Travel technology specialist IBS Software (IBS) has entered into a definitive agreement with Massachusetts-based Kronos Incorporated to acquire AD OPT, an aviation software that provides crew management. AD OPT (www.ad-opt.com), founded in 1987 in Montreal by a group of mathematicians and operations research experts, was acquired in 2004 by Kronos, a multi-national workforce management software and services company employing nearly 6,000 professionals worldwide. The cutting-edge crew planning and optimization platform of AD OPT currently powers some of the top airlines in the world including Air Canada, EasyJet, Emirates, FedEx, Garuda, Lion Air, and Qantas. IBS says the multi-million dollar acquisition is an integral part of their growth strategy. Prior to this, IBS has made six strategic acquisitions – three in the USA, two in Europe, one in India – in its 21-year history.
IBS is a specialist in aviation software, supporting flight operations of large airlines including British Airways, KLM and Emirates. IBS says the acquisition will help them leverage AD OPT’s domain expertise to provide the advanced, end-to-end, integrated digital solution for the highly complex task of flight and crew management. The acquisition of AD OPT will add more than 20 airline customers to IBS, significantly widen IBS’ footprint in North America, boost IBS’ go-to-market capabilities and enhance IBS’ addressable market. The move will also deepen IBS’ managerial bandwidth by bringing into its fold AD OPT’s team of highly skilled subject matter experts, some with more than 25 years of airline operations experience.
“IBS represents a well-established and logical acquirer of AD OPT – a game-changing combination which will bring meaningful expertise and complementary benefits to employees and customers of both organizations. AD OPT employees will be joining a thriving company dedicated to the travel industry. Customers will also benefit from IBS’ and AD OPT’s shared commitment and passion for innovation. Even though we plan to transition the AD OPT division to IBS, Kronos will continue to provide airlines with world-class solutions for workforce management and human capital management,” said Bob Hughes, chief customer and strategy officer, Kronos.
“Acquisition of world-class travel technology companies has been a deliberate strategy of IBS to fulfill its commitment to the aviation industry. AD OPT offers a sophisticated suite of airline crew planning and optimization products, a sizeable customer base and a highly experienced team of professionals. The coming together of IBS and AD OPT is, therefore, extremely relevant for the industry as it enables us to create the most advanced digital platform, delivering a holistic solution for flight operations and crew management. We will continue to pursue our inorganic growth strategy to expand our solutions landscape and deliver outstanding value to our customers,” said VK Mathews, Executive Chairman, IBS Group.