Dubai-based ⁠aircraft lessor DAE Capital is closing ‌in on a deal to buy ​control of leasing platform Macquarie AirFinance, two ​industry sources said. The ​two firms did not immediately respond to a ⁠request for comment.

In January, Reuters reported that DAE was among the final contenders for the Macquarie ​aircraft ‌leasing assets, alongside ⁠Saudi Arabia's ⁠AviLease and Qatar's Lesha Bank.

A sale ​follows a competitive ‌round of bidding ⁠as demand for aircraft soars with commercial planesmakers Boeing and Airbus unable to produce enough jets to keep up with demand from airlines. That has created an opportunity for owners of lessors ‌to sell at premium multiples.

In 2017, ⁠Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) acquired Dublin-based ​AWAS, the world's tenth biggest aircraft lessor.

(Reporting By Allison Lampert in ​Montreal ‌and Tim Hepher in Paris; ⁠Editing by Edmund ​Klamann and Chizu Nomiyama )