Dubai Aerospace Enterprise and Blackstone Credit & Insurance announced a strategic partnership to launch a new global aviation leasing investment program branded “Equator,” targeting approximately $1.6 billion in annual capital deployment.
The program will focus on building a diversified portfolio of commercial aircraft leased to airlines worldwide. Under the agreement, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise will originate aircraft assets from third parties, while its Aircraft Investor Services division will manage the portfolio on behalf of the platform.
The initiative is designed to capitalize on global aviation demand by combining DAE’s aircraft sourcing and servicing capabilities with Blackstone Credit & Insurance’s flexible capital solutions. The program aims to deploy capital across market cycles, supporting both investment-grade and non-investment-grade opportunities backed by hard assets.
Dubai Aerospace Enterprise currently manages, owns, or has committed approximately 700 aircraft globally, including more than 100 aircraft under management valued at over $4 billion. The company serves more than 200 airline customers across over 80 countries, positioning it as one of the largest aircraft lessors worldwide.
Blackstone Credit & Insurance’s Infrastructure and Asset Based Credit Group manages more than $100 billion in assets and brings extensive experience in structured credit and real asset investing. The broader investor base for the program will include capital from funds managed by ITE Management, a strategic partner of BXCI.
The Equator platform represents a long-term effort to scale aviation leasing investments globally, leveraging institutional capital and operational expertise to expand exposure to aircraft-backed assets.
KEY QUOTES:
“Blackstone’s scaled and flexible capital provides a strong foundation to grow our third-party fleet management franchise. Our fleet size, global customer and counterparty reach, and dedicated client support team makes DAE uniquely positioned to support Equator’s long-term success. We are excited to execute on these targets, marrying our expertise with BXCI’s investing prowess to build a meaningful portfolio of aircraft for Equator.”
Firoz Tarapore, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise
“We are pleased to expand our aviation capabilities alongside DAE, a leading aircraft lessor with deep technical expertise and longstanding relationships with airlines and OEMs. This program underscores BXCI’s focus on deploying flexible capital into high-quality investments backed by hard assets.”
Aneek Mamik, Senior Managing Director and Head of Financial Services for Asset Based Finance, Blackstone Credit & Insurance
