The planned investment will expand one of three existing maintenance bays at British Airways Maintenance Cardiff (BAMC) to facilitate larger long-haul A350 aircraft. When completed, BAMC will go from one to two fully flexible bays, which will allow more complex and detailed maintenance work to be completed.
The planned work will help increase the airline’s efficiency across maintenance operations as the engineering base will be able to facilitate more aircraft types. Currently, the base can only serve Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft types. This expansion, part of the airline’s £7bn transformation investment, will get underway in 2025 and is expected to be completed by 2026. The project underscores the airline's commitment to the future of its Cardiff-based operations – which employs 480 colleagues, supporting the Welsh economy.
Andy Best, Chief Technical Officer at British Airways, said: “Our Welsh engineering base is an integral part of our maintenance operation, and this investment, as part of our wider maintenance strategy, will ensure that British Airways Engineering Wales continues to play a key role for many years to come. The expanded facility provides us with greater flexibility and control over our Heavy Maintenance activity on both the Boeing and Airbus long-haul fleets, ensuring more efficient planning and execution.”
Rebecca Evans, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Welsh Government, said: “This is very welcome news from British Airways, paving the way for further growth at their Cardiff site and its highly skilled workforce.
“This announcement once again demonstrates the vital role that Cardiff Airport plays in bringing investment into Wales and in growing our Aerospace Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul sector, where we see continued international interest”
This investment is a recognition of the airline's worldwide reputation for quality and reliability in aircraft maintenance. It acknowledges over 30 years of BAMC’s experience in this industry and will help build on that experience to keep delivering excellence in the future.
