2021 is not comparable to the fourth quarter of 2020 due to the public listing of AerSale on December 23, 2020.
Adjusted EBITDA in the fourth quarter of 2021 was $28.6 million, or 24.5% of revenue, versus $3.0 million, or 6.1% of revenue in the fourth quarter of 2020. Higher revenue as well as a favorable sales mix comprising a larger portion of higher margin flight equipment sales benefitted adjusted EBITDA during the fourth quarter of 2021.
Full Year 2021 Results of Operations
For the full year 2021, AerSale reported consolidated revenue of $340.4 million, which included flight equipment sales of $156.9 million, compared to $208.9 million in full year 2020, which included $3.1 million of flight equipment sales.
AMS revenue was $232.0 million in full year 2021 compared to $98.8 million in full year 2020. The increase was primarily the result of higher flight equipment sales, partially offset by lower leasing revenues due to a lease return payment recognized in the prior year and lower leasing volume as three passenger Boeing 747 leases ended as scheduled at the end of 2020. Sales of engine parts also increased during the year.
Revenue from TechOps was 1.6% lower at $108.4 million in 2021. Full year segment revenue was unfavorably impacted by the reallocation of resources to the Company’s cargo conversion program, partially offset by higher revenue from rehabilitation and recommissioning of aircraft at the Company’s aircraft MRO facilities in Roswell and increased volume at the Company’s component MROs.
AerSale is on track to monetize the rest of its Boeing 757 investment through 2022 and 2023. The Company expects to benefit from a pickup in MRO volume due to the ongoing recommissioning of commercial aircraft and greater demand for USM parts consumption for overhaul activity.
Gross margin was 35.1% in 2021 compared to 25.3% in 2020, which was primarily driven by the change in sales mix during the year as noted previously.
Selling, general and administrative expenses, net of the Payroll Support Program proceeds, were $77.5 million in 2021 compared to $55.6 million in 2020. An uptick in payroll, public company costs, and increased support costs related to the Boeing 757 package drove the increase in selling, general and administrative expenses. AerSale received $14.8 million and $12.7 million in Payroll Support Program proceeds during 2021 and 2020, respectively. In addition, the Company incurred $12.7 million of non-cash stock-based compensation within payroll expenses in 2021, compared to $1.0 million recognized in 2020.
Income from operations was $56.7 million in 2021 versus $11.3 million in 2020.
Income tax expense was $11.7 million in 2021 compared to $1.7 million in 2020.
GAAP net income was $36.1 million in 2021 compared to $8.1 million in 2020. Adjusted for non-cash loss on investment, stock-based compensation, inventory write-offs, unrealized loss on investment, and mark-to-market adjustments to the warrant liability, Adjusted Net Income was $63.6 million.
Adjusted EBITDA for 2021 was $89.3 million, or 26.2% of sales, compared to adjusted EBITDA of $51.5 million, or 24.7% of sales, in 2020. The margin expansion was largely attributable to high-margin flight equipment sales, the impact of which was partially offset by lower leasing revenues as a lease return payment was recognized in the prior year. The Company’s margin profile also continued to benefit from the ongoing higher margin aircraft storage and related maintenance activities. Adjusted EBITDA benefitted from $14.8 million in Payroll Support Program proceeds during 2021, while the corresponding benefit in 2020 was $12.7 million.
Martin Garmendia, AerSale’s Chief Financial Officer, said: “Our internal adjustments and superior execution in 2021 against the backdrop of the pandemic have yielded success. In addition to being more resilient, we are also on a stronger operational and financial footing now. We have thrived in this challenging commercial aviation market with the diversity of our revenue sources creating a counter-cyclical hedge. We look forward to generating internal and external stakeholder value as we seek to achieve our goals over the next few years.”