Boeing shakes up the industry: its navigation unit could be sold for more than $8 billion and these are the possible buyers

Boeing is quietly preparing to sell one of its most valuable yet least headline-grabbing assets: Jeppesen, the navigation software company that pilots around the world rely on. And judging by the early scramble of bidders, the price tag could top $8 billion - a dramatic bump from Boeing’s initial $6 billion estimate.

Jeppesen may not ring many bells outside aviation circles, but the 90-year-old company, based in Englewood, Colorado, underpins global air navigation with its software and digital flight solutions. Boeing bought it back in 2000 for just $1.5 billion. Now, a generation later, it could be one of the biggest carve-out sales in aerospace in recent memory.

Why is Boeing selling Jeppesen now?

It’s all about cash and focus. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg is under pressure to reduce the company’s debt by shedding non-core businesses. Earlier this year, British Airways snapped up Boeing’s maintenance operation at Gatwick. And Jeppesen, valuable as it is with reliable navigation charts, flight planning, and operational software, doesn’t directly align with Boeing’s manufacturing-led operations.

The company is also trying to sell its drone unit, Insitu, in order to streamline Boeing into a leaner, more focused operation... and fill a few billion-dollar holes in the balance sheet.

Who’s in the race to buy Jeppesen?

According to multiple sources cited by Reuters, the list of suitors is surprisingly crowded, and includes both private equity giants and at least one serious industry player. Several PE firms have teamed up in hopes of outbidding each other:

• Vista Equity and Warburg Pincus
• Advent International and Permira
• TPG and Francisco Partners

Going solo in this private equity dogfight: Thoma Bravo and Silver Lake, two big names in tech-heavy deals.

But it’s not all private money. One of the most intriguing bidders is TransDigm, a Cleveland-based aerospace components firm known for bold acquisitions. With a market cap of about $77 billion and a string of recent deals (including Calspan and Raptor Scientific), this would be TransDigm’s largest purchase to date – a major step into the software side of aviation.

Also circling are Honeywell and Carlyle, though it’s unclear if either will submit final offers. Honeywell already makes its own navigation products, which could complicate any regulatory approval.

What happens next with Boeing-Jeppesen?

Final-round bids are expected soon, as Boeing narrows the field. Given the strategic importance and the level of interest, this will not be a quick decision. Sources say Boeing is playing this one carefully, wanting to squeeze every possible dollar out of what could be its most lucrative exit in decades.

Boeing, along with all the major bidders, declined to comment. But that silence may not last long as whoever wins this auction will be inheriting one of the most quietly powerful brands in aviation.

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