Reports of mass layoffs at ForeFlight have spread quickly across social media and pilot forums, prompting concern about the future of one of general aviation’s most widely used flight planning platforms.
The reports surfaced this week through posts on Facebook, Reddit, and other online communities, including messages attributed to current and former ForeFlight employees. Several posts describe abrupt job losses communicated by email and claim that engineering and support teams were affected. Neither ForeFlight nor its new owner has publicly confirmed the scope of the layoffs.
ForeFlight and Jeppesen became part of a new standalone company after Boeing completed the sale of its Digital Aviation Solutions business to private equity firm Thoma Bravo in late 2025. The all-cash transaction, valued at approximately $10.55 billion, included ForeFlight, Jeppesen, AerData, and OzRunways.
ForeFlight has not responded to questions about the reported layoffs, with company statements so far limited to general references about restructuring and future investment. Some online posts speculated that as much as 30% of ForeFlight’s workforce is being let go.
Online reaction from pilots has been swift, though the layoffs do not appear to be impacting decisions about whether customers will continue to use the ForeFlight app. Many users expressed disappointment over the reported job losses and concern about potential impacts on product quality, customer support, and long-term development. Several posts criticized private equity ownership more broadly, arguing that cost-cutting could undermine a product widely regarded as a safety-critical tool.
At the same time, many pilots have taken a measured view. While acknowledging concerns for affected employees, many users said they plan to continue using ForeFlight unless performance or support noticeably declines. Several noted that the platform remains deeply integrated into their flying routines and that switching flight planning tools carries its own risks and learning curve.
Discussion threads on Reddit and other forums also included debate over alternatives, including Garmin Pilot and other electronic flight bag platforms. However, many users said ForeFlight’s ecosystem, reliability, and familiarity continue to outweigh uncertainty about internal company changes.
ForeFlight has built a strong following in general aviation, business aviation, and military communities over more than a decade. Pilots frequently cite its intuitive interface, integrated weather and navigation data, and continuous feature updates as reasons for its widespread adoption.
4 comments
Why is it every single time private equity firms acquire a business that is doing well, the immediately jack up the rates, fire off the developers who know what they’re doing, and start moving the product offshore.
They had a profitable gold mine, leave it alone. I really hope this increases their share in the Indian general aviation market enough to make up for the amount of customers they’re about to lose to Garmin pilot. I’m also willing to bet money that the developers that they’re firing have a place at Garmin opening up soon.
They don’t call them “Vulture Capitalisms” for nothing…..
“ the layoffs do not appear to be impacting decisions about whether customers will continue to use the ForeFlight app.”
You’re kidding, right? A LOT of people seem to be saying this was the last straw and are looking at other solutions. You can’t get a refund, but many are turning off auto-renew and planning to transition away by the time their subscription runs out.
It’s a major threat for the aviation industry to become so dependent on Jeppesen / foreflight.
Lets hope a good alternative will be available at short notice.