British Airways is set to acquire Boeing’s maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility at London Gatwick Airport. This acquisition will expand the airline’s presence at the airport and create more jobs. The current staff will be transferred to a new subsidiary, with plans for future recruitment.
The facility purchase aims to bolster British Airways’ operations at Gatwick by integrating additional skills and expertise. A new wholly-owned subsidiary, British Airways Engineering Gatwick (BAEG), will be established to complement existing operations in South Wales and Glasgow.
British Airways Chief Technical Officer Andy Best expressed optimism about the deal: “Today’s announcement will help us to be the very best in the business by bringing in the skills and expertise of former Boeing colleagues and adding a large, modern hangar to our portfolio of engineering facilities. It will support the reliability of our entire fleet, which is good news for our customers and colleagues.”
Best also welcomed new employees: “I’d like to welcome our new colleagues to British Airways, including highly-skilled and experienced Licensed Aircraft Engineers. I’m delighted that, subject to consultation, they will be joining the BA family and I hope to be recruiting more people in the future.”
The acquisition represents a significant investment as part of British Airways’ strategy to enhance its engineering capabilities. The facility takeover will enable BA to conduct minor maintenance on Boeing 777s locally while insourcing scheduled heavy maintenance for its Airbus A320 and A321 fleets.
London Gatwick serves as an essential base for British Airways due to its international connections. Acquiring Boeing’s facility allows increased capacity for unscheduled repairs and reduces dependency on other bases.
Additionally, British Airways has announced a multi-billion pound investment into its Cardiff Airport maintenance facilities aimed at expanding capabilities for different aircraft types.
Gatwick is one of two major hubs for British Airways in London alongside Heathrow. From Gatwick South Terminal, BA operates numerous flights internationally through both mainline fleet services and short-haul via Euroflyer.
Currently serving over 40 airlines with connections across nearly 200 destinations worldwide, Gatwick remains a vital location for air travel from Britain.
