Blackstone Announces Acquisition of a Majority Stake in Maldivian Air Taxi and Trans Maldivian Airways

NEW YORK & MALE, Maldives--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blackstone (NYSE: BX) today announced that a private equity fund managed by Blackstone on behalf of its private equity investors has acquired a controlling interest in two Maldives-based seaplane operators – Maldivian Air Taxi “MAT” and Trans Maldivian Airways “TMA”. Following the transaction, Mr. Lars Erik Nielsen (Founder, MAT), Mr. Lars Petré and Mr. Hussain Afeef (majority shareholders, TMA) will retain a substantial shareholding and continue to play a significant role in the companies, including serving as directors on the board. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.