McLean satellite company to acquire rest of Aireon in $366.7M deal

McLean-based Iridium Communications, a global satellite communications company, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the remainder of Aireon, a joint project it started in 2011, for $366.7 million.

Currently, Iridium owns 39% of McLean-based Aireon, operator of the world’s only space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast air traffic surveillance system, which provides real-time global air traffic information.

Under the acquisition, the company would acquire the remaining 61% of equity interests in Aireon from its other owners: Nav Canada, a nonprofit corporation based in Ottawa that owns and operates Canada’s civil air navigation system; AirNav Ireland, a commercial state-sponsored body that provides air traffic management services in Ireland; ENAV, which manages and controls civilian air traffic in Italy; NATS, a provider of air traffic services and solutions to the United Kingdom and international airports; and Naviair, a state-owned provider of aviation services in Denmark.

“The aviation industry is now entering an era of growing air traffic, denser airspace, autonomous aircraft and greater expectations for safety and resiliency,” Iridium CEO Matt Desch said in a news release. “Bringing Aireon fully inside Iridium better positions us to build what’s needed to support the future of aviation, including more innovations like the future introduction of space-based VHF communications.”

The purchase price will be paid 50% at closing and 50% one year later. Iridium also will assume Aireon’s outstanding debt, which is estimated to be about $155 million, according to a news release.

The transaction is expected to close in early July.

With the acquisition, Iridium will pair its global satcom network and positioning, navigation and timing services with Aireon’s surveillance and data services. The company said the combination will allow it to know the location of every aircraft, communicate with pilots in the air provide navigation and timing integrity, and translate that information into operational insights.

“No other satellite operator delivers this combination of capabilities on a global scale,” the news release stated.

The Aireon system operates as a payload on the Iridium satellite constellation and tracks an average of 190,000 flights per day. Air navigation service providers covering more than 50% of the global airspace use Aireon data.

Aireon operates an expanding aviation data services business that sells real-time and historical aviation data to airlines, airports, governments, aerospace operators and others.

In connection with the acquisition, both Nav Canada and NATS will sign extended data services agreements through 2035 and beyond, according to the news release.

“This sale sharpens our focus on our core expertise: keeping Canada’s skies safe,” Nav Canada President and CEO Mark Cooper said in the news release. “As a fellow founding partner, Iridium is the ideal owner to guide Aireon’s continued commercial growth.”

Iridium reported total revenue for full-year 2025 of $871.7 million, a 5% increase from the prior year. The company had about 975 full-time employees at the end of 2025.