Boeing has reached an agreement to sell significant portions of its Digital Aviation Solutions unit to Thoma Bravo for $10.55 billion in an all-cash deal.
The deal signals a strategic pivot away from customer-facing aviation software and toward a renewed focus on core aerospace operations and data-driven fleet support. It covers four prominent digital aviation platforms: Jeppesen, ForeFlight, AerData, and OzRunways. Together, they serve thousands of global aviation customers with tools for flight planning, operational optimization, maintenance tracking, and navigation.
These platforms operate with embedded ecommerce models, offering software-as-a-service (SaaS) subscriptions and transactional features that have become essential to modern aviation logistics and pilot services, Boeing says.
4 platforms Boeing has agreed to sell
- Jeppesen was founded in 1934, and Boeing acquired it in 2000. It provides industry-standard flight charts, navigation services, and airline dispatch tools. It has long been integrated into flight operations for both commercial airlines and business aviation.
- ForeFlight is a mobile-first app that Boeing acquired in 2019. It changed digital flight planning with an interface geared toward individual pilots, corporate flight departments, and airline crews. Recurring digital subscriptions have fueled its growth.
- AerData, based in Amsterdam, provides software tools used by lessors and airlines to manage aircraft maintenance records, lease transitions, and asset lifecycle management. Its systems support financial and technical transactions in the secondary aviation market.
- OzRunways serves the Australasian region with similar mobile planning and navigation solutions for pilots and flight operators.
These assets have seen steady growth and high adoption across aviation sectors. Still, Boeing is opting to divest them to streamline its digital portfolio and reinforce its balance sheet. Boeing president and CEO Kelly Ortberg described the move as part of a broader strategy to refocus on the company’s core strengths and ensure long-term financial health.
“This transaction is an important component of our strategy to focus on core businesses, supplement the balance sheet and prioritize the investment grade credit rating,” Ortberg said in a statement.
Chris Raymond, president and CEO of Boeing Global Services, emphasized that Boeing remains committed to digital innovation where it directly supports aircraft performance and customer operations.
“Our commitment to meeting our customers’ needs is unwavering as we move forward with our core products and services to support their fleets,” he said.
The company buying digital flight platforms from Boeing
Thoma Bravo is a private equity firm with experience in scaling software companies. It plans to operate the acquired platforms as an independent entity.
“We are proud to be investing in such an important technology platform in the broader aerospace and defense industry,” said Holden Spaht, a managing partner at Thoma Bravo. “Jeppesen has been at the forefront of technological innovation for a century. We are excited to build on this track record and power its next phase of growth.”
The companies expect to close the deal by the end of 2025, pending regulatory approvals. Approximately 3,900 Boeing employees are part of the Digital Aviation Solutions business. Boeing also said it’s working with Thoma Bravo to ensure a smooth transition.
Boeing and aviation ecommerce
Importantly, Boeing Global Services continues to be a central player in B2B e commerce for aviation. Boeing Global Services is a division the company has not included in the sale. It manages a vast parts distribution and supply chain network that sells directly to:
- Airlines
- MROs (maintenance, repair, and overhaul providers)
- Defense customers
“Boeing is improving ecommerce with our customers in mind,” said William Ampofo, vice president of parts, distribution services, and supply chain at Boeing Global Services.
In 2021, the unit reported $2 billion in ecommerce sales. It leveraged an inventory of 15 million unique aircraft parts and a supply base of more than 6,000 global partners. This segment focuses on online transactions, real-time parts availability, and logistics services. That’s a sharp contrast to the pilot-facing and planning-oriented platforms included in the Thoma Bravo deal.
The split highlights Boeing’s dual-track digital strategy: exiting direct-to-consumer aviation software while investing in scalable, enterprise-grade digital infrastructure that ties closely to its aircraft platforms and long-term service contracts. For Thoma Bravo, the acquisition offers a foothold in one of the most data-intensive, compliance-driven corners of the software world, with built-in demand for innovation across flight operations, safety, and compliance.
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