Dubai: Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) Ltd and Blackstone Credit and Insurance (BXCI) today announced an agreement to partner in launching a new long-term global investment programme branded 'Equator.' This programme aims to invest in aircraft leased to commercial airlines, targeting an approximate deployment of US$1.6 billion annually.
According to Emirates News Agency, Equator will develop a diversified portfolio of commercial aircraft leased to leading airlines worldwide. DAE will source the assets from third parties, and its Aircraft Investor Services (AIS) group will manage the assets owned by Equator. Firoz Tarapore, Chief Executive Officer of DAE, highlighted Blackstone's scaled and flexible capital as a strong foundation for expanding their third-party fleet management franchise.
Tarapore stated that DAE's fleet size, global customer and counterparty reach, and dedicated client support team make the company uniquely positioned to support Equator's long-term success. He expressed enthusiasm about combining DAE's expertise with BXCI's investing prowess to build a substantial portfolio of aircraft for Equator.
Aneek Mamik, Senior Managing Director and the Head of Financial Services for Asset Based Finance at BXCI, expressed satisfaction in expanding aviation capabilities alongside DAE, a leading aircraft lessor with deep technical expertise and longstanding airline and OEM relationships. Mamik emphasized that the programme reflects BXCI's commitment to deploying flexible capital into high-quality investments backed by hard assets.
BXCI plans to provide a comprehensive range of capital to support the programme, offering flexible and dependable financing solutions across market cycles and investment opportunities. The BXCI investor group will include capital from funds managed by ITE Management, L.P., a strategic partner of BXCI.
DAE, with approximately 700 aircraft, including more than 100 valued at over US$4 billion under management as of 31st December 2025, ranks among the largest aircraft lessors globally. DAE acts as a servicer in seventeen servicing and management agreements for institutional and financial investors, providing its aircraft management expertise.
As of 31st December 2025, BXCI's Infrastructure and Asset Based Credit Group manages over US$100 billion, with more than 90 investment professionals. The platform focuses on offering investment-grade credit, non-investment grade credit, and structured investments across the real economy, including infrastructure, commercial finance, fund finance, consumer finance, and real estate lending.
