Swiss operator sticks to global expansion trail in wake of Düsseldorf FBO purchase
Switzerland-based business aviation services provider Jet Aviation has acquired US-based completions and maintenance company Midcoast Aviation as it seeks to bolster its global expansion strategy.
The acquisition of St Louis, Missouri-based Midcoast from Sabreliner comes less than a month after Jet Aviation was awarded a contract to build and operate a fixed-base operation (FBO) and executive terminal at Düsseldorf airport in Germany (Flight International, 31 January–6 February).
Jet Aviation chief executive Heinz Koehli says: “When Jet Aviation was acquired by the Permira Funds in October 2005, the new owners committed to putting the company on track to a faster global expansion. The acquisition of Midcoast Aviation is a significant step in this direction.”
The acquisition of Midcoast, which is expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter, is pivotal in Jet Aviation’s strategy to become a full business aviation service provider in North America and widens its offering to include for the first time on the continent green aircraft completions.
“Midcoast adds a new dimension to our business and solidifies Jet Aviation’s position as a maintenance and completion centre,” Koehli adds. Jet Aviation now has five business aviation service locations in North America, including Bedford, Massachusetts; Dallas, Texas; Teterboro, New Jersey; and Palm Beach, Florida, where the company’s business aircraft refurbishment facility is housed. Further expansion is planned, Koehli says, with Los Angeles the likely next focus on its US acquisition trail.
KATE SARSFIELD / LONDON
Source: Flight International
