AIRBUS ACQUIRES METRON AVIATION

Airbus has acquired air-traffic management firm Metron Aviation, subject to regulatory approvals. The US-based company is heavily involved in the U.S. NextGen air traffic modernization effort. Metron is the prime contractor under the FAA’s System Engineering 2020 (SE2020) program, which is set to be a major conduit for industry involvement in the NextGen effort and a lucrative source of contract work. “The acquisition of Metron Aviation supports the Airbus strategy to help countries improve their ATM,” said Eric Stefanello, CEO of Airbus ProSky. Together, we can provide a new level of capabilities to support NextGen and [Europe’s] Sesar even better.”