Jeff Henry, CEO, Archant, said: “Our acquisition of UKGA is an important moment, establishing our reputation as the leading distributor of aviation content across the country. Archant always strives to inspire communities of special interest, and acquiring a brand of this calibre underlines our ambition to produce the most engaging and influential content to our audiences.”
Archant Development Director, Kevin Whitchurch, commented: “We’re delighted to have made this acquisition. UKGA is an outstanding product that, together with our Pilot brand, makes Archant the number one provider of general aviation content in the UK, ensuring our offering to this specialist community is always best in class.”
Established in 2003 by two general aviation pilots, James Kilford and Phil Murphy, UKGA is a free online service for the UK's general aviation community, aimed at trainees and qualified pilots of light planes, microlights, helicopters and other aircraft, as well as non-flying enthusiasts. UKGA provides news, information and tools to more than 20,000 registered members, says Archant.
James Kilford, UKGA co-founder, commented, “Phil and I started UKGA when we were training - we couldn't find the community or website we wanted, so we built it. More than a decade later, it’s great that an organisation with such an impressive history and ambition will now be taking charge of the brand. But I have no doubt that the Archant is the right place for it - I've been reading Pilot Magazine for years, and I know what a great fit it's going to be within the portfolio.”
