To be successful they realised they needed a business jet charter marketplace to drive demand. So they decided to launch that as well. One of their professors suggested they focus on the marketplace and park the air taxi idea. The Avinode charter marketplace launched in 2002.

CAMP Systems this week agreed to buy Avinode and two smaller FBO software businesses – FBO One and Total FBO –  for $200m. The professor was right.

It is a good deal for World Kinect (the energy company formally known as World Fuel) which acquired Avinode in 2014. World Kinect will use the cash to pay down debt and focus on its core fuelling business. It has clearly made a good return on its investment. World Kinect took control in 2019 just before its main business was hit with grounded airlines.

“We are excited about the possibilities the partnership between our companies will bring to our customers,” said Oliver King, chief executive officer, Avinode Group.

The acquisition also makes a lot of sense for CAMP Systems, the aircraft maintenance tracking business. CAMP Systems is itself owned by Hearst, a 136-year-old private company. Hearst is best known for publishing regional newspapers like the San Francisco Chronicle (which it launched in 1887) and magazines like Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping and Harper’s Bazaar. But along with newspapers, TV and magazines it has three significant business-to-business data divisions: Fitch Ratings, healthcare and transportation.

The transportation division includes data that helps mechanics fix trucks and cars. This includes MOTOR, a magazine that Hearst has owned for more than 120 years. MOTOR has evolved from a print consumer magazine into a data business for car repair, parts and insurance. Aviation is just as significant to Hearst.

Hearst acquired CAMP Systems in 2016 from private equity firm GTCR. (GTCR is now an investor in JSSI and has supported it buying two aircraft maintenance tracking companies that are rivals to CAMP.)

CAMP Systems then bought Inventory Locator Systems, the spares marketplace, from Boeing in 2019. In 2021 it bought a majority stake in FlightBridge, a workflow system that connects business jet operators with FBO, car handlers, hotels, airlines and catering companies.

When the deal closes in May, Avinode will fit into CAMP’s Marketplaces Group along with ILS, FlightBridge and Amstat – the aircraft listing marketplace.

“This represents a complementary extension of our business and platform to bring exciting new opportunities to the market and better serve our expanding customer base,” said Sean Lanagan, president and chief executive Officer, CAMP Systems.

World Kinetic did not run a formal sales process, instead it contacted companies that had already approached it in the past. The business could have fitted well with Directional Aviation’s spin-off Tuvoli (which has FlyEasy, a rival marketplace and a payment system competitor). It might also have been of interest to Portside, the flight department software company which raised $50m in private equity from investor Insight Partners (and recently acquired the rights to Wheels Up’s AVIANIS software). The founders of Wheels Up had also tried to buy Avinode several times.

King and the senior management team have no plans to leave. This includes Per Marthinsson, one of the three founders, who is Avinode’s chief revenue office.

The other two founders are backing a European car charging start-up. It was branded before they joined, but is genuinely called ChargeNode.

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FBO One is used at over 140 FBO’s around the world. It is the international standard for aircraft ground handling and fuel sales, and processes over 25.000 flights per month.

FBO One is officially supported by and integrated with NetJets, as well as CFMU / Eurocontrol and FlightAware, so changes in flight data are accurate and up to date and handling requests are automatically updated.

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Two new FBO senior staff appointments, a complete refurbishment of the passenger terminal and the introduction of the FBO One aircraft handling system have simultaneously become ‘live’ this month at London Biggin Hill Airport.

Sally Powell has been appointed to the new key role of FBO manager. She joins Biggin Hill after seven years as executive assistant and HR Advisor to the airport’s managing director. In earlier years, Sally was a cabin purser for a Gatwick-based airline.

In her new role, Sally will head the FBO team and will be responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day management of the unit and customer service performance. She will report to Robert Walters, business development director.

Kevin Berry has been appointed as deputy FBO manager, reporting to Sally Powell. Kevin’s aviation experience includes both serving as a British Airways cabin services director and in Customer Service training. He joins the Biggin Hill Handling team from front-line FBO duties elsewhere.

Refurbishment of the FBO terminal at Biggin Hill has been planned and executed by a small team of specialists working under the supervision of Robert Walters.

“Early responses from both flight crew and passengers to our FBO upgrading programme have been most encouraging.”

Robert Walters said: “Early responses from both flight crew and passengers to our FBO upgrading programme have been most encouraging. Sally and her team will be especially proud to be able to continue to build on our reputation on delivering the highest standards of customer service.”

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Astra Aviation Services specialises in providing support services to commercial, cargo and business aviation clientèle in Africa.

Designed originally to serve the business aviation sector, FBO One has and continues to evolve. Its software can be customised to serve the requirements of different sectors including business, cargo and commercial operations like those at Astra Aviation.

“We are very excited to have selected leading provider FBO One as our software management system.”

Phil Eyre, director and founder, Astra Aviation Services said: “We are very excited to have selected leading provider FBO One as our software management system. Our decision reflects our desire to provide our clients with the highest quality service from operational handling to catering to providing accurate and timely invoicing. The capability to customise it to our own unique service levels is an obvious added advantage enabling us to serve all our client groups. We are already experiencing some of the many benefits it offers.”

Ries Vriend, CEO Amsterdam Software added: “FBO One was originally designed to support international FBO networks and has grown a lot since its inception in 2008. Astra Aviation’s particular requirements across its client groups are all provided for including its international operations, remote working coordination, service arrangements and auditing and billing in multiple currencies. Astra’s customers and suppliers alike will benefit from the FBO One ecosystem.”

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Bangor International Airport is the closest US entry point to Europe and is one of a small number of airports to own its FBO.

ALSO READ:Bangor appoints James Canders as assistant airport director

James Canders, assistant airport director at Bangor, says: “With the new programme we will be able to accept airside credit card payments for fuel using hand-held tablets on which the FBO One system is also accessible.”

“This will save pilots the hassle of waiting while we process their payment in the office before returning it to them. This will now be a simple ‘gas and go’ operation,” Canders adds.

FBO One was developed by Amsterdam Software.

“Keeping track of the bigger picture is vital,” says Ries Vriend, Amsterdam Software’s CEO. “One huge benefit of FBO One is the elimination of redundant data capture and data re-entry. The program connects and facilitates the workflow of the FBO customer service representatives, dispatch, ramp staff, the accounting back office and airport management.”

Prior to its installation Bangor’s daily flight programmes were compiled by the dispatch department using a stand-alone tool. These overviews were then distributed by fax and e-mail to the various stakeholders at the airport, such as the FBO’s service representatives and line staff.

The FBO One sytem overcomes a number of problems, such as currency of data, status and location of aircraft especially if the aircraft is parked overnight and is moved.

Now, with FBO One, all flight reservations are kept up to date centrally, providing all stakeholders with quick access and greater efficiency.

When aircraft arrive and remain parked overnight, FBO One tracks their current stand and automatically applies the ramp fees to the invoice, based on the customer’s contract rates and the aircraft type. Invoicing has also been made easier.

Before its installation invoice data had to be  re-entered manually, while FBO One invoices are produced automatically and exported to Sungard, the accounting system used by the City of Bangor, which owns and operates the airport. This saves considerable time and eliminates unreliable paper trails.

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