Blagnac, February 13, 2026. Driven by the global momentum of the aerospace industry, the discreet Toulouse-based group Satys is consolidating its growth, returning to its pre-Covid profitability ratios, and, at the beginning of 2026, displaying strong development ambitions across its six markets: commercial aviation, regional aviation, business aviation, helicopters, defense, and aircraft repainting. “This favorable environment contrasts with the extreme difficulties we encountered across all our activities from 2020 to mid-2024, initially linked to the health crisis and subsequently to the consequences of hyperinflation, a cyberattack, and demand disruption,” notes Christophe Cador, founder and Chairman of Satys. “We worked extensively, particularly on integration and organization, and we continued to invest in training and targeted industrial resources to be able to respond to the strong recovery of the sector. The efforts of the Satys Aerospace and Satys Coatings teams are now bearing fruit, and our four priorities have remained unchanged for 40 years: employee safety, on-time delivery, quality of our services, and a spirit of service.”

A strategy focused on core business

Since 2020, the group has undertaken a major strategic shift by refocusing on aircraft painting and surface treatment. This roadmap led Satys to divest its wiring business in 2020 to an investment fund and, in early 2025, to sell its Satys Cabin division to the UUDS group, a leader in this business in France. Finally, on January 30, 2026, it sold its rail interior design business Kelox to the French group Barat, a recognized player in this sector. Kelox had been turned around in 2025 following very serious financial difficulties from 2022 to 2024 that required significant financial support from the shareholder.

Satys takes over Sabena technics’ four aircraft paint hangars in Toulouse

The latest step in this strategy is the takeover of Sabena technics’ four paint hangars in Toulouse-Cornebarrieu, finalized on February 13, 2026. Located alongside the runways of Toulouse-Blagnac, these facilities process 140 aircraft per year. The transaction includes the transfer of approximately 130 site employees to Satys Aerospace. “The expertise of the Satys teams in Blagnac combined with that of Sabena technics in Cornebarrieu will enable us to further strengthen our positioning and performance with our client Airbus, with a total of 10 paint hangars in Toulouse, including four widebody-capable facilities,” emphasizes Gregory Mayeur, CEO of Satys Aerospace. This takeover follows the acquisition of SPI in 2022 and the opening of four paint hangars in 2025/26, including one widebody hangar in Châteauroux.

From now on, the holding company Satys Industries is structured around two autonomous groups fully dedicated to aeronautics:

a – The Satys Aerospace Group is a global leader in aircraft painting and sealing and will celebrate its 40th anniversary in June 2026. The company operates forty-six paint hangars and 68 paint booths in ten countries and plans to open eighteen sites, including six widebody-capable facilities, across four continents over the next six years. Satys Aerospace’s main customers are aircraft manufacturers Airbus, Dassault, Embraer and ATR, as well as airlines and maintenance centers. Its revenue – €140 million in 2019, €96 million in 2021, €192 million in 2025 – is expected to reach €265 million in 2028 and more than €300 million in 2030, with 1,200 aircraft painted. Satys Aerospace benefits from an average 8% increase in OEM (aircraft and engine manufacturers) production rates and is gaining market share in the defense and MRO (airlines and maintenance centers) sectors.

The group employs 2,200 people, including 1,500 in France. By 2030, it plans to recruit 800 additional employees, more than one third of them in France.

Satys Aerospace is owned by Christophe Cador through the holding company Satys Industries, the management team, and financial investors: funds managed by Tikehau Investment Management, Crédit Mutuel Equity, Groupe Crédit Agricole, BPI, and IRDI. “They, along with our long-standing banking partners, provided strong support during the difficult years,” confirms Pierre Yves Fargeas, the group’s Chief Financial Officer.

b  – The Satys Coatings Group, led by Thierry Cotelle (CEO), specializes in surface treatment of aeronautical parts and operates four production sites: in Marseille, where Satys Coatings is investing in the renovation of its historic plant; in Toulouse; in Dugny (Seine-Saint-Denis); and in Gyula (Hungary). Satys Coatings has also developed in Marignane, with its partner Gaches Chimie, the Expiris platform, consisting of an engineering office specialized in research on next-generation coatings, corrosion expertise, and a laboratory linked to its activities.

With revenue of €35 million in 2025, a workforce of 300 employees, and growth of 7%, the company is also focusing on innovation. The group has developed anaphoretic coating technology (a €7 million investment in 2023), a genuine alternative to the use of chromates for surface treatment and painting. “We have also set as priorities reducing processing times, maintaining a high level of quality, and providing additional capacity to support the growth of the aerospace sector,” states Thierry Cotelle.

(traduction en anglaise d’un communiqué en français)

Source: global momentum