
Monday, July 9, 2001
For
Immediate Release
RELIANCE AEROTECH INC. ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF CELSIUS AEROTECH
INC. FROM SAAB AB
Nashville, TN Reliance Aerotech Inc. today announced its
acquisition of Celsius Aerotech Inc. of Nashville, Tennessee from
Celsius Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SAAB AB of Sweden, adding
to its existing operations that include Reliance Aerotech Services
Inc., Reliance Aerotech Atlantic Inc. and Reliance Aerotech Canada
Inc.
With the new acquisition, Team Reliance has more than 300,000 square
feet of hanger, administrative and operations facilities and over
500 employees, growing Reliance Aerotech's position as a leader in
North America among the independent maintenance, repair, and overhaul
(MRO) organizations serving the regional commercial and business
aviation markets, two of the fastest growing market segments within
the air transportation industry.
In making the announcement, Glynn Williams, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of Reliance Aerotech Inc. stated, "Celsius Aerotech
has earned an outstanding reputation for quality among regional carriers.
By integrating their facilities and highly skilled workforce into
Team Reliance, we can better serve our customers by offering greater
scheduling flexibility, reduced cycle times, and competitive pricing
without compromise".
Christer Persson, Celsius Inc.'s President and Chief Executive Officer
stated that Reliance Aerotech is the ideal organization to acquire
Celsius Aerotech. "We are pleased to sell Celsius Aerotech to
the Reliance Group," Persson said of the announcement. "This
will allow Celsius Aerotech to continue to provide excellent services
to the aviation industry. Together with their complementary operations
in Myrtle Beach, Team Reliance can provide the expanded capacity
and scope of operations that regional commercial operators require
today to service their rapidly growing aircraft fleets".
John McBryan, Vice President of Technical Services at Atlantic Southeast
Airlines welcomed Reliance Aerotech's acquisition of Celsius Aerotech. "ASA
has long considered Celsius the quality leader among regional MRO
providers," said McBryan. "As the leading edge of Team
Reliance, this new company has the expanded capacity to serve our
growing aircraft fleet while ensuring ASA's commitment to safety
and reliability is met. With more than six million enplanements and
a fleet of almost 120 modern aircraft, ASA's vision of being the
best regional airline is dependent upon technical teams of the highest
standards."
The commercial MRO market is projected to reach almost $36 billion
worldwide by 2004. Within the industry, the regional commercial aviation
market is experiencing explosive growth. Regional airlines in the
United States currently carry more than 12 per cent of all domestic
passengers and regional passenger traffic is projected to increase
by as much as 40 per cent over the next five years. To accommodate
this growth within the US, there are currently 1,255 regional jets
on order. At present there are nearly 2,200 aircraft in the US regional
fleet.
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