 | |
 A Signature Aviation private terminal | |
| Formerly | BBA Aviation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aviation |
| Founded | W. Wilson Cobbett Ltd 1879; 146 years ago (1879) Scandinavia Belting 1911; 114 years ago (1911) British Belting & Asbestos 1925; 100 years ago (1925) BBA Group 1967; 58 years ago (1967) BBA Aviation 2007; 18 years ago (2007) Signature Aviation 2019; 6 years ago (2019) |
| Headquarters | Orlando, Florida |
Key people | Tony Lefebvre (CEO) |
| Services | Private Aviation Terminals |
| Revenue |  US$1,413.9 million (2020)[1] |
| US$192.8 million (2020)[1] | |
| US$(19.0) million (2020)[1] | |
Number of employees | 8,000 (2021)[2] |
| Website | www.signatureaviation.com |
Signature Aviation is amultinational aviation services company headquartered inOrlando, Florida.[3] The company was founded asW. Wilson Cobbett Ltd in 1879 and subsequently specialised in the manufacture of industrial supplies, particularly in the automotive and aviation sectors. DuringWorld War II, the company produced materials for British military aircraft, such as theSupermarine Spitfire,Hawker Hurricane, andHawker Typhoon. During the 1980s and 1990s, the firm decided to increasingly orientate itself towards the aviation industry via a string of acquisitions and divestitures. It was listed on theLondon Stock Exchange until it was acquired byCascade Investment,Blackstone Group, and private equity firmGlobal Infrastructure Partners in May 2021.
Signature Aviation originates toW. Wilson Cobbett Ltd, an industrial belting works originally based in Scotland.[4] Its early name came from its two founders, Sir William Fenton and Walter Cobbett, who established the company during 1879 to manufacture textile belts for use on industrial machinery.[5] For its first thirty years, the production and sale of these belts comprised the company's main commercial activity; over time, Wilson Cobbett expanded into numerous specialist industrial niches and developed a global presence.[4]
During 1911, as an indication of its international expansion, the company was renamedScandinavia Belting; it continued to be rebranded throughout the twentieth century, becomingBritish Belting & Asbestos in 1925.[5] During theinterwar period, it manufactured numerous products for the automotive industry; the company was a supplier of theFord Motor Company on itsModel T vehicle as well as to other manufacturers, includingJaguar Cars.[4] British Belting & Asbestos was also active in the aviation sector. During theSecond World War, the company produced materials used on several British military aircraft, including theSupermarine Spitfire,Hawker Hurricane, andHawker Typhoon.[4] During 1967, the company opted to rebrand itself under the nameBBA Group.[5] During this period, it was largely focused upon the production of automotive materials. By the early 1980s, BBA Group was the world's largest supplier of brake pads within the automotive industry.[4]
In 1986, BBA Group made its first major approach into the aviation sector via its acquisition ofAPPH, a British business that specialised in aircraftundercarriages andhydraulics; shortly thereafter, it also bought a similar business based inNorth America.[5] During 1992, the company was involved in the creation ofSignature Flight Support through the merger ofPage Avjet, an executive aircraft interiors business, and Butler fixed base operations. In 1996, BBA Group took full ownership of Signature Flight Support.[6] By this point, the company was structured into two major divisions: Aviation and Materials Technologies.[4]
During 1996, BBA Group purchasedTrinity Aerospace Engineering; in 1998, the company moved intojet engine repair and overhaul through the acquisitions ofH+S Aviation from Vector Industries,[7][8] andUNC Airwork Corp, formerly a unit of American conglomerateGeneral Electric.[9] By 1998, Signature Flight Support had expanded to possess the world's largest chain of fixed base operators (FBOs), operating a total of 41 facilities across the globe.[10]
During 2000, BBA Group conducted a major divestment, selling off its Mintex brake pad division in exchange for £389m.[11] Around this time, the company also diversified into the flight training sector, purchasingOxford Aviation, then the largest professional pilot training organisation in Europe, for £55.4 million.[12] During the following year, BBA Group bought American businessAircraft Service International Group ('ASIG'), the acquisition of which reportedly doubled the firm's presence in the commercial ground handling market, for $25m.[13] During 2002, the group's chief executive Roy McGlone stated that management's strategy at that point was to focus on its FBO ventures and to dispose of non-core businesses.[14] As a sign of the company's changes, BBA Group was reclassified on theLondon Stock Exchange from the engineering sector to the transport sector.[4]
During 2006, BBA Group opted to demerge its materials technology division, which developed and manufacturednonwoven materials used in the hygiene and medical markets and in numerous industrial applications, and friction materials for trainbrakes: the demerged business was namedFiberweb plc.[15] That same year,Ontic, a legacy aerospace components supplier, was acquired; Oxford Aviation was sold during the following year.[16] BBA Group's name was changed toBBA Aviation in 2007 to mark its transformation to a focused aviation group.[5]
In 2008, BBA Aviation bought the assets of Hawker Beechcraft Services Inc's Line Service Operations in exchange for £65.4 million.[17][18] During 2011, it boughtGE Aviation's fuel measurement business for £38.3m and a new services base atBozeman inMontana, United States, for $10.5m.[19][20] In 2012, BBA Aviation purchasedDryden Air Services andPLH Aviation in Canada, securing a presence in the Canadian market.[21] During 2013, it acquiredMaguire Aviation Group for $69 million.[22] That same year, BBA Aviation reportedly withdrew from talks withDubai Aerospace Enterprise over acquiring aircraft maintenance providerStandardAero.[23] In 2014, BBA Aviation sold APPH (comprising UK sites and their US Wichita site) for $128 million toHéroux-Devtek Inc.[24]
In 2015, BBA Aviation significantly increased the reach of the Signature Flight Support network through the acquisition ofLandmark Aviation fromThe Carlyle Group for $2.1 billion; aviation periodicalFlight International described the deal as being "the largest acquisition in the history of the business aviation services industry".[25][26] During 2017, its ASIG subsidiary was sold off for $202 million.[27] Early that same year, BBA Aviation andGama Aviation agreed to merge theircharter and management operations together, reportedly forming the largest aircraft management business in the United States as a result.[28] In 2018, BBA Aviation acquired fuel specialistEPIC Aviation;[29] that same year, it also boughtFirstmark Corp, a provider of proprietary components and subsystems, which was incorporated into the Ontic portfolio.[30]
During late 2019, BBA Group decided to sell Ontic toCVC Capital Partners in exchange for $1.365 billion; the firm also announced a special dividend to shareholders totalling $835 million from the proceeds of the sale. To reflect its change in business focus, the company's board also elected to rename the groupSignature Aviation to better align the firm with its most significant brand in its core market.[31][32]
In February 2021,Bill Gates–ownedCascade Investment,Blackstone Group, and private equity firmGlobal Infrastructure Partners made a $4.7 billion offer to acquire Signature Aviation.[33] As a result of the acquisition, Cascade's stake increased from 19% to 30%.[33]
In August 2022, the company acquired the TAC Air division of The Arnold Companies. It was announced that fourteen TAC Air locations would be rebranded as Signature Aviation as part of the deal.[34]
The company is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, and has significant operations across the US as well as Canada, Europe, Asia, South America and Africa.[35]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
