Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) closed 2025 with a sharp jump in profitability, highlighting the strength of its expansion strategy and disciplined balance sheet management.

The company reported a net profit of $702.2 million for the year ending December 31, 2025, up 47.1% from $477.5 million in 2024. The growth was driven primarily by higher operating profit and insurance recoveries.

Profit before income tax reached $761.6 million, while total revenue rose 20.7% year-on-year to $1.73 billion, compared with $1.43 billion in 2024. DAE attributed the increase to higher lease income from newly acquired aircraft, including those acquired through business combinations, as well as stronger maintenance revenues.

DAE’s balance sheet expanded significantly, with total assets rising to $16.5 billion at the end of 2025 from $13.0 billion a year earlier, reflecting an active year of aircraft acquisitions.

“2025 was another exceptional year for the DAE franchise,” said Firoz Tarapore, Chief Executive Officer of DAE. “We announced and closed the acquisition of NAC. In total, we acquired 280 aircraft and sold 111 during the year.”

Following these transactions, DAE’s owned-and-managed fleet grew by 38% to 604 aircraft by year-end. Tarapore noted that full-year revenues increased 21%, while pre-tax profitability rose 43%, boosting both pre-tax profit margins and return on equity.

Despite rapid growth, DAE maintained strict balance-sheet discipline. “During the year, we raised $3.9 billion in long-term debt financing across multiple public and private transactions,” Tarapore added, highlighting continued strength in capital adequacy, funding, and liquidity.

DAE Engineering also delivered a record performance. Revenue rose 13% to $211 million, while profitability surged 47% to $64 million, reinforcing the division’s growing contribution to the group’s overall results.

Together, these results position DAE as one of the strongest performers in the global aircraft leasing and aviation services market, as demand for modern, fuel-efficient fleets continues to rise.