TransDigm, PE firms among bidders for Boeing navigation unit, Reuters reports

Several private equity firms have joined together to pursue a buyout of Jeppesen, Boeing’s (BA) navigation unit, sources told Reuters’ Milana Vinn, Dan Catchpole and Mike Stone. The private equity groups include Vista Equity and Warburg Pincus; Advent International and Permira; and TPG and Francisco Partners, according to three of the sources. The remaining bidders also include aircraft parts maker TransDigm (TDG) and buyout firms Thoma Bravo and Silver Lake, who are bidding separately. Honeywell (HON) and Carlyle (CG) had also expressed interest in acquiring Jeppesen, but it is unclear whether Honeywell and Carlyle are planning to submit final offers, the report added. The remaining bidders are competing to buy Jeppesen for more than $8B and Boeing is expected to invite bids for the unit from the suitors in the coming weeks, Reuters says.