Qantas Airways Ltd. agreed to buy the rest of Australia’s Alliance Aviation Services Ltd. in a deal valuing the company at A$763 million ($553 million), gaining a fleet of small aircraft operating charter flights for the resources industry.
The deal values Alliance at A$4.75 a share, Qantas said in a statement Thursday. The stock closed Wednesday at A$3.51. Alliance shareholders will be paid in shares in Qantas, which already owns 20% of the company.
Alliance shares soared 25% to A$4.38 at 10:54 a.m. in Sydney. Qantas fell 1.1% to A$5.61.
Qantas, which also owns Fokker aircraft, said Alliance has a large inventory of spare parts for the planes which will extend the working life of the two companies’ combined fleets.