Boeing divests digital aviation solutions elements
Boeing is to sell portions of its digital aviation solutions business to software investment firm Thoma Bravo for $10.55 billion, in a deal the US aerospace giant says will “strengthen [its] capital structure and allow [Boeing] to focus on core business, including key continued technical operations”.
The definitive agreement “is an important component of our strategy to focus on core businesses, supplement the balance sheet and prioritize the investment grade credit rating,” explained Boeing president and CEO Kelly Ortberg. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2025.
Boeing states it will retain “core digital capabilities that harness both aircraft and fleet-specific data to provide commercial and defence customers with fleet maintenance, diagnostic and repair services”.
Among the business elements bought by Thoma Bravo include Jeppesen, provider of navigational information, operations planning tools, flight planning products and software. Founded in 1934, it was acquired by Boeing in 2000. “With a heritage dating back to the 1930s, Jeppesen has been at the forefront of technological innovation for nearly a century,” said Thoma Bravo Holden Spaht. “We are excited to build on this track record and power its next phase of growth”.
Also included in Boeing’s sale are electronic flight bag providers ForeFlight (acquired in 2019) and OzRunways (2024), alongside digital management and services platform AerData (2014).
With this return to its core business, Boeing can perhaps begin to address the $11.8 billion overall loss in 2024 with renewed vigour. In January 2025, Ortberg reiterated his commitment to making the “fundamental changes needed to fully recover [Boeing’s] performance,” with the company also anticipating generating positive cash flow in the second half of 2025.
