Dutch aviation company APOC Aviation has reported “sizeable” investment from private equity firm Egeria.

APOC’s founder and CEO Max Lutje Wooldrik (pictured above) retains his interest in the company, while current shareholder Antea and other investors are selling their stake.

APOC is based next to Rotterdam Airport in the Netherlands, and specialises in the trading, leasing and part-out of aircraft, engines and landing gears.

The company is planning to use the new investment from Egeria to accelerate its global growth strategy. This will include supplementing its narrowbody airframe, engines and landing gear acquisition policy; enhancing its global footprint; and readying its commercial spare parts inventory for the industry’s post-Covid resurgence.

There are also plans to open a base in Singapore before the end of the year to offer Asian operators access to the company’s A320 family and 737 spare component capability. A US hub is set to follow in the first quarter of 2021.

Wooldrik said APOC had achieved strong organic growth since its inception and was “well positioned to take advantage of the significant market opportunity available given its focus on reliability, speed and delivering an optimal service to its customers”.

He commented: “We were already talking to Egeria before Covid-19 hit. There was a great connection and they were enthusiastic about our vision to become a US$100 million company within the next few years.

“Even though the pandemic has delayed the process for a few months, we’re extremely proud that they have sustained real confidence in our performance and the belief in our future strategies to want to share our journey. This is a time of great opportunity in the aviation sector.

“Currently it is an energetic buyers’ market and with this significant investment and future backing from Egeria we are now well positioned to take advantage of the right assets to meet our strategic goals.”

Egeria partner Egbert Prenger praised APOC’s “impressive growth to date”, market position and Wooldrik’s leadership.

“We have been actively targeting the global aviation sector following our initial investment in MAAS Aviation in 2019 and were immediately attracted to APOC’s proprietary tech-enabled platform, strong industry relationships and reputation for excellent quality of service,” he said.

“We believe our long-term commitment to the aviation sector combined with the substantial financial backing enables APOC to realise their expansion plans over the coming years.”