Airbus Group is selling its maritime and land satcom business to French private equity firm Apax Partners.

Airbus said it had signed a share purchase agreement with Apex to sell 100% of its shares in the commercial satellite communications business. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals which are expected to take several months.

Airbus decided to sell its commercial satcoms business in September 2014 following a strategic review of its space and defence business.

“The decision was taken to transfer the activities to a new owner who could provide better focus and drive additional growth,” Airbus said.

The maritime and land commercial satcom business is present in 14 countries and has roughly 400 re-sellers worldwide.