IFPL Group Limited, an award-winning company specialising in the design and manufacture of airline passenger interface solutions announced today (Tuesday 13th April 2021) that it has acquired Cobalt Aerospace Group Limited.
Together, the two companies will offer customers a broader range of products and services that will allow operators to enhance their in-flight passenger experience offering.
Cobalt Aerospace develop innovations that provide comfort, safety, convenience, and ambience to enrich air travel for both passengers and operators. Their product portfolio includes class-leading LED mood lighting, the world’s first-to-fly wireless chargers and new emergency floor path marking system, GLS-7. The team span a design and manufacturing facility in Norwich, UK, and a USA-based sales office in Miami.
Award-winning in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) specialists IFPL have been supplying global manufacturers and airlines from their facility on the Isle of Wight since 1996. Today, the company proudly provides the largest portfolio of IFEC products and services in the sector, combining innovation with manufacturing excellence to create solutions that span data, power, audio, and more.
Geoff Underwood, Chairman and CEO of IFPL Group commented, “We have known Cobalt since their formation in 2013 and have watched with interest as they have brought several innovative solutions to market, with Cobalt Spectrum mood lighting and, more recently, the GLS-7 floor path marking system. With an upsurge in interest, and with exciting new products in the pipeline, by combining the considerable skills and expertise within both businesses, we will significantly broaden our offering to our combined customer base”.
Cobalt Aerospace will also bring their specialist certification knowledge and status as a UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Part 21J Design Organisation to IFPL Group. This means the group will be able to support customers with classifying and approving aircraft changes across a variety of areas including avionics, cabin interiors, and electrical systems.
Ben Brown, Co-founder and Director of Cobalt Aerospace, commented; “We’re excited to take this step forward with our friends at IFPL, who we have long admired for their excellent products and industry prowess. This merger will allow us to combine our innovations with IFPL’s many years of expertise and impressive scale, meaning that together we can offer customers a wealth of products to enhance the in-flight experience. As the aviation industry begins to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, we are excited to join our teams together and enter this new phase stronger than ever.”
