Dubai Aerospace to acquire aircraft leasing firm Macquarie AirFinance for $7 billion

Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) said on Thursday it has agreed to acquire aircraft leasing firm Macquarie AirFinance at an enterprise value of about $7 billion.

The deal will create a combined fleet of 1,029 owned, managed and committed aircraft serving 191 airline customers across 79 countries, with narrowbody jets making up roughly 70% of the portfolio, DAE said in a statement.

Macquarie Asset Management acknowledged the deal in a separate statement.

The acquisition will add 37 new airline customers to DAE's roster, including carriers in seven countries where the Dubai state-owned lessor currently has no presence.

DAE CEO, Firoz Tarapore said the deal would create a "bigger, stronger, more diversified and well-capitalised" company, adding that the combined entity's scale would support more competitive pricingand a broader customer offering.

The deal has been approved by DAE's board and is subject to regulatory approvals. It is expected to close in the second half of 2026.

-Reporting by Roshan Thomas in Bengaluru and Hadeel Al Sayegh in United Arab Emirates; Editing by Sumana Nandy and Mrigank Dhaniwala/Reuters