AIRCRAFT TRADING U.K. LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
04048604 · ltd · incorporated 2000-08-07
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
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Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 82-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 82). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (77/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
7 officers (1 active, 7 linked, 2 with DOB)
76
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
87 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
£0£0£0£0£0£0Mar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-12-18
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-11-08
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-03-10
    📄
    change-account-reference-date-company-current-extended
    accounts · AA01
  5. 2022-11-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-11-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-02-15
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-07-15
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  9. 2020-07-14
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  10. 2019-10-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  11. 2018-11-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  12. 2018-03-19
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  13. 2017-11-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-12-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2015-12-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2015-06-05
    ➖
    GOUGH, Patricia Glynis resigned
    secretary
  17. 2005-11-01
    ➕
    GOUGH, Patricia Glynis appointed
    secretary
  18. 2005-11-01
    ➖
    MCHAFFEY, Nicholas Patrick John resigned
    secretary
  19. 2003-09-29
    ➖
    EDGLEY, Janet Irene resigned
    secretary
  20. 2003-09-29
    ➕
    MCHAFFEY, Nicholas Patrick John appointed
    secretary
  21. 2002-02-26
    ➕
    MCHAFFEY, Patrick John Robin appointed
    director
  22. 2001-07-23
    ➖
    JAMES GREEN, Patrick resigned
    director
  23. 2001-05-25
    ➖
    DWW SECRETARIAL LIMITED resigned
    corporate-secretary
  24. 2001-05-20
    ➕
    EDGLEY, Janet Irene appointed
    secretary
  25. 2001-03-05
    ➕
    JAMES GREEN, Patrick appointed
    director
  26. 2001-03-05
    ➖
    DW MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED resigned
    corporate-director
  27. 2000-08-07
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As AIRCRAFT TRADING U.K. LIMITED
  28. 2000-08-07
    ➕
    DWW SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointed
    corporate-secretary
  29. 2000-08-07
    ➕
    DW MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED appointed
    corporate-director

Owner dependency

100/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 82 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

100/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 82 years old. Natural succession window is now.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 26 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Patrick John Robin Mchaffey
Individual · British · DOB 07/1944 · age 82
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

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ALWAYS RECRUITING LIMITED→
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AMANUENSIS BUSINESS SERVICES LTD→
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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

8 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 →
🔒Advanced scoring suite

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

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2000-08-07
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.

Registered office

Prospect House 41,Peverell Avenue East
Poundbury
Dorchester
Dorset
DT1 3WE
England

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-16
Last: 2025-08-02

Officers (1 active · 6 resigned)

MCHAFFEY, Patrick John Robin→
director · ~82y · appointed 2002-02-26
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
EDGLEY, Janet Irene→
secretary · appointed 2001-05-20 · resigned 2003-09-29
Resigned
GOUGH, Patricia Glynis→
secretary · appointed 2005-11-01 · resigned 2015-06-05
Resigned
MCHAFFEY, Nicholas Patrick John→
secretary · appointed 2003-09-29 · resigned 2005-11-01
Resigned
DWW SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
corporate-secretary · appointed 2000-08-07 · resigned 2001-05-25
Resigned
JAMES GREEN, Patrick→
director · ~56y · appointed 2001-03-05 · resigned 2001-07-23
Resigned
DW MANAGEMENT SERVICES LIMITED→
corporate-director · appointed 2000-08-07 · resigned 2001-03-05
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (87 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-08
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-08
change-account-reference-date-company-current-extended
accounts · AA01
2023-03-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-11-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-02-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-08-07
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2020-07-15
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2020-07-14