Signature Aviation

Corporate brand

Signature Aviation is a multinational provider of fixed-base-operation, business-aviation, aircraft-maintenance and aviation-support services.

Last updated August 31, 2026

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Overview

Signature Aviation is an aviation-services company whose principal business is the operation of fixed-base operators, or FBOs, serving business, private and general-aviation aircraft. Its airport facilities typically provide aircraft handling, fueling, parking, passenger and crew amenities, ground support, concierge services and related operational assistance. Through associated and acquired businesses, the group has also operated in aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul, specialized aviation components, fuel services, aircraft management and charter-related activities. The company traces its origins to W. Wilson Cobbett Ltd, an industrial belting manufacturer established in Scotland in 1879 by Sir William Fenton and Walter Cobbett. The original business produced textile belts for industrial machinery and later expanded into automotive and aerospace-related materials. It supplied automotive manufacturers including Ford and Jaguar and produced materials used in British military aircraft during the Second World War, including the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane and Hawker Typhoon. The company changed names several times, becoming Scandinavia Belting in 1911, British Belting & Asbestos in 1925 and BBA Group in 1967. From the 1980s onward, BBA increasingly repositioned itself from industrial and automotive manufacturing toward aviation. It entered aircraft systems through the acquisition of APPH in 1986 and expanded into aircraft-engine support, components and other technical services. In 1992, Page Avjet and Butler merged to form Signature Flight Support; BBA obtained full ownership of the business in 1996. Signature Flight Support subsequently became the group's most prominent operating brand and developed one of the world's largest FBO networks. BBA broadened its aviation portfolio during the 1990s and 2000s through acquisitions including Trinity Aerospace Engineering, H+S Aviation, UNC Airwork, Ontic, Oxford Aviation and Aircraft Service International Group. It also sold or demerged non-core operations, including automotive friction materials and the materials-technology division. The group's name changed to BBA Aviation in 2007, reflecting its transformation into an aviation-focused organization. A major expansion occurred in 2015, when BBA Aviation acquired Landmark Aviation and substantially enlarged its FBO network. The group later sold ASIG, acquired EPIC Aviation and added aviation-component businesses to its Ontic portfolio. In 2019, it agreed to sell Ontic to CVC Capital Partners and announced that the corporate group would adopt the Signature Aviation name, aligning the company with its core customer-facing aviation brand. Signature Aviation was acquired in 2021 by a consortium comprising Cascade Investment, Blackstone and Global Infrastructure Partners and ceased to be listed on the London Stock Exchange. In 2022, it acquired the TAC Air division of The Arnold Companies, with fourteen locations announced for rebranding under the Signature Aviation name. The company remains focused primarily on airport-based business-aviation services, with a significant presence in the United States and operations across several other regions.

