Oaklins supports Avion in raising EUR 10m growth capital

A group of investors led by Kempen European Private Equity Fund invested EUR 10m in Avion Group B.V. (‘Avion’). Avion is a Dutch developer and manufacturer of high-tech full-motion flight simulators. The company serves an international customer base consisting of flight schools and airlines. Oaklins served as exclusive fundraising advisor to Avion.

Avion’s objective is to use the capital investment to fund their international expansion plans. As such, Avion will be able to focus on the further development of its simulators for the Airbus A320neo (new engine option) and enable the construction of new simulators. Dutch venture capital company 5square has supported Avion as lead investor, both financially and strategically in its ongoing development. Remco van den Heuvel, managing partner of majority shareholder 5square stated: “We are very pleased to welcome the group of investors as a shareholder of Avion. This will strengthen the financial position of Avion and will enable the company to accelerate its international expansion.”

Avion is the perfect example of an entrepreneurial company leveraging on the strong aviation history and expertise in the Netherlands. Avion’s next generation full motion simulator is well positioned to conquer this fast growing market. Gerbrand ter Brugge, Partner Equity & ECM Advisory

Gerbrand ter Brugge, who was in the lead of this transaction on behalf of Oaklins, further states: “This is our second transaction in the Dutch flight simulator market, following the successful sale of the Netherlands-based Multi Pilot Simulations to H2 Equity Partners two years ago, in addition to several other aerospace-related transactions that we executed.”

About the company

Avion developed an Airbus A320 simulator which is considerably lighter compared to competing simulators, resulting in a significant reduction in energy consumption. Furthermore, Avion’s simulators do not require any complex infrastructure as far as the housing is concerned. The modular design allows fast installation, efficient maintenance, and convenient transport. The company is headquartered in Nieuw-Vennep, the Netherlands and co-shareholder and blue-chip manufacturing company VDL assembles the simulators in Almelo, the Netherlands.

The capital injection allows Avion to further build and develop simulators

Contact for this transaction

Our deal teams consist of trusted advisors with an entrepreneurial mindset who combine global industry expertise with local presence. For this transaction, the Oaklins' team consisted of Gerbrand ter Brugge,

David van Ass and Felix Snoeck Henkemans.