A Dubai aviation firm appears poised to complete the acquisition of an aircraft leasing business, according to industry insiders familiar with the negotiations.
Sources indicate that DAE Capital, headquartered in Dubai, is approaching a final agreement to acquire control of Macquarie AirFinance’s leasing operations. Both companies have not yet provided responses to inquiries about the potential transaction.
Earlier this year in January, reports surfaced that DAE Capital had advanced to the final selection round for purchasing Macquarie’s aviation leasing portfolio. The company faced competition from Saudi Arabia’s AviLease and Qatar’s Lesha Bank during the bidding process.
The anticipated transaction emerges from an intense competitive bidding environment, driven by unprecedented demand for commercial aircraft. Major manufacturers Boeing and Airbus are currently struggling to produce sufficient numbers of jets to satisfy airline requirements worldwide. This supply shortage has generated lucrative opportunities for aircraft leasing company owners to command higher sale prices.
DAE Capital’s parent company, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, previously completed a significant acquisition in 2017 when it purchased AWAS, a Dublin-headquartered firm that ranked as the world’s tenth-largest aircraft lessor at the time.
