Air Partner Share Discussion Threads

[masurenguy] 28/2/2018 08:08

RNS Number : 1435G
28 February 2018

Baines Simmons and Frazer-Nash Consultancy awarded four-year STEP contract by the Ministry of Defence

Baines Simmons, part of the Air Partner group, has been awarded the contract for the Safety Training for Error Prevention (STEP) programme by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), in partnership with engineering specialist Frazer-Nash Consultancy. The contract is worth between £2 million and £3 million and will span the next four years, with the option of two one-year extensions. The contract will also serve as a framework agreement to support and facilitate safety-related sub-projects across the MOD. STEP is the successor to the Defence Aviation Error Management System (DAEMS) contracts, which were technical support initiatives designed to assist cultural change and facilitate the establishment of an effective Safety Management System (SMS) across the Defence Aviation Environment (DAE).

Baines Simmons and Frazer-Nash will provide support within the STEP programme to further embed Error Management (EM) and to support the progression towards the next stage of safety maturity, as an effective SMS is developed across the DAE. With the formation of the Defence Safety Agency (DSA), there is the potential opportunity for STEP to deliver a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) to identify emerging training requirements across the other MOD regulatory domains and develop appropriate training and technical support solutions.

Mark Briffa, CEO at Air Partner, said: 'This is an extremely important initiative for the MOD and I am delighted that we will be supporting them as they take this next step in further strengthening the safety processes they have in place. This contract win is a great start to 2018, following on from a successful 2017 in which we won a number of contracts with tier one national carriers, international civil airlines, the Royal Air Force of Oman and the European Defence Agency, among others."

Andy Llewellyn, STEP Programme Manager at Baines Simmons, added: "It has been a fantastic team effort to secure the STEP contract, which allows Baines Simmons and Frazer-Nash to build upon the success of the Defence Aviation Error Management System (DAEMS) programmes. Together with the safety professionals within the Military Aviation Authority (MAA) and those across the DAE regulated community (with whom we have worked to establish DAEMS), we have paved the way for the STEP programme. This represents a challenging but exciting opportunity and we will continue to act as trusted advisors to the MOD and assist in any way we can to ensure that an effective SMS prevails, not only within the DAE but across the MOD as a whole".

Real Admiral Paul Chivers, Director MAA, said: "The Military Aviation Authority (MAA) have been working with Baines Simmons over the last 6 years to comprehensively deliver Air Safety training. The awarding of the STEP contract will allow the MAA to continue delivering assured Air Safety training alongside our strategic partner with a common aim of ensuring an increased awareness of Air Safety with the Defence Aviation Environment."

Tim Andrews, Business Manager at Frazer-Nash Consultancy, said: "Working collaboratively, we look forward to providing change management, training analysis and specialist technical support to the programme, which will help the MOD to prevent accidents, reduce risk to life, enhance its operational capability and drive down unnecessary resource expenditure."

It has been a successful period for Baines Simmons, in which it was also announced that it has secured two separate contracts with two NATO operating units, the Heavy Airlift Wing at Papa, Hungary, and the AWACS unit (Airborne Warning and Control System) in Geilenkirchen, Germany. Baines Simmons will help the units to understand the benefits and the challenges associated with EMAR (European Military Airworthiness Requirements) 21, 145 and M implementation.

[dontay] 26/2/2018 13:20

Regardless of the typo in Edison's narrative (references to HY18 & FY18 should obviously read 2017) this is a good and timely reiteration from Edison.

