The second round of bidding for lessor AWAS continues, according to sources familiar with the process, with final bids set to be submitted soon.
FlightGlobal has confirmed that Dubai Aerospace Enterprise made it to the second round, along with joint bidders BBAM-FLY Leasing and Macquarie AirFinance-Ping An Leasing.
MC Aviation Partners, Blackstone and Apollo Global Management did not answer FlightGlobal's request for comment on whether they were among the other bidders still in the running.
Bids are due at the end of this month, two sources involved with the process confirmed to FlightGlobal. There could be another round if more information is required by the bidders, or a winner could be selected as soon as the end of the second round.
AWAS parent Terra Firma received 17 bids for the lessor in the first round, 14 of which were for the platform and three of which were non-platform bids, according to a source familiar with the sale. Fewer than half the original bidders made it to the second round.
CDB Leasing chief executive Peter Chang has confirmed to FlightGlobal that his firm is not bidding for AWAS.
Since the sale process was launched at the beginning of the year, a diverse group of investors has been attracted, FlightGlobal understands. Some of these have invested in the aircraft leasing space before, and some have not.
Source: Cirium Dashboard