Kate English, Chief Economist at Deloitte Ireland, will open the Aviation Finance Festival with a scene-setting presentation, providing a high-level industry overview and a forward-looking macroeconomic outlook to frame the discussions for the day ahead.

In this first module of the Accelerator, participants will learn how to unlock greater value from mid-life assets by utilising data and technology. In this interactive workshop, discover how leading lessors, lenders, and investors use technology to maximize lease yield with proactive advanced asset management strategies. Explore how risk-return decisions are balanced through wholistic counterparty assessments, calibrated risk models, and efficiency gains with AI.

Learning Outcomes: Using real-world scenarios, you will learn best practices in exposure evaluation, assumption stress testing, and how to make faster, more confident portfolio decisions.

Please note, this programme is exclusively for registered Accelerator participants. Space is limited but if you wish to apply, please contact dixie@ishkaglobal.com 

• Why consolidation is accelerating in aircraft leasing, and where it slows.
• Strategic drivers behind M&A: cost of capital, scale, platform efficiency, portfolio mix and investor expectations.
• How the C-Suite are thinking about buy vs. build, organic growth vs. acquisitions.
• The role of private equity, long-term capital and strategic buyers in shaping the next phase of leasing.
• What today’s M&A environment says about where leasing is heading over the next cycle.

Go beyond leasing theory and into real-world execution. This module combines proven leasing fundamentals with empirical insight to help you structure smarter agreements and negotiate stronger deals.

Please note, this programme is exclusively for registered Accelerator participants. Space is limited but if you wish to apply, please contact dixie@ishkaglobal.com 

Be among the first to discover the standout transactions redefining aviation finance. During the morning networking break, we’ll unveil the shortlisted deals for the Ishka AFG Deal of the Year Awards - spanning across leasing, financing, capital markets, M&A, and more.

These awards recognise the most innovative, complex, and strategically significant deals closed over the past year, spotlighting the creativity and resilience driving the market forward. From first-of-their-kind structures to large-scale financings, this is your insider look at who is getting awarded for setting new industry benchmarks.

Join peers and market leaders as the shortlist is revealed in Dublin - with final winners to be announced at Ishka’s New York event on 20 October, hosted by EY. 

More information on the awards here.

An interactive forum led by Deloitte for aviation finance leaders, exploring the evolving challenges and opportunities shaping today’s finance function.

Bringing together senior finance professionals from lessors, banks and airlines, this session will feature a focused, sharp and conversational discussion on the key themes finance teams are grappling with, beyond traditional financial reporting and tax.

• How AI and emerging technologies are reshaping finance functions, reporting and decision-making
• Why cyber security and data resilience have become critical finance leadership issues
• Key financial reporting and tax considerations finance teams need on their radar, and how priorities are shifting

Designed to be practical and peer-led, this forum encourages open dscussion, offering fresh perspectives on how the finance function is evolving in leasing and where it is heading next.

Exclusive, pre-registered forum. If you wish to apply for a spot, please contact Dixie Rowley: dixie@ishkaglobal.com

• The sustained strength (or softening) of midlife aircraft demand and why it continues to outperform.
• Economics of midlife deals: lease rates, maintenance exposure, engine-driven unpredictability.
• How midlife value trends differ between narrowbodies, widebodies, and regional jets.

From insight to interaction: This networking break gives you space to connect, collaborate, and continue the conversations sparked during the mentorship huddle with peers and industry leaders alike.

• Regional snapshots: Europe, China, APAC, Middle East, and emerging markets.
• How political and economic developments are influencing funding, SLB competition, and market access.
• Shifting regional credit profiles and where capital is flowing in 2026.

The Global Risk Roundtable brings together risk and legal professionals for a candid, closed-door discussion on the realities of operating across multiple jurisdictions. Focused on practical experience rather than theory, the session offers a confidential setting to exchange insight on jurisdiction-specific challenges, enforcement considerations and lessons learned from complex scenarios. Designed to foster open dialogue, this forum gives attendees the opportunity to learn from peers and share knowledge in an environment where discretion and experience matter.

Exclusive, pre-registered forum. If you wish to apply for a spot, please contact Dixie Rowley: dixie@ishkaglobal.com

This invite-only masterclass brings together airlines and lessors for a practical, experience-led discussion on the realities of today’s engine leasing environment. Against a backdrop of constrained supply, rising lease rates and extended shop visit timelines, the session will explore where negotiations are becoming more complex and how market participants are adapting.

Through real-world case studies, facilitated discussion and interactive breakout scenarios, attendees will examine key friction points across the engine lifecycle, from redelivery disputes and LLP ownership structures to AOG response strategies and lease extension decision-making. Designed to encourage peer-to-peer exchange, the session offers a confidential forum to share insight, compare approaches and explore how risk is being allocated in an increasingly pressured market.

Please note, this programme is exclusively for registered Accelerator participants. Space is limited but if you wish to apply, please contact dixie@ishkaglobal.com 

• How are values for midlife aircraft being affected by the latest fuel shock? Is this a temporary flux or long-term market recalibration?
• How are owners and operators looking at older CEOs and NGs? Is the ‘golden’ midlife age over?
• What is the story from lease rates and renewals?
• Broken Spirit: Could more airline bankruptcies mean more older assets in the market? How are appraisers thinking about this?

This closed-door session will bring together airlines and lessors for a focused discussion on navigating today’s financing environment.

The masterclass will explore current market conditions, including capital availability, liquidity pressures and cost trends, before examining the key financing options, risks and opportunities in the current cycle. SkyWorks will also share perspectives on financing strategy, including debt, leasing and liquidity trade-offs.

Designed to be interactive, the session will open to the floor for discussion, offering practical insights and peer exchange on how organisations are approaching aircraft financing today.

Exclusive, pre-registered forum. If you wish to apply for a spot, please contact Dixie Rowley: dixie@ishkaglobal.com

•  Lessons from recent restructurings and the changing landscape of credit enforcement.
• How investors evaluate recovery prospects and risk-adjusted pricing.
• The evolving relationship between legal risk, jurisdictional complexity, and remarketing success.

As competition for talent across the aircraft leasing sector continues to intensify, understanding how your peers are structuring benefits, policies and working models has never been more important.

In this session, Coopman will share the findings of a recent industry-wide survey of HR and operational leaders across the leasing market. The discussion will focus on key trends in benefits, hybrid working, annual leave and broader employee value propositions.

Designed as an insight-led roundtable, this session will provide attendees with a clear, anonymised view of how organisations across the sector are approaching talent retention and engagement in 2026.

Exclusive, pre-registered forum. If you wish to apply for a spot, please contact Dixie Rowley: dixie@ishkaglobal.com