Landmark Aviation, a Houston-based fixed-base operator, says it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Denver-based fixed-base operator Ross Aviation LLC, which operates XN Air at the Spokane International Airport through Ross Spokane LLC. 

The agreement between the two companies was signed on April 23, and the acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2014, says a press release issued by Landmark Aviation.

Jeff Ross, CEO of Ross Aviation, says in the release, “We are excited for the many opportunities this combination will bring for Ross Aviation and its employees. We believe the transaction will further increase the value proposition for our customers, and we look forward to the combined company’s continued growth and success. 

The release says funding for the acquisition is coming from investments affiliated with New York-based private equity firm Centre Partners Management LLC and management.  Amanda Hoffman, a Houston-based spokeswoman for Landmark Aviation, declined to disclose the terms of the acquisition. 

The acquisition will increase the size of Landmark’s footprint to 60 locations in the U.S. and 70 locations globally.

Fixed-base operators, or FBOs, provide support and maintenance services to private and commercial aircraft. Such services typically include aircraft refueling, maintenance, repair, and overhaul; hangar space rental; charter flight services; and flight training

As with the other Ross Aviation operations, XN Air will be rebranded as a Landmark Aviation outlet once the acquisition is finalized, Hoffman says. 

“It’ll be a process of integrating them into the Landmark Aviation family,” she says. 

Hoffman says the company continuously looks for acquisitions that can help it grow strategically. 

“Our team is always looking for deals that make sense for us,” she says. 

Ross Aviation, which has been operating since 1992, is owned by Centre Partners Management. 

Landmark Aviation is a portfolio company of the Carlyle Group, a global alternative asset manager with more than $189 billion in assets.  

XN Air provides fueling services for aircraft, says general manager Frank Warren. XN Air also owns and operates several hangars at the airport that it uses to store both private and corporate aircraft, and provides other services for aircraft on the ground, Warren says. 

Other than for the rebranding, Warren says he doesn’t have any specific information yet about how the acquisition will affect XN Air.

“We haven’t received all the information about what will happen next,” he says. 

However, he says he’s happy with the acquisition and hopeful that it’ll provide more opportunities for the company. 

“We’re excited about the possibilities because we’re going to become part of a larger operation with more resources,” Warren says.

Also, he says, “Landmark is a name in our industry that’s held in the highest regard. They have a standard of excellence with employee training and customer service that’s unparalleled, so we’re very happy to become part of that organization.”

Warren adds, “I’m expecting to make contact with the new organization very soon, but they are growing about 30 percent domestically (with this acquisition), so I’m sure they’ve got some work.”

Ross Aviation acquired XN Air in early 2012. It also acquired the commercial aircraft service and fueling units from Spokane Airways, another fixed-base operator here that closed in late 2012. Spokane Airways, which had operated here for more than two decades, provided aircraft maintenance, small charters, and a flight school at the Spokane International Airport.