ORIX Aviation to Buy Newport's AerFin in £475m Deal

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An aircraft lessor is buying a repair and parts business. ORIX Aviation, from Japan, has agreed to acquire the Newport company AerFin for about £475m.

Why ORIX wants AerFin

ORIX Aviation is the aircraft leasing arm of the Japanese financial group ORIX. Until now its work has centred on owning aircraft and leasing them out. AerFin pulls it into aftermarket services and into managing aircraft once they reach the end of their working lives.

ORIX Aviation said the pairing would strengthen its capabilities across an aircraft's whole lifecycle. Its chief executive, James Meyler, described AerFin as "a leading aviation aftermarket platform" with deep technical expertise and an international customer base.

What AerFin does

AerFin has more than 230 employees, based in Newport and at other sites in the UK and overseas. Its business is keeping aircraft and engines in service for longer, whether by selling, leasing or fixing them or by reusing parts.

Airlines and other aviation companies come to it for parts and for help managing their assets. AerFin says more than 600 organisations are its customers.

Bob James founded the company, which began as a south Wales operation. In 2025 it moved into a purpose-built 116,000 sq ft facility at Indurent Park in Newport.

The seller steps out

A private equity investor held most of AerFin before the sale. That investor, the Danish firm CataCap, now exits.

James said he was pleased the business was moving to a home for the long term that could support its next phase of expansion. AerFin itself described the takeover as the start of a new chapter.

Headquarters stay put

There are no plans to move AerFin's headquarters from Newport. Chief executive Simon Goodson called the acquisition a "defining moment" in the company's history. Backing from the wider ORIX Group, he said, would give AerFin the confidence and platform to grow.

The coverage does not say how the price will be paid or when the deal is expected to close.

Source: BBC News