Steven F. Udvar-Házy Net Worth

Steven F. Udvar-Házy has an estimated net worth of $5.1 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Steven F. Udvar-Házy profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $3.9 billion in 2019.

Steven F. Udvar-Házy is a Hungarian-American businessman who helped build aircraft leasing into a major business. Forbes says he made his fortune in aircraft leasing and classifies him as self-made. He later became executive chairman of Air Lease Corporation and earlier led International Lease Finance Corporation, known as ILFC. His career took off when airlines were moving from propeller planes to jets, a change that made buying aircraft more expensive and opened the door for leasing.

He first tried running his own airline in his 20s, then saw a bigger opportunity in buying planes and leasing them to carriers. In 1973, he co-founded ILFC and began with a single used Douglas DC-8 leased to Aeroméxico. He sold ILFC to AIG in 1990 for $1.3 billion. After leaving ILFC in 2010, he started Air Lease Corporation. Forbes puts his net worth at $5.1 billion on its real-time tracker as of October 20, 2026.

How Steven F. Udvar-Házy built his fortune

Udvar-Házy made his money by owning aircraft and leasing them to airlines. That business became more attractive as jet aircraft required much larger upfront investment than earlier planes. He recognized that airlines might prefer to rent aircraft instead of buying them outright. Forbes credits him with creating the airplane leasing industry, and that idea became the core of his wealth over decades in aviation finance.

His first big company was ILFC, which he co-founded in 1973 with Leslie Gonda and Louis Gonda. The company started small, leasing a single used Douglas DC-8 to Aeroméxico, then grew into one of the two largest aircraft lessors in the world. In 1990, ILFC was sold to AIG for $1.3 billion. He later founded Air Lease Corporation in 2010 and stayed involved as its executive chairman.

Forbes net worth and other money facts

Forbes has tracked changes in Udvar-Házy's fortune over time. Its World's Billionaires list estimated $3.9 billion in 2019 and again in 2020, then $4.3 billion in 2021. The estimate moved to $4.1 billion in 2022 and $3.8 billion in 2023 before rising to $4.2 billion in 2024, $4.4 billion in 2025, and $4.7 billion in 2026. Forbes' real-time tracker later showed $5.1 billion in October 2026.

His money story is also tied to major transactions and giving. Forbes notes that ILFC was sold to AIG in 1990 for $1.3 billion. It also says he later sold Air Lease Corp. in a $7.4 billion deal. Beyond business, he backed aviation and education with large donations. The Smithsonian named its Virginia location for him after a $60 million gift in 2000, and Forbes says he and Christine have given more than $100 million to education.