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Iridium Buying Out Partners in Homegrown Aviation Tracking Company for $367M
The deal adds 100 million dollars in annual service revenue and 30 million dollars in OEBITDA, Iridium said.
- On Thursday, May 14, 2026, Iridium Communications Inc. announced a definitive agreement to acquire the remaining 61% of Aireon LLC for approximately $366.7 million, consolidating ownership of the global space-based air traffic surveillance provider.
- Aireon was founded as a partnership between Iridium and five air navigation service providers —NAV CANADA, NATS, Naviair, AirNav Ireland, and ENAV—to develop space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast flight tracking.
- Iridium will assume about $155 million in Aireon debt and expects the acquisition to generate at least $100 million in annual service revenue and $30 million in annualized OEBITDA.
- Aireon CEO Don Thoma noted the system tracks an average of 190,000 flights daily, providing critical data to global aviation operators, with the transaction targeted to close in early July.
- Integrating Aireon fully into Iridium enables development of future capabilities like space-based VHF communications, as the company studies additional missions launching before 2035 to enhance aviation safety services.
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Iridium to Acquire Aireon, Advancing its Strategy to Lead the Future of Aviation Safety
/PRNewswire/ -- Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: IRDM), a leading provider of global voice, data, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) satellite...
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Iridium to Acquire Full Control of Aireon in $367 Million Deal - Inside GNSS - Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
Iridium Communications announced Thursday it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the remaining stake in Aireon LLC, the space-based ADS-B air traffic surveillance operator that has flown as a hosted payload on the Iridium constellation since 2019. Iridium is an existing owner of Aireon and will acquire the remaining 61% of equity interests for a purchase price of approximately $366.7 million from NAV CANADA, AirNav Ireland, ENAV, …
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