Monarch Aircraft Engineering to create 150 jobs at Birmingham Airport
MONARCH Aircraft Engineering (MAEL) plans to significantly expand its operations with a new 110,000 sq ft maintenance facility at Birmingham Airport.
The firm expects the facility- due to be completed and operational by the end of 2013 – to create 150 jobs with the potential of creating 150 more.
The facility will be the first UK hangar to have the capacity for Boeing 787 Dreamliner maintenance, with sufficient capacity for other wide body aircraft, such as Boeing 777, 747 and Airbus A350.
It will be large enough to accommodate two Boeing 777-300ER aircraft or ten narrow-body aircraft and will contain a number of component-repair and back shops.
The new facility will complement MAEL’s existing heavy maintenance facilities in the UK at London Luton and Manchester airports.
Today, some 60% of the world’s airline carriers outsource heavy maintenance work to create a global market worth $49bn, and this is predicted to grow to $65bn over the next ten years. MAEL’s own third-partymaintenance activities have grown to 27% of business in 2012 from 18% in 2010, and over the next three years this is planned to increase to almost 40% of turnover.
Commenting on the new facility Mick Adams, managing director of MAEL, said: “Our new state-of-the-art hangar at Birmingham Airport combined with our existing facilities at London Luton and Manchester, and large line maintenance operation at London Gatwick, will ensure that MAEL is uniquely positioned to provide its international and domestic customers with a high-quality and leading maintenance and repair service in key, strategically-important MRO locations across the UK.
“We look forward next year to welcoming 150 talented people, with the potential for a further 150, to our new facility at Birmingham Airport, where they will complement our expertise across existing locations and join in our exciting plans for further growth.”
Paul Kehoe, CEO of Birmingham Airport, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen as the Airport for Monarch Group’s UK engineering expansion, following the growth of its flight operation in Birmingham this year.
“The decision to create this state-of-the-art facility in the West Midlands demonstrates Monarch’s long-term commitment to the region, creating job opportunities for skilled engineers and young people looking to start a career in aircraft maintenance.”
