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Oxford Aviation Training Students
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19th June 2007 - BBA Aviation Plc (“BBA”) has announced that it has agreed to sell its Oxford Aviation Training business (“OAT”) to GCAT Flight Academy (GCAT) for £32 million (US$64m) further retaining £5m in cash from the business.
OAT, based at Oxford Airport, is one of the world's leading airline pilot training establishments and has been supplying trained pilots to air operators across the world for over forty years. In 2006 OAT had a turnover of £18.5 million. Oxford Aviation Training, often remembered as the Oxford Air Training School, was originally part of the CSE Aviation group, which owned the airport, an engineering business and an aircraft sales arm. The sale marks the first time in OAT’s history that it has not been a sister company to the airport and engineering businesses. After training more than 20,000 professional pilots for over 80 airlines, along with thousands of engineers, OAT has been the most prominent professional aviation college in Europe, often with the best results in the industry and greatest success in graduate placements. In recent years, OAT established a partner school in Arizona and adopted greater use of flight simulators at Oxford which has helped dramatically reduce flight activity at Oxford Airport, down by 100,000 movements over ten years. Oxford was once the busiest single runway operation in the world thanks to OAT’s activities.
GCAT is a market leader in the pilot type rating training sector as a TRTO and has evolved from the merger of GECAT (GE Commercial Aircraft Training) and SAS Flight Academy. These two prominent names in aviation training have recently come together to create the largest flight training organisation in Europe and the third largest in the world, offering leading-edge, cost-effective, full service training solutions. Becoming part of a wider aviation training group will be of substantial benefit to the OAT business, enabling it to consolidate its position in the European market place and beyond.
The combined training experience of GCAT spans 80 years, whilst the group has more than 40 commercial flight simulators with operations in Denmark, Hong Kong, Latvia, Norway, Sweden and the UK. Strong on Airbus, Boeing and Embraer type training, GCAT also provides helicopter type training.
The principal shareholder of GCAT, Star Capital Partners, is a leading European investment fund with more than €1 billion of equity under management with particular expertise in the transportation sector. The company also retains a strong link with GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) as a shareholder.
Enquiries:
Oxford Aviation Training
Tel: +44 (0) 1865 841 234
Anthony Petteford, Managing Director
BBA Aviation plc
Tel: +44 (0) 2075 143 999
Simon Pryce, Group Chief Executive
Andrew Wood, Group Finance Director
Brunswick Group (BBA PR Representatives)
Tel: +44 (0) 2074 045 959
Lucie Anne Brailsford
Jemma Hill
Notes to Editors:
BBA Aviation is a world leader in aviation services focusing on Aviation Flight Support and Aftermarket Services and Systems. BBA Aviation provides flight support services for corporate and commercial aviation customers as well as maintenance, repair, overhaul and spare parts for aircraft engines. It also supplies aviation components, landing gear and hydraulic systems. These are attractive niches in a $250 billion market with clear barriers to entry, where BBA has leading positions, well-known and reputable brands and a proven track record of organic and acquisition-led growth.
BBA Aviation was formerly part of BBA Group, but following the demerger of Fiberweb, in November 2006 it became a stand-alone aviation services business.
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