the end of the first quarter as the Company’s last leased aircraft, a 737-400 cargo aircraft, was sold during the quarter, eliminating any risk from aircraft leasing at this time. Excluding flight equipment sales, Asset Management revenue would have been $20.7 million in the first quarter of 2023 versus $22.6 million in the prior year period.
TechOps revenue declined 38.3% to $29.8 million in the first quarter of 2023 from $48.3 million in the year-ago period. This is driven by the prior year sale of a Boeing 737NG, which was highly modified for a US governmental agency and previously used for AerAware flight testing, partially offset by additional capacity dedicated to customer aircraft at the Company’s Goodyear on-airport MRO facility. As previously mentioned, AerSale sub-contracted third-party providers at the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2022 to perform 12 757 P2F conversions initially planned to be completed at its Goodyear facility, enabling the Company to increase capacity for third-party services in order to meet increased customer demand.
Gross margin was 31.2% in the first quarter of 2023 versus 38.0% in the year ago period mostly on account of the sales mix that comprised fewer higher margin flight equipment sales.
Selling, general and administrative expenses were $25.2 million in the first quarter of 2023 compared to $23.8 million in the first quarter of 2022. AerSale incurred $2.7 million of stock-based compensation expenses in the first quarter of 2023 versus $3.8 million in the first quarter of 2022.
Loss from operations was $0.8 million in the first quarter of 2023 and income from operations was $22.9 million in the first quarter of 2022.
Income tax expense was $0.1 million in the first quarter of 2023 and $4.6 million in the first quarter of 2022.
GAAP net income for the first quarter of 2023 was $5 thousand, compared to $17.2 million in the first quarter of 2022. Adjusted for stock-based compensation, mark-to-market adjustment to the private warrant liability, and facility relocation costs, Adjusted Net Income was $3.3 million in the first quarter of 2023 and $22.2 million in the first quarter of 2022. Diluted earnings per share was $0.00 for the first quarter of 2023 and $0.32 in the first quarter of 2022. Adjusted for the above-mentioned non-cash and unusual items, adjusted diluted earnings per share was $0.07 for the first quarter of 2023 and $0.41 in the first quarter of 2022.
Adjusted EBITDA in the first quarter of 2023 was $5.0 million, compared to $29.9 million in the first quarter of 2022. The reduction in adjusted EBITDA was largely a consequence of lower flight equipment sales, which usually carry higher margins.
Martin Garmendia, AerSale’s Chief Financial Officer, said: “As anticipated, our results for the first quarter of 2023 included significantly lower flight equipment sales compared to the prior year, which adversely impacted our margins. We expect this trend to continue through the second quarter of this year given that the second quarter of 2022 included $92.5 million of higher margin flight equipment sales. The underlying momentum of our other businesses remains strong, and we are confident that they will continue to perform well. We expect a stronger contribution from the 757 P2F program in the second half of 2023 as we execute on our planned flight equipment sales.”
2023 Guidance
AerSale still expects to generate revenue of $460 - $490 million and adjusted EBITDA of $70 - $80 million in 2023. This guidance reflects the Company’s expected flight equipment sales during the year and anticipated volume in its ongoing operations. Guidance for 2023 does not reflect potential sales of AerAware as the product is in its final stages of approval and will be updated once the STC is issued and the Company can assess initial order and delivery schedules.
Conference Call Information
The Company will host a conference call today, May 9, 2023, at 4:30 pm Eastern Time to discuss these results. A live webcast will also be available at https://ir.aersale.com/news-events/events. Participants may access the call at 1-888-886-7786, international callers may use 1-416-764-8658, and request to join the AerSale Corporation earnings call.