[dontay] 24/2/2018 11:45

Liberum Capital have issued an upgrade from hold to buy, target 165p. Which IMO isn't a surprise. AIR will have been doing well out of the winter Olympics and with the football World cup to come it should prove to be an exceptionally lucrative first 6 months! Another aspect of AIR's involvement in the Winter Olympics in South Korea probably wouldn't come cheap either:Air Partner's Emergency Planning Division have been working hard to ensure the safety and security of their clients' personnel within South Korea by providing plans and cover for evacuations by air.Joe Halanen, who manages Air Partner's Emergency Planning Division states:'The Winter Olympics are always a busy time for our corporate clients, those taking guests and staff to the games and clients normally based in the host country. This year, air evacuation planning has also been especially important due to the political tensions on the Korean peninsula and we are very proud to have helped 11 clients with their evacuation plans, which cover over 1800 personnel'.Emergency Planning for the Winter OlympicsThe Emergency Planning team have been working with clients across many sectors, including global manufacturers, energy companies, professional and financial services firms as well as two Olympic sponsors, the team have planned for any potential evacuation of staff from South Korea during the tournament.Major projects in support of Olympic clients have included:* Identifying Korean infrastructure including airports, highways, railways, and maritime solutions, to use in an evacuation. * Selecting potential departure points to evacuate clients to international destinations, avoiding potential choke points.* Identifying safe destinations, considering clients individual needs and possible safe-haven destinations in the region, avoiding possible conflict areas.* Pinpointing key areas in which clients are based in relation to Olympic event clusters through bespoke contingency planning and working with clients 24/7 in order to monitor current threat levels.What does the Air Partner Emergency Planning Division do?Air Partner's Emergency Planning Division provides 24-hour global air evacuation planning and implementation services for any situation that clients deem an emergency, whether that be flying people out of a dangerous situation, transporting support teams to the site of a disaster, or the last-minute movement of critical equipment. It's important to plan ahead, the team can provide a contingency plan for air evacuations that will dovetail a company's existing plans or can create stand-alone plans that can be implemented immediately by our response team.

[masurenguy] 06/2/2018 08:50

At circa 120p today the market cap is circa £63m. Net cash at the interims (excluding Jet Card upfront deposits) was circa £10m. So with a projected pretax profit of £6.4m and a potential post tax profit of circa £4.7m (assuming a 25% rate) the current EV is only circa £58m.

[masurenguy] 06/2/2018 07:19

RNS Number : 9767D
Air Partner PLC
06 February 2018

TRADING UPDATE AND NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JANUARY 2018

Further to the Trading Update of Air Partner of 18 January 2018, where it was stated that the Company's underlying pre-tax profit for the financial year ended 31 January 2018 is expected to be not less than £6.4m; this guidance remains unchanged. The Company will be announcing its results for the year ended 31 January 2018 on Thursday 26 April 2018.

This represents an increase of 25.5% over last year !

[topvest] 18/1/2018 10:13

All looks good.

[masurenguy] 18/1/2018 09:36

Excellent trading update !

RNS 2009C
18 January 2018

TRADING STATEMENT - AIR PARTNER HAS GOOD SECOND HALF PERFORMANCE

Air Partner plc, the global aviation services group, is today releasing a trading statement ahead of its scheduled update on 1(st) February, and its financial year ending on 31 January 2018. A detailed update on business performance will be provided with the full year results, which are expected to be released on 26 April 2018.

With 2 weeks to go before the end of the financial year, Air Partner is pleased to report that it has had a good second half. This has been driven by continued performance across all product lines within the Broking division, including strong results in the US & Freight. In Consulting & Training, the forward pipeline remains encouraging. Underlying pre-tax profit for the financial year ending 31 January 2018 is expected to be not less than £6.4m, which compares to £5.1m reported in the same period last year and ahead of market consensus of £5.9m. The Group retains a strong net cash position.

The acquisition of SafeSkys, a leading Environmental and Air Traffic Control services provider to UK & International airports, announced in September, is performing in line with expectations and we are excited about the long term prospects for this business under our ownership. SafeSkys operations relocated to our London Gatwick HQ in November 2017 and integration has now completed. In line with our clear growth strategy, the Board continues to assess investment opportunities, both organic and acquisition, to enhance or extend the services and capabilities we offer our customers, which will over the long term, strengthen and advance our market position as we deliver exceptional service and value to our customers globally.

Outlook

Air Partner has had another encouraging year and the Board is confident about future prospects. As we always state, the world of aviation, and most especially the global charter industry, can be volatile. Against this backdrop we manage the business for the long term, with a very clear strategy of alignment to the needs of our global customer base.

[trident5] 17/1/2018 18:15

I've found suddenly tightening spreads in small caps to be quite a positive indicator.

[dontay] 17/1/2018 12:16

Some good support at this level... why such an unusually narrow spread for this stock... not complaining but being of a suspicious mind, I'm wondering if it is in fact being held back from drifting higher for some 'institutional' reason!

