BBA Aviation Obtains Regulatory Clearance for the Acquisition of Landmark Aviation
BBA Aviation plc, the leading global aviation support and aftermarket services provider, announces that the Department of Justice has now filed its antitrust lawsuit and proposed settlement for clearance under the U.S. Hart–Scott–Rodino Act for the acquisition of Landmark Aviation (“Landmark”). As a result, completion of the Landmark acquisition is expected shortly.
Landmark is an integrated aviation service provider offering end-to-end support services to Business and General Aviation (“B&GA”) customers. After Signature Flight Support (“Signature”), Landmark is one of the largest fixed base operation (“FBO”) networks in the world with 68 locations, of which 64 are in North America and 4 are in Europe.
As outlined at the time of announcement of the Acquisition on 23 September 2015, the Board of BBA Aviation believes that acquiring Landmark is transformational with the following benefits:
- It is strategically compelling
- A major expansion of Signature, already the world's largest FBO network
- Brings Signature's operational excellence to Landmark's portfolio and enhances its industry leading customer proposition
- Substantial cost synergies and tax benefits
- Strong cash generation and rapid deleveraging profile
- Expected to be EPS enhancing in 2017 and materially enhancing on a cash tax basis
- Return on invested capital expected to exceed weighted average cost of capital in 2018
As anticipated, under the terms of the regulatory approval, the Company is required to sell six FBOs at: Westchester County Airport, New York; Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia; Scottsdale Airport, Arizona; Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Alaska; Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport, California; and part of the Landmark facilities at Fresno Yosemite International Airport. These FBOs together contributed $16.1m of EBITDA in 2014. The sale process for these FBOs is underway.
Taking in to account the full year effect of the Acquisition and the associated disposals, the Board continues to believe that pro forma leverage as at 31 December 2015 would have been approximately 3.5x net debt/EBITDA and lower than this on a covenant basis. Leverage is expected to reduce towards the top end of BBA Aviation’s target range by the end of 2017.
Commenting on today's announcement, Simon Pryce, Chief Executive of BBA Aviation, said:
“We are pleased with this positive result from the Department of Justice review process and to have received approval to complete the acquisition of Landmark Aviation, which materially enhances the underlying quality, growth and value creation prospects of the Group, and represents a major expansion of our market-leading Signature FBO business.”
