Aviation Mergers and Acquisitions
The attorneys at Fafinski Mark & Johnson have built industry-leading experience and knowledge in aviation mergers and acquisitions. FMJ’s Aviation M&A Team serves as trusted legal counsel to buyers, sellers, investors, lenders, and business owners involved in the acquisition, sale, restructuring, and financing of aviation companies and aviation assets.
Aviation M&A is Unique
Aviation M&A requires deep industry understanding and insight, FAA regulatory expertise, and practical deal-structuring experience to navigate the complexities of aircraft, certifications, and aviation-specific risks. Buying or selling an aviation business, from flight schools and MROs to parts manufacturers and air carrier operations, will present challenges that extend beyond typical commercial deals. Aviation mergers and acquisitions are shaped by FAA oversight, certification requirements, operational continuity, and industry-specific risks that can directly affect value and timing.
FMJ brings both aviation law experience and sophisticated transactional know-how to every deal. Our team helps clients plan early, avoid regulatory pitfalls, and achieve their business objectives.
Aviation M&A Services
Deal Formation and Planning
Transaction Execution
Aircraft and Asset-Specific Issues
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Regulatory and Operational Due Diligence
Post-Closing Support
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Experience Across the Aviation Sector
FMJ has represented clients in a wide range of aviation M&A matters, including matters that require DOT and FAA regulatory approval:
- Airline and charter operation acquisitions and sales
- Owners selling maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) businesses
- Transactions involving flight simulators, flight schools, and training organizations
- Domestic and international investors purchasing aviation businesses and parts distributors
- Purchases and sales of companies that own and/or operate aircraft
- Acquisitions of aviation insurance brokerages and other aviation service providers
Aviation M&A matters often involve coordination across legal, regulatory, financial, and operational fronts. FMJ’s team combines practical industry insight with comprehensive legal counsel to ensure your deal moves forward and closes.
Representative Transactions
The matters listed below are a sample of the types of deals FMJ can handle for clients.
FMJ represented a commuter airline in the negotiation and structuring of the acquisition of another commuter airline. FMJ handled all negotiations, drafted necessary documents, managed diligence and compliance matters, and coordinated closing. This complicated matter involved careful deal structuring, FAA rules and regulations, licensing and compliance issues, and more.
FMJ represented a client in the sale of its flight simulator training center. FMJ had assisted this client in their acquisition of the business a few years earlier, and they turned it over again recently. These types of aviation M&A transactions are complicated by compliance issues, licensing requirements, and equipment maintenance requirements. FMJ handled all negotiations, drafted necessary documents, managed diligence and compliance matters, and coordinated closing.
FMJ has assisted clients in buying maintenance and repair operations (MROs) in multiple countries.
FMJ represented an aircraft parts company that simultaneously acquired two other parts vendors in a purchase of 100% of the equity interests in those businesses plus an earn-out mechanism that could potentially be worth multiple millions of dollars into the future.
FMJ has advised clients in the evaluation and acquisition of Part 135 and Part 121 air carriers.
FMJ represented the buyer in the purchase of an aircraft hangar at a local airport. This involved timely obtaining consents to assign current lease, terminate current lease, enter into a new commercial lease, and post-closing refinancing from the governing Airports Commission. The seller requested the assignment of the current lease to effectuate a 1031 exchange on their end, while FMJ’s client required a new commercial lease encompassing five other lots owned by the Airports Commission and leased to FMJ’s client. This allowed for expansion of FBO operations at the airport. FMJ needed to guide every step of the transaction due to seller’s and lender’s inexperience in dealing with hangar transactions and airport commissions.
