LONDON - The private equity firm Warburg Pincus said Thursday that it had acquired a majority stake in mercator, a information technology services provider to the airline industry.
Warburg will acquire the stake from dnata, a unit of Emirates Group, which will retain a minority stake in the business. Terms of the deal and the size of the stake were not disclosed.
Based in Dubai, Mercator provides technology services to help airlines manage cargo operation, passenger reservations, loyalty programs, safety protocols and their finances.
The company’s products are used by 125 airlines in more than 80 countries worldwide, including United Continental Holdings, JetBlue Airways and British Airways.
“We view it as an excellent platform to build a market-leading transport, travel and logistics business of scale,†Joseph Schull, a Warburg Pincus managing director, said in a statement. “We look forward to building on the expertise of the mercator staff to accelerate the company’s growth.â€
David Tibble will serve as mercator’s executive chairman following the deal.
Mr. Tibble was the former executive chairman of WNS Global Services, a provider of process management solutions that Warburg helped establish following a carve-out from British Airways in 2002. Mr. Tibble was most recently an executive-in-residence at Warburg.
Founded in 1966, Warburg Pincus has more than $37 billion in asset under management.
