Commonwealth Business Media Acquires AeroStrategy's MRO Data Business Strengthening the Company's Position as the Leading Aviation Industry Intelligence Provider

EAST WINDSOR, N.J., Feb. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Commonwealth Business Media, leading provider of trade, transportation, and travel information, news and intelligence to global businesses, announced that it has acquired AeroStrategy's MRO forecast data division. (www.aerostrategy.com). AeroStrategy, with offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Amersham, near London in the UK, is a premier management consulting firm providing services to clients in the aviation and aerospace industry.

CBM has acquired the data business related to five major aviation MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) market segments covering business and general aviation, military, air transport and civil helicopter operators. Overall spending on global aviation MRO activities exceeded $110 billion in 2007. The acquisition enhances CBM's presence in the MRO aviation sector and provides outstanding synergy with CBM's Official Airline Guide's (OAG) analytical data suite and CBM's Aviation Industry Group (AIG) MRO magazine and conference products. These combined resources position CBM as a leading provider of in-depth intelligence information across all key areas of the aviation market.

"This acquisition marks an important step in our strategy of systematically building out our aviation industry product portfolio." stated Alan Glass, President and CEO of CBM. "By combining our existing OAG Aviation database products and AIG's magazine and conference products with those of AeroStrategy, we will be able to build a comprehensive set of market-leading, data-based workflow products that are integral to the everyday operations of the aviation industry worldwide. It will allow us to extend our market reach to the business aviation, military and helicopters industry segments."

OAG (www.oagcorporate.com) is a global flight information and data solutions company for the passenger aviation, air cargo logistics and business travel markets. Its Aviation Solutions division provides airlines, airports and the air transport industry with the most accurate single source for airline information, analytical services and asset valuation support.

AIG (www.aviationindustrygroup.com) headquartered in London, is a leading multimedia company that offers print magazines, conferences and trade shows focusing on the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul market. Both OAG and AIG are divisions of Commonwealth Business Media.

Under terms of the agreement, United Business Media, CBM's parent company, (www.unitedbusinessmedia.com) acquired the business for an initial cash consideration of US$0.9m, with a further performance-related consideration of up to US$1.2 million payable over a three-year period. AeroStrategy will continue to update the database under a three year service agreement while transitioning all material supplier relationships, data collection, updating and processing procedures to the existing content management group at OAG. The consultancy side of the AeroStrategy was not part of the purchase and will continue to operate as a separate company.

About Commonwealth Business Media

Commonwealth Business Media, Inc., a subsidiary of United Business Media plc, www.unitedbusinessmedia.com is the leading information provider to the global trade, transportation and travel markets with comprehensive proprietary data, news and analytical content. Its leading brands include The Journal of Commerce, PIERS Global Intelligence Solutions, BACK Aviation Solutions, Air Cargo World, Traffic World, Official Airline Guide and Aviation Industry Group, a number of directory databases covering the international trade, railroad and trucking markets. The Company also produces more than 30 conferences serving the international trade, aviation and maritime markets. Commonwealth is headquartered in East Windsor, New Jersey, with offices in Newark, San Francisco, New Haven, Long Beach, San Diego, Atlanta, Montreal, Toronto, Washington DC, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, Tokyo, London, Dunstable and Sassenheim. For more information on Commonwealth Business Media, Inc. and the products they offer, visit www.cbizmedia.com or call 800-221-5488.