TechOps revenue fell 9.9% to $27.4 million in the third quarter of 2023 from $30.4 million in the year-ago period. The TechOps business was adversely impacted by fewer customer aircraft in storage as compared to prior periods and weaker contributions from our aerostructures and landing gear facilities. This was partially offset by additional capacity made available for customer aircraft by outsourcing the remaining 12 P2F converted Boeing 757 aircraft to third-party providers.
Gross margin was 25.4% in the third quarter of 2023 compared to 30.4% in the year ago period, driven by lower margins from the mix of flight equipment sales.
Selling, general and administrative expenses were $25.4 million in the third quarter of 2023 compared to $24.0 million in the third quarter of 2022 primarily driven by higher AerAware development and facility expansion costs. AerSale incurred $3.2 million of stock-based compensation expenses in the third quarter of 2023 versus $4.4 million in the third quarter of 2022.
Loss from operations was $1.9 million in the third quarter of 2023 and loss from operations was $8.5 million in the third quarter of 2022.
Income tax benefit was $2.0 million in the third quarter of 2023 and $1.1 million in the third quarter of 2022.
GAAP net loss was $0.1 million in the third quarter of 2023, compared to GAAP net loss of $9.0 million in the prior year period. Adjusted for stock-based compensation, mark-to-market adjustment to the private warrant liability, recovery of inventory obsolescence, relocation costs, and secondary issuance costs, adjusted net income was $0.9 million in the third quarter of 2023. Adjusted for stock-based compensation and mark-to-market adjustment to the private warrant liability, relocation costs, and secondary issuance costs, adjusted net loss was $1.9 million in the third quarter of 2022.
Diluted loss per share was $0.00 for the third quarter of 2023 and $0.17 in the third quarter of 2022. Adjusted for the above-mentioned non-cash and unusual items, adjusted diluted earnings per share was $0.03 for the third quarter of 2023 compared to adjusted diluted loss per share of $0.03 in the third quarter of 2022.
Adjusted EBITDA in the third quarter of 2023 was $1.9 million, compared to $(0.5) million in the third quarter of 2022. The growth in adjusted EBITDA was driven by greater high-margin flight equipment sales.
Martin Garmendia, AerSale’s Chief Financial Officer, said: “Compared to the year ago period, we benefited from the cadence of flight equipment sales this quarter. However, results for the quarter were below our internal projections as several flight equipment sales shifted into the fourth quarter, including the sale of a P2F converted Boeing 757 aircraft. In terms of the broader market, we continue to be impacted by a weaker freight market, which has prolonged the sales cycle of our remaining P2F converted Boeing 757s, as reflected in our guidance update. At the same time, we remain confident that our purpose-built model and excellent execution capabilities will enable us to drive and generate value for all our stakeholders over the next few quarters.”
Updated 2023 Guidance
AerSale now expects to generate revenue of $400 - $420 million and adjusted EBITDA of $40 - $45 million in 2023. This updated guidance continues to reflect softer demand in the freight market that is expected to spread out the sales cycle of our P2F converted Boeing 757 aircraft and continued supply chain issues that have delayed the availability of USM and flight equipment available for sale or lease. Of note, our revised guidance includes flight equipment sales that are scheduled to close by the end of the year, but which have not yet occurred, and could shift into the first quarter of 2024, due to the volume of transactions and tight time frame to close. This guidance for 2023 does not reflect potential sales of AerAware as the product is in its final stages of FAA approval.
Conference Call Information
The Company will host a conference call today, November 8, 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 1-877-300-8521, international callers may use 1-412-317-6026, and request to join the AerSale