AIRPLAN FLIGHT EQUIPMENT LIMITED
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 29.8y
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 29.8 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredKey financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsHover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-10-31 | 2023-10-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £107.8k | £155.2k |
| Current assets | £577.1k | £532.8k |
| Cash | £142.2k | £165.2k |
| Debtors | £270.0k | £207.7k |
| Net assets | £92.6k | £129.3k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
2 signals detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Corporate timeline (19 events)Click to expand
- 2025-07-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-07-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-29📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2022-09-16➖PRATT, Sarah Kate resignedsecretary
- 2022-07-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-07-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-16📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-03-23📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2019-03-19📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2018-07-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-02-05📄auditors-resignation-companyauditors · AUD
- 2017-08-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-smallaccounts · AA
- 1996-10-03🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
- 1993-12-31➖BATESON, John Stewart resignedsecretary
- 1973-01-01🏢Company incorporatedAs AIRPLAN FLIGHT EQUIPMENT LIMITED
Owner dependency
The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 63 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 63. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 54 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
cleanGroup structure
The Donovan Group is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Donovan Group Corporate entity | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
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7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Registered office
Filing status
Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank PLC | Mortgage debenture | 1 property | 03/10/1996 | — |