Story ID: 
CAE Acquires RosterBuster Crew Management App
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: The acquisition of RosterBuster crew app provider RB Group forwards CAE's expansion of its digital services portfolio.
Word Count: 284
Less than four months after expanding into digital crew management services through its acquisition of Merlot Aero, CAE is building on that business with the addition of RosterBuster crew app provider RB Group to its portfolio, the Montreal-based global aviation training company announced today.

According to CAE, the acquisition is a “natural evolution” of its move toward a goal of linking operators and crew through an interconnected digital ecosystem. CAE in 2018 had committed to invest C$1 billion in its digital transformation efforts over a five-year period and in 2019 launched a flight services organization to facilitate an expansion into crew management. 

“Over the past two years, CAE has been focused on unifying a digital flight operations ecosystem with the goal of delivering a holistic suite of solutions designed to improve operations and enhance crew experience,” said CAE group president of civil aviation training solutions Nick Leontidis, adding that the purchase of RosterBuster forwards those efforts. “As they prepare for return to flight, crewmembers will be able to manage and schedule their activities more effectively and operators will have integrated tools to connect and engage with crews like never before.”

Founded in 2010 by a UK-based 787 pilot and air traffic controller, RB Group developed and launched the RosterBuster app to help operators and crews access schedules more efficiently. The firm since has grown into an international business, supporting more than 500 air carriers and more than 400,000 users of the RosterBuster app globally, CAE said.

The addition of RB Group follows the announcement in late December that CAE had acquired Auckland, New Zealand-based Merlot Aero, which provides crew management and optimization software, providing support from training to crew operations.