History

Signature Aviation developed from W. Wilson Cobbett Ltd, an industrial belting company founded in Scotland in 1879 by Sir William Fenton and Walter Cobbett. Its early products were textile belts used in industrial machinery. During the following decades the company expanded into specialist industrial manufacturing and established an international presence. It adopted the name Scandinavia Belting in 1911 and became British Belting & Asbestos in 1925. The business entered automotive and aerospace supply during the twentieth century. It supplied materials to automotive manufacturers such as Ford and Jaguar and produced materials used in British military aircraft during the Second World War. In 1967, the company adopted the BBA Group name. By the early 1980s, the group was a major automotive-friction-materials supplier, but its strategic direction soon shifted toward aviation. BBA's first significant aviation move was the 1986 acquisition of APPH, a British manufacturer and service provider specializing in aircraft landing gear and hydraulic systems. It subsequently acquired related North American operations. In 1992, Page Avjet and Butler were combined to create Signature Flight Support, an FBO and executive-aviation services business. BBA took full control of Signature Flight Support in 1996. Additional acquisitions in the same period moved the group into aerospace engineering, engine repair and overhaul, and aircraft components. By 1998, Signature Flight Support had become one of the largest FBO networks in the world, with 41 facilities. During the 2000s, BBA pursued both expansion and portfolio simplification. It sold the Mintex brake-pad business in 2000, acquired Oxford Aviation to enter professional pilot training, and purchased Aircraft Service International Group, expanding its commercial ground-handling presence. Management publicly emphasized a strategy of concentrating on aviation and disposing of businesses that were not central to the aviation platform. The group was reclassified on the London Stock Exchange from engineering to transportation. BBA demerged its materials-technology activities in 2006 and sold Oxford Aviation in 2007. It acquired Ontic, a provider of legacy aerospace components, in 2006 and changed its corporate name to BBA Aviation in 2007. Further expansion included Hawker Beechcraft Services line operations in 2008, GE Aviation's fuel-measurement business in 2011, Canadian aviation-service operations in 2012, and Maguire Aviation Group in 2013. APPH was sold to Héroux-Devtek in 2014. The acquisition of Landmark Aviation in 2015 was a defining transaction. It substantially increased Signature's airport footprint and was described at the time as one of the largest deals in the business-aviation-services sector. BBA Aviation subsequently sold ASIG in 2017, combined its charter and management operations with Gama Aviation, acquired EPIC Aviation in 2018 and added Firstmark to Ontic's component portfolio. In 2019, BBA agreed to sell Ontic to CVC Capital Partners. The divestment reduced the group's exposure to aerospace-component manufacturing and helped concentrate the company on airport and business-aviation services. The board also approved the Signature Aviation name, reflecting the importance of Signature Flight Support to the group's identity. In 2021, Cascade Investment, Blackstone and Global Infrastructure Partners acquired Signature Aviation in a transaction valued in reported public descriptions at approximately $4.7 billion. The company left the London Stock Exchange and became privately owned. In 2022, it acquired TAC Air from The Arnold Companies and announced the rebranding of fourteen locations. Today, Signature Aviation's core identity is that of a global FBO and business-aviation-services network, supported by fueling, ground handling, facilities and selected technical capabilities.

2022
Acquired TAC Air
[1]Signature Aviationen.wikipedia.org
Signature Aviation acquired TAC Air and announced the rebranding of fourteen facilities.
2021
Taken private
[1]Signature Aviationen.wikipedia.org
Cascade Investment, Blackstone and Global Infrastructure Partners acquired the company, ending its public listing.
2019
Adopted the Signature Aviation name
[1]Signature Aviationen.wikipedia.org
Following the planned sale of Ontic, the group changed its name to Signature Aviation to align with its core aviation-services brand.
2015
Acquired Landmark Aviation
[1]Signature Aviationen.wikipedia.org
The acquisition significantly expanded the Signature FBO network and became one of the group's most important growth transactions.
2007
Renamed BBA Aviation
[1]Signature Aviationen.wikipedia.org
The corporate name changed from BBA Group to BBA Aviation to reflect its aviation-focused portfolio.
1996
BBA took full ownership of Signature Flight Support
[1]Signature Aviationen.wikipedia.org
The group completed its acquisition of Signature Flight Support and made the FBO network a central aviation asset.
1992
Signature Flight Support created
[1]Signature Aviationen.wikipedia.org
Page Avjet and Butler were combined to create the Signature Flight Support FBO business.
1986
Entered aircraft systems through APPH
[1]Signature Aviationen.wikipedia.org
BBA acquired APPH, beginning its major strategic expansion into aviation systems and services.
1967
Adopted the BBA Group name
[1]Signature Aviationen.wikipedia.org
The group rebranded as BBA Group during a period when automotive materials remained central to its operations.
1925
Became British Belting & Asbestos
[1]Signature Aviationen.wikipedia.org
The company underwent another corporate-name change while continuing to expand its industrial activities.
1911
Renamed Scandinavia Belting
[1]Signature Aviationen.wikipedia.org
The company adopted the Scandinavia Belting name as its international business expanded.
1879
W. Wilson Cobbett founded
[1]Signature Aviationen.wikipedia.org
Sir William Fenton and Walter Cobbett established the industrial belting business that ultimately became Signature Aviation.

