GRA’s airline practice provides strategic advisory services to carriers, financial intermediaries and other related parties. Our areas of expertise include network analysis, financial restructuring, bankruptcy proceedings, alliances, privatization and new opportunities analysis.
GRA performs valuation of selected assets such as aircraft fleets and delivery positions, route authorities, airport gates, and landing and take-off slots.
- The liberalization and/or deregulation of aviation markets have created opportunities for carriers to reassess their network strategies. Using specialized tools, GRA helps airlines evaluate the market share and revenue benefits of alternative network strategies including rescheduling hub banks, forming alliances with new partners or merging with other carriers.
- GRA’s airline practice has advised on start-up carriers, both low-cost and full service, including in Africa, Asia/Pacific, the Russian Federation and the Middle East. The firm’s advisory services have included both pre-operation and operating business plans designed to source capital for fleet acquisition and general corporate purposes. Typical airline clients include investors, principal owners and senior managers. Advisory services include implementation support in the pre-operation, start-up and mature airline phases.
- GRA has assisted small to medium sized carriers interested in exploring membership in a global airline alliance. The firm’s in-house models help identify the revenue benefits to the airline seeking to join the alliance, as well as the benefits to individual members of the alliance and the group overall. The GRA network model is similar to those used by larger carriers, thus leveling the playing field for smaller carriers.
- The firm has extensive experience in conducting due diligence analysis for airline mergers and acquisitions, both within the U.S. and internationally. GRA has been called on to advise on virtually every proposed U.S. airline merger since Delta/Northwest in 2008 through 2023 for a variety of industry stakeholders.
The seasoned skills of GRA’s team and our analytic capabilities are highly valued by key players in the airline industry worldwide, whether addressing challenges or approaching new opportunities. The firm has project experience in all regions of the world.