Private-equity firm Liberty Hall Capital Partner acquired flight operations engineering firm Aircraft Performance Group (APG). Founded in 1999 to bring takeoff, landing, and weight-and-balance services expertise to corporate operators and air carriers, APG serves more than 1,800 customers that represent more than 11,000 aircraft worldwide.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but Liberty Hall, which specializes in the aerospace and defense markets, called APG a “platform acquisition” and said it planned to help build on the company’s services. APG's existing management team, including CEO Michael Caflisch, will remain in place.
"Over its nearly 20-year history, Aircraft Performance Group has grown into a leading independent, global provider of flight and aircraft performance software solutions through continuous development of new technologies and products," said Rowan Taylor, Liberty Hall's founding and managing partner. "We intend to provide APG the resources to continue its history of innovation and disruption in its market segment and better serve its customers by accelerating the introduction of these technologies and products."
Most recently APG introduced iPreFlight Genesis, a significant upgrade to its iPreFlight mobile app that integrates international flight planning, runway analysis, and weight-and-balance calculations.
APG is Liberty Hall’s fifth platform investment and first in the software service field, the company said. Liberty Hall formed metallic parts supplier and services company Accurus Aerospace in 2013, followed by the 2016 acquisition of AIM Aerospace, which is involved in composite structures. Also in 2016, Liberty Hall added complex components provider Bromford Industries to the portfolio and then in 2017 acquired Birmingham, UK-based Dunlop Aircraft Tyres.