Products and positioning

A global infrastructure and service platform for business and general aviation, positioned around a broad airport network, reliable aircraft handling, premium passenger and crew facilities, fueling capability and integrated technical support.

Fixed-base operations · 1992
Signature Flight Support
Signature Flight Support is the group's principal FBO network. Its airport locations support business and general-aviation aircraft with fueling, ramp handling, parking, hangarage, passenger reception, crew facilities, concierge assistance and other ground services. The network expanded through acquisitions including Landmark Aviation and TAC Air and is the principal customer-facing expression of the Signature Aviation brand.
Aviation support services
Aircraft fueling and ground handling
Signature Aviation provides aircraft fueling, ramp handling, towing, parking, baggage and other turnaround services at its airport facilities. These services are designed for private, business and general-aviation operators that require coordinated aircraft and passenger support between flights.
Aerospace services
Aircraft maintenance and technical support
Through businesses acquired during its aviation expansion, the group has participated in aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul, engine support, aircraft systems and specialized technical services. Its historical portfolio included aircraft landing gear, hydraulic systems, engine repair and legacy aerospace components.
Aviation fuel services · 2018
EPIC Aviation
EPIC Aviation was acquired to strengthen the group's fuel-services capabilities. The business operates within the broader aviation-fueling and fuel-management portfolio supporting aircraft operators and airport-service networks.

Brand decisions

2022
TAC Air acquisition and rebrandingM&A
Background
Signature Aviation continued expanding its FBO presence in the United States after becoming privately owned.
Action taken
The company acquired The Arnold Companies' TAC Air division and announced that fourteen locations would be rebranded as Signature Aviation facilities.
Aftermath
The transaction added airport locations to the Signature network and extended the consolidation of the U.S. FBO market under the Signature brand.
Source
2021
Consortium acquisition and privatizationM&A
Background
Signature Aviation was publicly listed in London and attracted a proposed acquisition by infrastructure and investment firms.
Action taken
Cascade Investment, Blackstone and Global Infrastructure Partners acquired the company and took it private.
Aftermath
Signature Aviation ceased trading as a London-listed company and continued under private ownership.
reported offer value. $4.7 billion (2021)
Source
2019
Concentration on Signature Aviation's core FBO businessStrategy
Background
The group was reducing exposure to non-core aerospace-component manufacturing after years of portfolio restructuring.
Action taken
BBA agreed to sell Ontic to CVC Capital Partners and changed its corporate name to Signature Aviation.
Aftermath
The company presented the renaming as a closer alignment between its corporate identity and its principal business brand.
reported Ontic sale consideration. $1.365 billion (2019)
Source
2015
Landmark Aviation acquisitionM&A
Background
BBA Aviation sought to expand the scale and geographic reach of its core FBO business.
Action taken
The group acquired Landmark Aviation from The Carlyle Group and integrated its airport-service operations into the Signature network.
Aftermath
The transaction substantially increased the company's global business-aviation footprint and was characterized as one of the largest deals in the sector.
reported acquisition consideration. $2.1 billion (2015)
Source

Recent events

2022
Signature Aviation acquires TAC Air[1]Signature Aviationen.wikipedia.org
M&A
Signature Aviation acquired the TAC Air division of The Arnold Companies. Fourteen TAC Air locations were announced for conversion to the Signature Aviation brand.
2021
Signature Aviation acquired by Cascade Investment, Blackstone and Global Infrastructure Partners[1]Signature Aviationen.wikipedia.org
M&A
A consortium involving Cascade Investment, Blackstone and Global Infrastructure Partners agreed to acquire Signature Aviation. The transaction took the company private and ended its London Stock Exchange listing.
Protests target Signature facilities serving immigration-enforcement flights[1]Signature Aviationen.wikipedia.org
Regulation · Other
Activists and protesters targeted certain Signature facilities in the United States in connection with flights operated for or chartered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The company stated that federal law requires it to provide services to government-operated or legally chartered flights and that it cannot restrict compliant operations.

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