News

Acquisition

Houston, TX March 07, 2023

The Sterling Group and Capitol Meridian Partners Agree to Buy PrimeFlight Aviation Services

Large and growing market, breadth of service offerings and customers served, and strong operating performance all position PrimeFlight for compelling growth

The Sterling Group and Capitol Meridian Partners today announced a definitive agreement to buy PrimeFlight Aviation Services (“PrimeFlight” or the “Company”) from funds managed by global investment firm Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG). PrimeFlight is a global provider of essential aircraft, passenger, and security-related services to commercial airline, airport, cargo, and general aviation customers.

The transaction is expected to close by Q3 2023 upon satisfaction of customary closing conditions. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Sugar Land, TX, PrimeFlight has operations across ~235 stations globally. It provides a full suite of services through its network of subsidiaries, including PrimeFlight Cargo, PrimeFlight GSE Maintenance, Prime Appearance, ProFlo Industries, Skytanking, and Aviation Cleaning Supply. PrimeFlight has more than 20 years of service excellence in the aviation industry, offering customers broad and reliable support, including mission-critical fueling, deicing, and ground handling services. The Company employs ~12,000 employees across its global footprint, with primary operations in North America and Europe.

“This is an exciting time for PrimeFlight as we have significantly expanded our operations outside of North America, continue to execute on new business wins, and we have a strong pipeline of continued growth through our global footprint,” said Dan Bucaro, PrimeFlight Chief Executive Officer. “We look forward to partnering with The Sterling Group and with Capitol Meridian Partners in this evolution.”

Greg Elliott, Partner of The Sterling Group, added: “We have partnered with Dan Bucaro as CEO, Chairman, or Board Member on nine companies over the past twenty years. Dan and his team of industry veterans have built a tremendous platform for growth in PrimeFlight. We look forward to our continued partnership.”

McDermott Will & Emery is serving as legal counsel to The Sterling Group and Capitol Meridian Partners. Latham & Watkins, LLP is serving as legal counsel to PrimeFlight and Carlyle, and Morgan Stanley and Jefferies, LLC served as financial advisors.

About PrimeFlight Aviation Services

Headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, PrimeFlight Aviation Services provides major airlines, airports, cargo and general aviation customers with GSE maintenance, ground handling services, aircraft services, into-plane fueling, deicing, aviation cleaning supplies, and terminal services, across a global footprint. For more information, visit www.primeflight.com.

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