Steven F. Udvar-Házy


Steven Ferencz Udvar–Házy, also known as István or Steve Hazy, is an American billionaire businessman, and the CEO of Air Lease Corporation. He is the former chairman and CEO of International Lease Finance Corporation, one of the two largest aircraft lessors in the world. Forbes 400 ranked him as the 179th richest person with a net worth of US$4.1 billion. Udvar–Házy is the 3rd richest Hungarian American on the list after Thomas Peterffy and George Soros, before Charles Simonyi.

Early life

The Udvar-Házy family moved to the US in 1958, fleeing the Soviet occupation of Hungary. Hazy attended University High School in Los Angeles, and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Career

Udvar-Házy was in his 20s during the later part of transition from propeller aircraft to jets during the mid to late 1960s, and realized that the higher capital investment required to purchase jet aircraft created an opportunity for a leasing business. He founded ILFC with fellow Hungarian Leslie Gonda and his son Louis Gonda in 1973, leasing a single used Douglas DC-8 to Aeroméxico. He left ILFC in February 2010 and founded Air Lease Corporation.
In 2016, Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán presented Udvar-Házy the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary for his achievements in airline industry.

Philanthropy

Udvar-Házy gave a US$66 million grant to the Smithsonian Institution that allowed the U.S. National Air and Space Museum to build the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center annex at Washington Dulles International Airport. The annex houses more than 120 aircraft and 140 space-exploration exhibits as of 2006, and also includes the Space Shuttle Discovery. Plans call for eventually installing over 300 aircraft.
The Udvar-Házy family contributed funds to build the Christine and Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Library and Learning Center at Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University's Prescott Campus. The business building at Dixie State University is named after his parents.

Personal life

He is married with four children, and lives in Beverly Hills, California.