[dontay] 17/1/2018 10:28

Air Partner - 17 Jan 2018Air Partner plc is pleased to announce the sale of 2009-vintage Beechcraft King Air 200 serial number BB-2014. Air Partner plc acted as the exclusive remarketing agent for the seller Air HH Luftverkehrsgesellschaft mbH Privat Jets.This sale marks a strong start to 2018 and follows a successful 2017, in which the Aircraft Remarketing division won and fulfilled a number of mandates. Notable transactions included the sale and delivery of a third Kenya Airways B777-200ER aircraft to Omni Air International; the sale of two B747-400s to Jet Midwest Group on behalf of China Airlines; and the sale of two of Kenya Airways' B737-700 aircraft, which were then leased back to Kenya Airways for continued operation. The team was also appointed by Saudi Arabian Airlines as its exclusive remarketing agent in respect of 15 Boeing 777-200ERs. It currently has a number of other mandates on a variety of aircraft, including a B787, several ERJ145s and an ATR72-500.Tony Whitty, Managing Director, Air Partner commented: 'We are delighted to have completed the sale of this King Air 200, which was operated from new by Air Hamburg. Over many years Air Partner has enjoyed a very successful relationship with Air Hamburg, chartering its large aircraft fleet for hundreds of hours each year. We a have number of other sales in the pipeline and are looking forward to a busy 2018, fulfilling mandates for new and existing clients.'

[lbo] 13/1/2018 15:10

https://www.fool.co.uk/investing/2018/01/04/my-top-2-dividend-stocks-for-2018/The one downside is that shares in the company currently trade at a premium valuation of 17.6 times forward earnings. Although considering the firm's double-digit earnings growth rate, and its acquisition strategy, I believe that this looks too expensive.

[masurenguy] 13/1/2018 13:51

Four shares the pros are buying

Citywire AAA-rated value star Keith Ashworth-Lord has upped his stake in Air Partner (AIR). Ashworth-Lord increased his investment in the company by 1% to 10%. At a share price of 139.1p, the stake is worth £7.3m. The shares have rallied from around 77p in mid-2016 to the highest the stock has traded since 2008. The shares are held in the £247m CFP SDL UK Buffettology General fund and feature as a top 10 position. Ashworth-Lord previously covered the stock as an equity analyst at WH Ireland.

Air Partner arranges both freight and private charter flights. It said it had enjoyed a ‘strong start to the year’ in a trading statement last Autumn. At this point, the company forecast profits of £4m, up 33% on 2016. Following the update Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated its 'buy' rating, on a price target of 170p.

[dontay] 11/1/2018 17:00

So, pretty obvious what has been going on with the mm's taking the share price along the same mildly upward route as they have before. Aberforth have again been busy selling, now have to wait and see if we get another RNS identifying the buyer, which going on the previous... could be its Castlefords Keith Ashworth-Lord thats been busy again buying up the holding for his Buffetology fund. But we ain't necessarily going to know unless another percentage threshold has been crossed. Whatever... it's all good interest and underpinning for the share price

[dontay] 02/1/2018 15:44

An interesting new article just released that highlights the emergency/evacuation plans and contracts that AIR is involved with... even Boeing! Air Partner - 02 Jan 2018Our Emergency Planning Division provides 24-hour global air evacuation planning and implementation services for any situation that clients deem an emergency, whether that be flying people out of a dangerous situation, transporting support teams to the site of a disaster, or the last-minute movement of critical personnel.Air Partner has been operating this pre-planned contingency service for 16 years, supporting industries ranging from energy, construction, banking, insurance, drilling support, mineral extraction and manufacturing to a number of leading charity organisations. In the past, Air Partner has successfully evacuated thousands of people from Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Iraq, Iran, West Africa, Afghanistan, Indonesia, East Timor, Lebanon and Nepal, among others.In March this year, the Emergency Planning team at Air Partner carried out the evacuation of 43 Boeing employees to California from French Guiana during a prolonged period of civil unrest. The staff were in the French territory on the northeast coast of South America to launch a new $625 million internet satellite in partnership with ViaSat.A general strike led to the cancellation of flights and the closure of roads, schools and businesses, as demonstrators protested against a rise in crime, unemployment and living costs. As the situation escalated, Boeing activated the emergency evacuation contract it has with Air Partner in order to ensure the safe repatriation of its employees to California. Just 19 hours after Boeing authorised the evacuation, Air Partner had a Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the ground at the company's desired airport of departure, with all the necessary permits secured for the flight back to Los Angeles International Airport.Boeing has been a client of Air Partner's Emergency Planning Division for several years, and has air evacuation plans in place for several countries which may be at risk of political unrest or violence, and natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunami or pandemics. This is just one example of how we have been helping clients globally.

