Aero NextGen Acquisition Seeks To Streamline MRO Tech Matchmaking

Aero NextGen has acquired Digital Flight, a move that consolidates two players in aviation technology matchmaking and marketing. The deal, announced ahead of MRO Europe, signals a strategic shift in how aftermarket stakeholders discover, evaluate and deploy digital solutions across complex operational environments.

Digital Flight, founded by Craig Skilton, has built a reputation as a supplier-side directory and brand awareness platform, connecting aviation technology vendors with decision-makers. Aero NextGen, under the leadership of Monica Badra, has carved out its niche as a digital solution brokerage, most notably through its ERP Finder platform. The acquisition brings these capabilities under one roof, expanding Aero NextGen’s remit from solution matching to full-spectrum vendor visibility and lead generation.

Speaking exclusively to Aviation Week, Badra outlines the operational pain points the combined platform aims to address. “The aviation aftermarket faces an overwhelming, duplicative landscape. We cut through the noise with a curated marketplace and fit-for-purpose matching that delivers a defensible shortlist fast,” she says.

That “noise” includes the proliferation of tools that often misalign with actual operational needs. “Too many tools are bought on brand, not fit. Our requirements-mapping ties real workflows and must-have features to [technology] providers proven to solve those exact use cases,” Badra explains.

The platform’s matching logic also accounts for global deployment challenges. “What works at one facility often fails in another,” says Badra. “Our matching considers region, regulatory context, language, size and deployment model to ensure solutions scale across sites without breaking operations.”

Beyond discovery, Aero NextGen is expanding its partnerships post-acquisition. Previously focused on enterprise resource planning (ERP), computerized maintenance management system and maintenance and engineering software providers, the company now plans to onboard a broader spectrum of technology providers. That includes OEM and MRO-aligned tools, airline/operator platforms, point solutions (such as for analytics, pricing/quoting, paperless MRO and compliance), edge hardware—like Internet of Things, RFID and mobility—and advisory partners, Badra says. “New partners will be announced following MRO Europe in London, pending interoperability and security benchmarks,” she adds.

Interoperability remains a critical concern for operators managing mixed fleets and legacy systems. Badra says Aero NextGen’s approach considers these requirements from the start. “ERP Finder captures the customer’s system landscape. It maps it to providers with proven adapters for those stacks,” Badra explains. “The implementation strategy is phased, beginning with read-only integrations to validate data quality, followed by lightweight middleware and site-specific pilots. The net result is that legacy systems keep working, new capabilities come online quickly and operators avoid big-bang cutovers.”

Lessons from early adopters reinforce the platform’s pragmatic stance. “Pilots that target one measurable pain point in a small scope of work [such as request for quotation turnaround, parts traceability and paperless sign-offs] deliver faster wins and stakeholder buy-in,” Badra says.

She emphasizes that adoption is a change-management exercise, not just a technical rollout. “Clear owner roles, floor-level training and success metrics beat ‘big-bang’ go-lives every time,” she says.