Rockwell Collins completes acquisition of ARINC

Rockwell Collins on Monday said it has completed its $1.4 billion purchase of ARINC Inc. from The Carlyle Group.

The deal marked the largest acquisition by the Cedar Rapids-based avionics and communications provider as a publicly traded company. It also was the largest aerospace and defense acquisition of 2013.

ARINC, formed by the nation's airlines in 1929 and sold to the private equity Carlyle Group in 2007, employs almost 2,000 people. The merger brings total Rockwell Collins employment to about 21,000.

"With this move we take a major leap forward to realizing our vision of providing a richer set of seamless information management solutions that encompass the aircraft and ground-based systems," Kelly Ortberg, CEO and president of Rockwell Collins, said in a statement.

"The acquisition represents an exciting new growth platform for Rockwell Collins and shifts the balance of the company toward the expanding commercial aviation sector."

Ortberg said the merger "opens up adjacent market opportunities by leveraging ARINC's strong presence in airport information systems and the broader transportation and security segments."

Rockwell Collins said it expects integration of ARINC into the company will be completed in six to nine months.

ARINC had been owned by American Airlines and other carriers since its founding in 1929 to handle air-to-ground communications. The Carlyle Group invested $257 million of equity when it bought ARINC in 2007 from the airlines and other aviation-related companies such as Boeing.