New owner for Low-Fare & Regional Airlines and Inflight Online

Shephard Group sells commercial aviation portfolio to LARA’s former publisher

The Shephard Group and HMG Aerospace announce the purchase by the latter of the Shephard commercial aviation portfolio, incorporating Low-Fare & Regional Airlines, its online news service LARAnews.net, the online sister publication Inflight Online, and all associated handbooks and wallcharts. LARA’s editor, Bernie Baldwin, will remain with the magazine as an employee of HMG Aerospace.

The contract was signed by The Shephard Group CEO Alexander Giles and HMG Aerospace managing director, Mark Howells.

“I am very pleased to announce the sale of Low-Fare & Regional Airlines and the commercial aviation portfolio to HMG Aerospace with immediate effect. The MD of HMG Aerospace, Mark Howells, was previously the publisher of the title, so it will be in very good hands,” remarked Mr Giles.

“Bernie Baldwin will continue as editor of the title under the new management and I'm confident he will bring the same breadth of knowledge and enthusiasm to HMG Aerospace that he has demonstrated at Shephard over the last years. We wish him all the very best,” Mr Giles added.

LARA’s previous sales manager, David Horbury, will remain with The Shephard Group, taking on the role of sales manager for the company’s two new titles, Military Logistics International and Land Warfare International.

HMG Aerospace managing director, Mark Howells, commented, “I would like to thank Alexander Giles, CEO of The Shephard Group, for giving HMG Aerospace the opportunity of becoming the new official publisher of both Low-Fare & Regional Airlines and Inflight Online. As a former Shephard publisher for both media titles, it gives me great pleasure to take LARA and Inflight into a new exciting era and development phase.

“Together with the rest of HMG Aerospace’s team, we look forward to talking further with our airline readers and industry suppliers regarding future programmes and prospects for 2010 and beyond.”

The two companies are working together to ensure a smooth transition of operations, with The Shephard Group providing short-term assistance in areas such as website hosting, circulation and data transfer.

For further information, contact:

Mark Howells 
Managing Director, HMG Aerospace Ltd 
Tel: +44 (0) 1252 501055
Fax: +44 (0) 1252 408674
E-mail: mark@hmgaerospace.com

Alexander Giles
CEO, The Shephard Group
Tel: +44 (0) 1753 727001
Fax: +44 (0) 1753 727002
E-mail: arg@shephard.co.uk