May 6, 2016 – The sale of aircraft interiors manufacturer AIM Altitude to Chinese multinational aviation company, AVIC International Holding Corporation (AVIC), has been officially completed. Now a wholly owned subsidiary of AVIC, AIM Altitude will continue to operate to support existing and new airline customers in the Middle East, Europe and the Americas, as well as in China and Asia Pacific.
Mark Edwards, CEO of AIM Altitude said, “We are delighted that the sale has officially completed. We now look forward to combining AVIC’s strengths as a major strategic aerospace business alongside our own expertise in design, engineering and manufacture, to deliver further growth for AIM Altitude.”
Xu Tongyu, vice president of AVIC International added, “We are thrilled to welcome the AIM Altitude team into the group. AVIC International is a leading diverse multinational corporation covering the whole aviation industry and value chain and AIM Altitude’s expertise in cabin interiors will further extend our core capabilities and international competitiveness.”
Above: AIM Altitude’s new GB£11m cabin interior manufacturing facility at Bournemouth Airport, which is currently under construction
During recent years, AIM Altitude strengthened its relationship with Boeing and Airbus and with major global airlines including Emirates and Qatar Airways. The acquisition of Altitude from Air New Zealand in 2014 helped position AIM Altitude as a key partner for Boeing’s 777 aircraft, while the relationship with Airbus was strengthened further through work on new Airbus long-range platforms.
Other recent activities at AIM Altitude include the consolidation of its numerous Bournemouth, UK-based premises into one GB£11m (Euro15.5m), 168,000 square-meter facility, providing 30% additional capacity for the design, engineering and manufacture of aircraft cabin interiors. This development at Bournemouth was preceded by “substantial” investment at AIM Altitude’s Byfleet facility to extend its galleys and stowages factory and testing facilities.