Key Takeaways
- • Jeppesen ForeFlight completed its separation from Boeing and sale to Thoma Bravo for $10.55 billion, establishing itself as a standalone digital aviation software company backed by the leading software-focused private equity firm.
- • Brad Surak, former leader of Boeing's Digital Aviation Solutions business, assumes the role of Chief Executive Officer to lead the combined entity's growth and innovation strategy.
- • The merged platform integrates Jeppesen's 90-year heritage of precision aeronautical data with ForeFlight's digital-first aviation technology, creating a unified suite spanning flight planning, dispatch, crew tracking, and aeronautical charting across all aviation segments.
- • Jeppesen ForeFlight will serve Commercial, Business, Military, and General Aviation sectors with an integrated technology platform designed to drive operational efficiency through artificial intelligence and advanced analytics across flight deck and operations control centers.
- • The separation from Boeing returns the combined entity to independence, positioning the company to accelerate innovation and product development without legacy enterprise constraints.
Summary
Jeppesen ForeFlight announced on November 3, 2025, its launch as a standalone entity following completion of its sale and separation from The Boeing Company to Thoma Bravo for $10.55 billion. The transaction represents a significant recapitalization of two cornerstone aviation software platforms—Jeppesen, which has provided aeronautical data and flight planning solutions for 90 years, and ForeFlight, a digital-first platform serving pilots and operators globally.
Brad Surak, who previously led Boeing's Digital Aviation Solutions business, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the newly independent company. In his statement, Surak emphasized the strategic rationale for the combination: "Backed by 90 years of Jeppesen's gold-standard data and ForeFlight's relentless spirit of exploration, this combination is building the most unified, intuitive platform in aviation. As we return to independence alongside a leader in software private equity investing, we're once again enabled to move faster, think bigger, and innovate without limits."
The combined platform integrates flight planning, dispatch, crew tracking, and charting capabilities into a cohesive technology suite designed to serve all key aviation segments: Commercial, Business, Military, and General Aviation. The company is positioning AI-driven operational efficiency improvements as a core product differentiator, with capabilities spanning both flight deck operations and centralized operations control centers.
Thoma Bravo's investment provides the capital and operational expertise typically associated with software-focused private equity, potentially enabling faster product iteration, expansion into adjacent markets, and M&A activity within the aviation technology ecosystem. The separation from Boeing removes the company from a conglomerate structure and positions it to pursue a focused software-as-a-service growth strategy aligned with Thoma Bravo's portfolio approach.
Brad Surak, who previously led Boeing's Digital Aviation Solutions business, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the newly independent company. In his statement, Surak emphasized the strategic rationale for the combination: "Backed by 90 years of Jeppesen's gold-standard data and ForeFlight's relentless spirit of exploration, this combination is building the most unified, intuitive platform in aviation. As we return to independence alongside a leader in software private equity investing, we're once again enabled to move faster, think bigger, and innovate without limits."
The combined platform integrates flight planning, dispatch, crew tracking, and charting capabilities into a cohesive technology suite designed to serve all key aviation segments: Commercial, Business, Military, and General Aviation. The company is positioning AI-driven operational efficiency improvements as a core product differentiator, with capabilities spanning both flight deck operations and centralized operations control centers.
Thoma Bravo's investment provides the capital and operational expertise typically associated with software-focused private equity, potentially enabling faster product iteration, expansion into adjacent markets, and M&A activity within the aviation technology ecosystem. The separation from Boeing removes the company from a conglomerate structure and positions it to pursue a focused software-as-a-service growth strategy aligned with Thoma Bravo's portfolio approach.
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