Synova Capital LLP (“Synova”), an award winning investor into UK growth companies, is pleased to announce its £9.0 million investment into Vistair Systems Limited (“Vistair”, the “Company” or the “Business”), a leading provider of technology-based Safety, Efficiency and Compliance solutions to the airline industry.

Synova’s investment will support Vistair’s ambitious international growth plans in partnership with the founders, Ian Herbert and David Hedley, CEO and CTO respectively. Headquartered near Bristol, and with operations in Glasgow, Manchester, London and Dubai, the Business has developed cutting-edge cloud-hosted solutions for global airlines, including British Airways, Delta, EasyJet, Air Asia and Emirates.

Vistair’s solutions are at the leading edge of the digitalization of information and data provision to pilots and crew from flight operations manuals to safety reporting and quality measurement. The requirement for regular updates, compliant processes and the control of publication and viewing of critical documentation is driven by increasing regulatory requirements. In addition, the replacement of multiple paper-based manuals on the flight deck with digital devices drives reduced fuel consumption and improves the carbon footprint across the industry.

Commenting on the transaction, Alex Bowden, a Partner at Synova and a Director of Vistair, said: “Vistair has developed an exceptional suite of software solutions for the airline industry, which significantly improve efficiency and compliance for our customers. We are delighted to be partnering with Ian and his highly skilled team as the Business strives to deliver an accelerated international growth plan buoyed by increased demand within the aviation industry for technology-led products.”

Ian Herbert, CEO of Vistair, commented: “Having built a relationship over the past few years I am delighted to finally be partnering with Synova as our Business embarks on the next chapter of our international growth story. Synova’s experience of supporting and enabling some of Britain’s fastest growing businesses to replicate their local success in international markets makes them the ideal partner for me and my team.”