuda. Aircastle’s business consists of acquiring, leasing, managing and selling commercial jet aircraft.

The Company is controlled by affiliates of Marubeni Corporation (“Marubeni”) and Mizuho Leasing Company, Limited (“Mizuho Leasing”). Aircastle is a holding company and conducts its business through subsidiaries that are wholly-owned, either directly or indirectly, by Aircastle.

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements presented are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”).

The accompanying consolidated financial statements are unaudited and have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for interim financial reporting and, in our opinion, reflect all adjustments, including normal recurring items, which are necessary to present fairly the results for interim periods. Operating results for the periods presented are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the entire year. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been omitted in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. However, we believe that the disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended February 28, 2022.

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Aircastle and all its subsidiaries, including any Variable Interest Entity (“VIE”) of which Aircastle is the primary beneficiary. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

We manage and analyze our business and report on our results of operations based on one operating segment: leasing, financing, selling and managing commercial flight equipment. Our Chief Executive Officer is the chief operating decision maker.

The Company’s management has reviewed and evaluated all events or transactions for potential recognition and/or disclosure subsequent to the balance sheet date of May 31, 2022, through the date on which the consolidated financial statements included in this Form 10-Q were issued.

Risk and Uncertainties

In the normal course of business, Aircastle encounters several significant types of economic risk including credit, market, aviation industry and capital market risks. Credit risk is the risk of a lessee’s inability or unwillingness to make contractually required payments and to fulfill its other contractual obligations to Aircastle. Market risk reflects the change in the value of financings due to changes in interest rate spreads or other market factors, including the value of collateral underlying financings. Aviation industry risk is the risk of a downturn in the commercial aviation industry which could adversely impact a lessee’s ability to make payments, increase the risk of early lease terminations and depress lease rates and the value of the Company’s aircraft. Capital market risk is the risk that the Company is unable to obtain capital at reasonable rates to fund the growth of its business or to refinance existing debt facilities.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. While

Aircastle believes the estimates and related assumptions used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements are appropriate, actual results could differ from those estimates.

Lease Revenue Recognition

We lease flight equipment under net operating leases with lease terms typically ranging from three to seven years. We generally do not offer renewal terms or purchase options in our leases, although certain of our operating leases allow the lessee the option to extend the lease for an additional term. Operating leases with fixed rentals and step rentals are recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the initial lease, assuming no renewals.

In certain instances, we may provide lease concessions to customers, generally in the form of lease rental deferrals. While these deferral arrangements affect the timing of lease rental payments, the total amount of lease rental payments required over the lease term is generally the same as that which was required under the original lease agreement. We account for the deferrals as if no modifications to the lease agreements were made and record the deferred rentals as a receivable within other assets.

Should we determine that the collectability of rental payments is no longer probable (including any deferral thereof), we will recognize lease rental revenue using a cash basis of accounting rather than an accrual method. In the period we conclude that collection of lease payments is no longer probable, we recognize any difference between revenue amounts recognized to date under the accrual method and payments that have been collected from the lessee, including security deposit amounts held, as a current period adjustment to lease rental revenue.

Impairment of Flight Equipment

We perform an annual recoverability assessment of all aircraft in our fleet, on an aircraft-by-aircraft basis. A recoverability assessment is also performed whenever events or changes in circumstances, or indicators, suggest that the carrying amount or net book value of an asset may not be recoverable. Indicators may include, but are not limited to, a significant lease restructuring or early lease termination, significant change in an aircraft type’s storage levels, the introduction of newer technology aircraft or engines, an aircraft type is no longer in production or a significant airworthiness directive is issued. When we perform a recoverability assessment, we measure whether the estimated future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the aircraft exceed its net book value. The undiscounted cash flows consist of cash flows from currently contracted lease rental and maintenance payments, future projected lease rates and maintenance payments, transition costs, estimated down time, and estimated residual or scrap values for an aircraft. In the event that an aircraft does not meet the recoverability test, the aircraft will be adjusted to fair value, resulting in an impairment charge. See Note 2 in the Notes to Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements.

Management develops the assumptions used in the recoverability analysis based on current and future expectations of the global demand for a particular aircraft type and historical experience in the aircraft leasing market and aviation industry, as well as information received from third party industry sources. The factors considered in estimating the undiscounted cash flows are impacted by changes in future periods due to changes in projected lease rental and maintenance payments, residual values, economic conditions, technology, airline demand for a particular aircraft type and other factors, such as the location of the aircraft and accessibility to records and technical documentation.

We continue to closely monitor the impact of recent crises, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, on our customers, air traffic, lease rental rates, and aircraft valuations, and have and will continue to perform additional customer and aircraft specific reviews should changes in facts and circumstances arise that may impact the recoverability of our aircraft. We have and will focus on aircraft with near-term lease expirations, customers that have entered judicial insolvency proceedings and any additional customers that may become subject to similar-type proceedings, and certain other customers or aircraft variants that are more susceptible to the impact of the above crises and value deterioration.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform Topic 848 (“ASC 848”), in response to the market transition from the London interbank

offered rates (“LIBOR”) and other interbank offered rates (“IBORs”) to alternative reference rates. U.S. GAAP requires entities to evaluate whether a contract modification, such as the replacement or change of a reference rate, results in the establishment of a new contract or continuation of an existing contract. ASC 848 allows an entity to elect not to apply certain modification accounting requirements to contracts affected by reference rate reform. The standard provides this temporary election through December 31, 2022, and cannot be applied to contract modifications that occur after December 31, 2022. Reference rate reform will primarily impact our lease and debt arrangements for which floating-rate lease rentals and interest expense are based on LIBOR. As of May 31, 2022, less than 1% of our fleet have floating-rate lease rentals and for three months ended May 31, 2022, 5% of our interest expense was derived from floating-rate debt which is referenced to LIBOR. We have not adopted ASC 848 and are evaluating the election available to us under the standard.