A Florida-based company, Gat Aircraft and Engine Leasing Limited, a subsidiary of GA Telesis, has filed a lawsuit in the High Court of England and Wales against Air Albania and Turkish Airlines, accusing them of breaching lease agreements involving two Airbus A320-200 aircraft.
The lawsuit was filed on August 1, 2025, and claims that Air Albania stopped paying lease payments for the aircraft ZA-ASM (msn 3676) and ZA-MMK (msn 4934) as of March 2025. GA Telesis also claims that the Albanian airline breached other obligations to third parties, such as Eurocontrol, which led the lessor to terminate the contracts.
The lawsuit notes that “in further breach of contract, Air Albania has not returned the aircraft and continues to illegally use aircraft number 3676 [ZA-ASM].” GA Telesis is asking the court to prohibit any further flights with the aircraft in question, to confirm the termination of the contracts, to return both aircraft together with their engines, to pay the arrears of rent, as well as damages and legal costs.
According to documents that have been made public, GA Telesis officially addressed Turkish Airlines on July 14, as guarantor of the Air Albania lease agreement, demanding the repayment of debts. However, the Turkish company refused to comply. News of the lawsuit was first revealed by the specialized Swiss media Ch-Aviation, which contacted the parties involved. GA Telesis declined to comment, while Air Albania and Turkish Airlines did not respond to requests for comment.
Turkish Airlines owns 49% of Air Albania. According to Flightradar24 data, ZA-ASM has been parked at Istanbul airport since August 6, a few days after the lawsuit was filed. Some Albanian media reported that the aircraft was seized, but this information has not been confirmed. The second plane, ZA-MMK, has been parked at the same airport since July 22, 2024.
Air Albania does not have its own aircraft and relies exclusively on leases for its operations. It currently operates routes with two leased Airbus A320-200s, from Fly2Sky and Dan Air.
GA Telesis's partnership with Air Albania began in 2023, when the American company announced the delivery of two Airbus A320s on long-term lease to the Albanian company. In a press release, GA Telesis stated that the investment is part of the development strategy of the LIFT (Leasing, Investment, Finance & Trading Group) division, aiming to utilize quality aircraft in the international market and strengthen Air Albania's presence in the aviation sector.
At the time, David Ellis, Director of Global Leasing and Marketing at GA Telesis, had stated that “we are delighted to support Air Albania’s fleet expansion plans as it responds to the ever-increasing demand for air travel in the region.” However, Air Albania’s failure to pay the lease payments led to the case being taken to the British courts.
