Dubai Aerospace Enterprises and Blackstone Credit and Insurance have entered into a partnership to launch a new long-term global investment program named “Equator,” aimed at investing in aircraft leased to commercial airlines, with targeted investments of approximately $1.6 billion annually.
The Equator program will focus on creating a diverse portfolio of commercial aircraft leased to leading airlines worldwide, with Dubai Aerospace Enterprises providing external assets and managing the assets owned by Equator through its aircraft investor services platform.
Solid Foundation
Firoz Tarapor, CEO of Dubai Aerospace Enterprises, commented that Blackstone’s vast and flexible capital serves as a solid foundation to support plans for expanding aircraft fleet management services for third parties, along with the growth of their fleet and the expansion of their global customer and partner network. He expressed optimism about achieving these goals by combining expertise with Blackstone’s investment capabilities to build a high-quality and valuable aircraft portfolio for Equator.
Technical Expertise
Aneek Mamick, Senior Managing Director and Head of Financial Asset Financing at Blackstone Credit and Insurance, expressed his enthusiasm for strengthening their presence in the aviation sector through the partnership with Dubai Aerospace Enterprises, a leading aircraft leasing company with advanced technical expertise and strong strategic relationships with airlines and aircraft manufacturers. He indicated that the program reflects Blackstone’s commitment to deploying flexible capital in high-quality investments supported by tangible assets, contributing to sustainable long-term value creation.
Blackstone Credit and Insurance is expected to provide a comprehensive package of capital solutions to support this initiative, ensuring flexible and reliable financing that is capable of adapting to various market cycles and investment opportunities.
The investor group from Blackstone Credit and Insurance will include contributions from funds managed by ITE Management, a strategic partner of Blackstone Credit and Insurance.
Dubai Aerospace Enterprises operates nearly 700 aircraft, including over 100 valued at more than $4 billion until December 31, 2025, making it one of the largest aircraft leasing firms globally. The company also provides services under 17 management agreements for institutional and financial investors, leveraging its expertise in aircraft management.
Blackstone Credit and Insurance’s asset-backed credit and infrastructure group manages assets totaling over $100 billion.
The platform focuses on providing diverse credit solutions, including investment-grade credit, non-investment-grade credit, and structured investments across various sectors of the real economy, including infrastructure, commercial finance, fund financing, consumer finance, and real estate lending.