Steve Nichols
Rumours that Honeywell is the number one contender to buy Jeppesen from the Tribune Group are being denied by Honeywell at Farnborough 2000.The Chicago-based Tribune Group is looking to sell the company since it was acquired as part of a take-over from the Times Mirror Group. The business is felt to be a non-core activity and Jeppesen says that some 40 expressions of interest from prospective buyers have been received.
But at an asking price of $1 billion Honeywell seems less than interested, stating it has some of the best terrain databases in the business. "Why would we want to buy more?" says a spokesperson.
Jeppesen representatives remaining tight-lipped at the show, saying they knew nothing of any deal. The company is, however, very bullish about its future and is showcasing many new products at Farnborough 2000 including an in-cockpit version of Jeppview, an upgrade to its flight planning and moving map software and the upcoming release of its OPS Control flight operations management system.
Wins
Other recent wins include a deal with Swissair and Atraxis to work co-operatively in the area of electronic charts and navigation data and the launch of new academies in Colorado and London with dedicated schools offering classes in flight planning and maintenance systems.
Jeppesen has also just been awarded a contract to supply airway manuals for Virgin Atlantic Airways and become a joint partner with NASA to develop Synthetic Vision databases.
Source: Flight Daily News
