Excellence Aviation Services (EAS), a Bombardier Challenger and Global Express specialist, has been acquired by London Stansted-based Inflite The Jet Centre. The transaction includes EAS’s Part 145 organization and CAMO, as well as its Part NCC aircraft management business, Excellence Aviation.
With fresh investment and a dedicated home within Inflite’s 250,000ft² (23,226m²) hangar, EAS’s line station activity will expand to offer full base maintenance for Challenger and Global Express aircraft. Inflite, meanwhile, intends to grow its Embraer executive jet MRO, and its BBJ work.
While London Stansted is now EAS’s new headquarters, it will continue to offer line maintenance at London Oxford, Luton, Stansted and Farnborough airports. Its 12 staff, to be joined shortly by two more licensed engineers, will further strengthen Inflite’s 60-person MRO team.
EAS founder Colin Solley and partner Mike Smith will remain with the business and play an important role in shaping the group’s growth plans, said Christoffer Creutz, Inflite The Jet Centre’s managing director, who joined from Lufthansa Technik two and half years ago.
“This strategic acquisition is a perfect fit for us,” said Creutz. “EAS’s Bombardier capabilities and services complement our long-established activity on Embraer and BBJ platforms and together with our dedicated VVIP corporate FBO at Stansted, we can offer a full turnkey solution to EAS’s customers too. The deal futureproofs our business and we will duly be setting about cross training and sharing manpower to further expand our capabilities and UK coverage.”
“We are both delighted and honored to be joining the Inflite family,” said Colin Solley, founder of EAS. “We had a couple of potential suitors, but Inflite was certainly the right partner for us. I have known Penny Stephens, the owner and CEO of Inflite The Jet Centre, since 1995 when I was director of maintenance for a Family Office flight department and the company has always had a terrific reputation for professionalism and outstanding commitment to their customers.”
Solley founded Excellence in 2000 with Smith joining in 2007. Between them they have more than 55 years of experience in the business aviation sector.
Inflite The Jet Centre provides an extensive range of aircraft handling, engineering and support services.