[masurenguy] 30/12/2017 13:21

Investment Week: Chosen stock: Air Partner

Air Partner is transforming into a diversified global aviation services provider, balancing earnings from its successful commercial and private jet broking businesses with specialist aviation consulting and training services. The core broking businesses are market-leading and our analysis shows that demand for private jet travel in key European and US markets is currently resilient. In particular, the group's flexible prepaid JetCard has continued to grow strongly. That said, earnings are characteristically cyclical and, despite a strong market position, Air Partner faces the challenge of more online buying of services. To further diversify, the group has recently added fatigue management consulting to its aviation safety advisory & training division, and we view these activities as a key driver of earnings growth linked to strong demand for value added and outsourced services from the airlines. We also expect to see more bolt-on acquisitions in these activities.

All in all, Air Partner's fundamentals and market positions are strong. Broking is a cyclical sector but the group's activities are broad-based, and consulting and training will form a larger component of future profits. We believe that the group can deliver double digit earnings growth and strong free cash this year, with potentially more upside from acquisitions. Its valuation is attractive versus the FTSE Support Services sector and the FTSE All-Share.

[masurenguy] 22/12/2017 12:36

Castleford have increased their shareholding by 14% over the past week, from 8.78% to 10.1%

[dontay] 15/12/2017 20:40

Funds on manoeuvres maybe... Keith Ashworth-Lord has again increased his holding for the Buffetology fund by another substantial chunk.

[dontay] 14/12/2017 19:15

Air Partner - 14 Dec 2017(The term "MICE" in the context of travel is an acronym for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions. The MICE market refers to a specialized niche of group tourism dedicated to planning, booking, and facilitating conferences, seminars, and other events. And it's a big moneymaker in the travel industry)Air Partner, the aviation services group, has enjoyed a very successful year flying its MICE clients to and from a wide range of events, meetings and product launches. Air Partner's Commercial Jet and Travel divisions have been busy tailoring flights for clients worldwide from a wide range of industries - from automotive to finance.Highlights:• Air Partner's European offices arranged total of 1182 MICE flights in 2017• Germany biggest market for MICE travel• Reasons for travel included reward travel, incentive travel and board meetings• Spanish destinations most popularCost-effective travel is always front of mind for MICE clients: this explains the trends towards choosing short-haul destinations within two hours of the departure airport, and destinations off the beaten track, where accommodation is less expensive but still of the highest quality.Spain and its islands have proven particularly popular with Air Partner's European MICE clients this year, with Tenerife and Mallorca coming out top for French and German companies and Barcelona the number one destination for clients travelling from the UK and Austria. The top reasons for travel included reward and incentive travel for sales managers, company board meetings and product launches. Germany was Air Partner's biggest market for MICE travel this year, with a number of client wins.The Commercial Jet and Travel divisions at Air Partner - which offer charter flights, scheduled tickets or a combination of both - have been a significant player in the MICE industry for over 50 years and understand that when organising a conference or promotional event, getting guests there in style is critically important.Air Partner has worked with event planners in every part of the world for all imaginable types of event, operating as a one-stop shop for flights, transfers and accommodation. Air Partner is increasingly combining scheduled tickets with charters for its clients, as this is often the most cost-effective option. The benefits of charter flights on such occasions are numerous. Clients are able to fly large numbers of passengers directly to destinations that might otherwise not be served by scheduled services, and on a date and time of their choosing.Air Partner is also able to provide a personalised experience both at the airport and on-board, enabling travel time to become part of the brand experience: this can range from the use or display of a client's products and logo all the way through to an on-board magician. Branded headrests are the most popular request as they provide an instant 'wow' factor for everyone boarding the plane, although Air Partner can arrange any special touches a client wishes.Clive Chalmers, Trading Director at Air Partner, commented: 'We are delighted with the success we have seen in MICE travel across Air Partner's European offices, and will continue to pursue growth in 2018 in this important business segment. The team here focuses on providing the highest levels of service and optimal solutions for our clients, which is why so many work with us time and time again.'

[robsy2] 14/12/2017 09:06

Flying high here.
Good trading?
R2

[lbo] 04/12/2017 11:34

Many moons ago and as usual never materialised




"past suggestions of a deal with Warren Buffett's NetJets business"

[mrx001] 03/12/2017 01:36

It is very quiet, although at least the share price is relatively stable. :0)

[malcontent] 01/12/2017 14:19

boy this is a quiet board

usually a good sign, mind