8-K

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report:  July 1, 2003

Willis Lease Finance Corporation

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

Delaware	0-28774	68-0070656
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number)
2320 Marinship Way, Suite 300 Sausalito, California 94965
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (415) 331-5281

Item 6. Resignation of Registrant’s Directors.

On July 1, 2003 the Registrant announced the resignationof Hans Jörg Hunziker from the Registrant’s Board of Directors. Mr. Hunziker served on the Board as representative of  FlightTechnics, LLC (an affiliate of SAirGroup), as part of the Shareholder’s Agreement between the Company and FlightTechnics LLC dated November 7, 2000. Flightechnics LLC has nominated William Coon to act as its representative on the Company’s Board as a replacement for Mr. Hunziker.

Item 7. Financial Statements, Pro Forma Financial Information and Exhibits

(c)	Exhibits
Exhibit No.		Description
99.1		Press Release issued July 1, 2003.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Dated as of July 1, 2003.

WILLIS LEASE FINANCE CORPORATION
By:	/s/  MONICA J. BURKE
	Monica J. Burke
	Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

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Exhibit List

Exhibit No.	Description
99.1	Press Release issued on July 1, 2003

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EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

	contact:  Donald A. Nunemaker	corporate investor relations
	Chief Operating Officer	5333 15th Ave. South, Seattle, WA  98108
	(415) 331-5281	(206) 762-0993
		www.stockvalues.com

NEWS RELEASE

JET ENGINE INDUSTRY VETERAN JOINS BOARD OF WILLIS LEASE FINANCE

SAUSALITO, CA – July 1, 2003—Willis Lease Finance Corporation (Nasdaq: WLFC), a leading lessor of commercial jet engines, today announced that W. William Coon, formerly an executive with GE Aircraft Engines, has joined the company’s Board of Directors following the resignation of Hans Jörg Hunziker.  Mr. Coon, and formerly Mr. Hunziker, holds the Board seat which is nominated by SAirGroup affiliate, FlightTechnics, LLC, as part of the November 2000 transaction which resulted in FlightTechnics, LLC acquiring a 15% ownership stake in WLFC.

“Bill Coon’s expertise in the aviation industry, especially his many years of experience in product support and leasing to customers acquiring and operating jet engines, make him an excellent addition to our Board of Directors,” stated Charles F. Willis, President and CEO.

Coon currently serves as President, CEO and Director of SR Technics America, as well as Director of several of its subsidiaries.  SR Technics America is a subsidiary of SAirGroup.  Previously, he spent 34 years at GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE), a division of General Electric (NYSE: GE), where he served in numerous management positions.  Prior to retiring from GEAE in 2000, Coon was General Manager for Small Commercial Engine Services.  From 1984 to 1998 he served as Director of Product Support, where he was responsible for supplying global services to the company’s regional airline customers.

Mr. Coon holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a Masters in Business Administration from Xavier University.  He currently resides in Andover, Massachusetts with his wife, Sharon.

Coon is a Class I Director and his term expires at the WLFC 2005 Annual Meeting of shareholders.

About Willis Lease Finance

Willis Lease Finance Corporation leases spare commercial aircraft engines, rotable parts and aircraft to commercial airlines, aircraft engine manufacturers and overhaul/repair facilities.  These leasing activities are integrated with the purchase and resale of used and refurbished commercial aircraft engines.

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