British Airways has announced it is to acquire the Boeing hangar facility and MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) business located at London-Gatwick Airport operated by the US planemaker since 2019. According to the carrier, the move will “secure jobs at the site and expand BA’s presence at this key airport. It will ultimately benefit British Airways customers by bringing additional skills, expertise, and facilities into the business which will help to support the BA operation.”
The transaction of the facility into the hands of the British flag carrier will include the setting up of a new wholly-owned engineering subsidiary to be known as British Airways Engineering Gatwick (BAEG). The new subsidiary will join the airline’s existing engineering operations located at Cardiff in South Wales (BAEW) and at Glasgow Airport (GLA) in Scotland (BAMG). Employees employed by Boeing at the Gatwick facility will, subject to an employee information and consultation process, be transferred to the new subsidiary in the second quarter of 2025.
Boeing commenced operations at the facility in 2029 primarily in support of its fleet care program branded as ‘Goldcare’. However, this program was closed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under its previous owner, the facility held licenses to carry out maintenance work up to C-check level, line maintenance, lease transitions, and modifications work on the Boeing 737NG, 737 MAX, 777, and 787 families of aircraft.
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According to a British Airways statement, “This is a significant investment for British Airways and forms part of the airline’s strategy to expand its engineering operation. Longer-term, it’s expected the carrier will recruit additional colleagues and grow this new facility at Gatwick. British Airways’ existing engineering operation at Gatwick is a vital part of the airline’s family, and its role and capability as a key engineering hub or ‘line station’ in the airline’s network will be enhanced with the hangar now under British Airways ownership.”
Taking over the Boeing facility will significantly boost British Airways’ engineering operation and engineering presence at Gatwick, enabling it to continue to carry out minor maintenance on its Boeing 777-200ER fleet based at the airport. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the airline operated its own hangars on the north side of the airport and even acquired the maintenance facilities of British Caledonian when it took over its UK rival in 1987. However, this work eventually shifted to Heathrow and other British Airways locations.
Not just widebodies
However, with the new hangar coming online along with its BAEG subsidiary, the increased capacity will also allow the carrier to perform some scheduled heavy maintenance work on its A320/321 fleet operated by British Airways EuroFlyer which operates exclusively from Gatwick. Additionally, it will enhance its capacity to carry out unscheduled repair work, as well as provide additional maintenance resilience and relieve capacity challenges at other locations across its maintenance network.
“Carrying out more Boeing 777 and Airbus A320/A321 maintenance at Gatwick will reduce the need to ferry these aircraft to other operational bases, which supports our commitments to BA’s wider sustainability goals,” added the airline.
“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,” said British Airways Chief Technical Officer, Andy Best. It will support the reliability of our entire fleet, which is good news for our customers and colleagues. We’re proud of our Gatwick operation and this will give us a stronger presence which underlines our commitment to the airport.”
