Eli Lilly's aircraft returns to Indianapolis as $7.8B Centessa acquisition closes

Eli Lilly's Gulfstream G500, tail N307EL, was tracked departing Moffett Federal Airfield in California on June 23 at 21:51 UTC, touching down at Indianapolis International Airport three hours and 28 minutes later at 01:19 UTC on June 24.

If aboard, the flight would bring an executive back to headquarters the same day the High Court of Justice of England and Wales sanctioned Eli Lilly's $7.8 billion acquisition of Centessa Pharmaceuticals, as reported by RTTNews. The deal, announced in March, is expected to close on June 24, making the timing of the return suggestive.

The aircraft had made a similar round-trip between Indianapolis and the Bay Area on June 19, and also flew to the East Coast multiple times in the prior week, consistent with the cross-country travel associated with major pharmaceutical transactions.