Market Intelligence: -Investments and Acquisitions

South Africa’s Skyhawk Aviation Acquired by Excellentia Airline Academy

South Africa — Skyhawk Aviation is pleased to announce that 100 percent of its shareholding has been acquired by new flight training group holding group Excellentia Airline Academy. This includes the entire fleet of twenty aircraft, simulator, both ATOs (Approved Training Organisations), being Lanseria and Grand Central, Approved Maintenance Organisation (Skyhawk Aviation Technical), as well as transport and accommodation divisions.

An extensive hand-over process is in place for the rest of the year.

This acquisition, alongside the acquisition of Aeronav Academy at Lanseria, will pave the way for Excellentia, as the holding company, to become the largest provider of pilot training on the continent, while maintaining the individual brands.

With a sound operational outlook as well as major financial backing, plans are firmly in place to take this venture to over one hundred aircraft within the next 18 months, with additional bases already being finalized in Gauteng.

Mike and Tracey Gough, who started Skyhawk over seventeen years ago, would like to thank their global network of consultants who have contributed to the massive success of the company and are excited to watch the next evolution as Skyhawk and Aeronav are ramped up to address the critical skills shortage in the aviation sector.

Source: Skyhawk Aviation

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Excellentia Airline Academy Acquires 2 Flight Training Organisations Commences Group Operations in South Africa

South Africa — Excellentia Airline Academy (EAA) is proud to announce that it has now formally completed the 100% acquisitions of both Aeronav Academy as well as Skyhawk Aviation, combining 2 long established flight training schools under the EAA umbrella, forming the fastest growing flight school in South Africa. The schools are based in both Lanseria and Grand Central (where EAA Head Office is located), giving excellent flexibility for flight training slots.

The South African aviation sector is highly respected in the global arena, and EAA are bringing a larger corporatised approach with proper economies of scale. EAA was founded by passionate aviation entrepreneurs, together with a management and ownership team including experienced aviators with both commercial and military experiences. EAA recognises the huge demand for newly qualified pilots in a post Covid world, and EAA is gearing up to cater for this growth requirement of newly qualified pilots – EAA is targeting to have trained over 6,000 pilots by 2030.

EAA combines the existing fleets of each school (primarily Cessna C-172’s, Pipers and Diamond aircraft currently), and then regularly adding new additional Sling 2 NGT aircraft every month, taking the aircraft training fleet from almost 30 currently to over 100 aircraft within the next 18 months, and 200 within 3 years. The Sling 2 NGT has a modern 100hp Rotax engine, spacious wide-view cockpit and a full suite of modern Garmin avionics. EAA’s trainers are ably supported by state-of-the-art flight simulators, allowing its students to obtain their CPL, and then be qualified to fly commercial aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320/321 families.

Source: Excellentia Airline Academy

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Loft Dynamics Secures USD 24 Million Series B Funding to Transform Airline Pilot Training with Virtual Reality Solutions

Switzerland & USA – Loft Dynamics, the global leader in virtual reality (VR) flight training, has raised a $24 million (USD) Series B funding round led by The Friedkin Group, with participation from Alaska Airlines and existing shareholders Sky Dayton and Craft Ventures, as well as UP.Partners. The round brings Loft Dynamics’ total funding to $48 million (USD) and marks a major step forward in expanding its commercial airline offerings while continuing to grow its core helicopter business.

Loft Dynamics developed the world’s only FAA- and EASA-qualified VR helicopter simulator, used by operators such as Airbus Helicopters, the Los Angeles Police Department, and Air Greenland. With this latest investment, the company is applying its cutting-edge technology and regulatory credibility to transform airline pilot training at scale.

“Pilot training hasn’t kept pace with the rest of aviation,” said Fabi Riesen, founder and CEO of Loft Dynamics. “We’re still sending trainees across the country to sit in $10-$20 million, warehouse-sized domes—technology that hasn’t evolved in decades. In an era of pilot shortages and increasing air mobility, that’s simply no longer sustainable. We’re building a new standard—one that’s far more realistic and accessible. High-quality, regular training leads to better pilots. And better pilots mean safer skies.”

Loft Dynamics’ immediate focus is developing a next-generation, cloud-connected training suite—the world’s first fully integrated hardware and software system built to make pilot training safer, more effective, immersive and scalable.

Initial offerings will include existing helicopter simulators and new full-motion Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 VR airliner simulators—up to 12 times smaller and a fraction of the cost of traditional full-flight simulators. Loft’s new airliner simulators will include a multi-crew replica cockpit with all aircraft haptics, body and eye tracking, and AI-powered training intelligence to measure pilot performance and deliver tailored feedback. It will also feature LofTWIN—a virtual demonstration mode that lets instructors record immersive lessons for pilots to replay at any time. These systems will enable pilots to train safely and regularly for any condition, including rare, high-risk scenarios and past aviation tragedies.

To further increase training accessibility, Loft Dynamics is also developing a spatial computing–powered home training kit, allowing pilots to review sessions, access immersive content, and train remotely—from the base or their living room.

As part of the investment, Dan Friedkin, chairman and CEO of The Friedkin Group, will join Loft Dynamics’ board of directors, partnering closely with Series A investors Sky Dayton (partner at Craft Ventures, founder of Boingo Wireless, EarthLink, and CloudKitchens) and Ben Marcus (co-founder and managing partner at UP.Partners), both of whom also serve on the board. An accomplished pilot and entrepreneur, Friedkin leads a global portfolio of businesses across aviation, automotive, hospitality, sports, investments and entertainment.

“Loft Dynamics is defining the next era of aviation training,” said Friedkin. “This investment enables them to scale their solution globally, fast-track innovation, meet an urgent industry need and elevate pilot safety in the process. Loft brings the vision and execution capability this moment demands.”

“Through Alaska Star Ventures, our corporate venture capital arm, we are excited to support Loft Dynamics in bringing FAA-qualified VR technology to commercial airline training,” said Pasha Saleh, corporate development director, Alaska Airlines, “We look forward to working closely with Loft to revolutionize pilot training, making it more immersive and effective. This investment will not only enhance our industry-leading training program but also pave the way for future training solutions across the aviation industry.”

“This funding round isn’t just a milestone—it’s a signal,” added Riesen. “A signal that the wider industry is ready for change. We’re proud to have the backing of The Friedkin Group, Alaska Airlines and our existing shareholders. I’m thrilled to welcome Dan to our board—his strategic insight and passion for aviation will be invaluable as we scale. Together, we’re building a safer, smarter, more accessible future for aviation training—one that serves operators, regulators and pilots, and protects the millions of passengers who rely on them.”

About Loft Dynamics
Loft Dynamics AG is the global leader in qualified virtual reality flight simulation training devices (FSTD). It is the only VR FSTD qualified by the FAA and EASA. Equipped with a 3D high-resolution panoramic view, dynamic six-degrees-of-freedom motion platform, and full-scale replica cockpit with a unique pose tracking system, our revolutionary VR simulators provide a more immersive, realistic, customizable, and safe training experience. By offering a training solution 10 times smaller and significantly more cost-effective than legacy simulators, we make training more accessible and scalable than ever before. We serve leading manufacturers, airlines, operators, schools, and organizations worldwide. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and Zurich, Switzerland, our team comprises passionate engineers, developers, and aviation experts.

Source: Loft Dynamics

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