British Airways Acquires Boeing’s Gatwick MRO Hangar Facility, Securing Jobs

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British Airways has announced it is to acquire the Boeing hangar facility and MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) business at Gatwick in a move that will secure jobs at the site and expand BA’s presence at this key airport.

It will ultimately benefit BA customers by bringing additional skills, expertise and facilities into the business which will help to support the BA operation.

This transaction sees the airline create a new wholly-owned engineering subsidiary called British Airways Engineering Gatwick (BAEG) which will join BA’s existing engineering operations in South Wales (BAEW) and Glasgow (BAMG). The colleagues employed by Boeing who work at the facility will, subject to an employee information and consultation process, be transferred to the new subsidiary in Q2 of this year.

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.

British Airways Chief Technical Officer, Andy Best, said:

“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."

“We’re proud of our Gatwick operation and this will give us a stronger presence which underlines our commitment to the airport.”

”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.”

Taking over the Boeing facility will significantly boost British Airways’ engineering operation at Gatwick, enabling it to continue to carry out minor maintenance on 777 aircraft at the airport. This increased capacity will allow BA to in-source some scheduled heavy maintenance work on its A320/321 fleet. Additionally, it will enhance its capacity to carry out unscheduled repair work, as well as providing additional maintenance resilience, and relieving capacity challenges at other locations across our network. Carrying out more 777 and 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.

The transaction announced is subject to the usual conditions.

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JCB’s annual Christmas Toy Appeal is set to deliver a sackful of festive cheer to children in Staffordshire and Wrexham thanks to a record number of gift donations.

The appeal got under way in November with the installation of 14 collections points at JCB plants in Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and Wrexham. Today it was revealed that a total of 1,242 gifts had been donated as George Burton, aged five, and brother Henry, aged three, handed over the final two toys for the appeal to JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford in the reception at JCB’s World HQ at Rocester where all the presents are assembled.

Now the gifts are being handed over to the NSPCC, the Stoke-on-Trent Hubb Foundation and Wrexham-based Yellow and Blue charity, for distribution to children at Christmas. As well as huge support from JCB employees, the GMB Union also donated £1,250 to buy toys, the JCB Academy raised £300 for the purchase of gifts and IT specialists Cap Gemini donated 40 toys.

Lord Bamford said today:

“When it comes to supporting a good cause, JCB employees are second to none. Every single one of the gifts donated will make a difference to a child this Christmas and it is heart-warming to see that everyone has given so generously.”

Adam Yates, Chief Operating Officer of the Hubb Foundation, said: “I can’t thank everyone at JCB enough for what they have done. I can say without any doubt that The JCB Christmas Toy Appeal really does make Christmas so much brighter for many hundreds of children in Staffordshire. I saw that for myself last year, which is why we are so grateful for every single gift which is donated.”

Rachael Holdcroft, NSPCC Strategic Service Manager (Together for Childhood, Stoke), said:

“It is so heart-warming to see more than 1,200 gifts which have been donated to the JCB Christmas Toy Appeal because I know just what an impact this will have on the children this Christmas."

"I know that this year has been difficult for so many, so it really is incredible to know that even though times are tough, people still care about children and want to do their bit to ensure that all children receive a gift at Christmastime.”

Employees at JCB’s plants in Rocester, Uttoxeter, Cheadle, Hixon, Foston and Wrexham all took part in the appeal, helping beat last year’s donation total of 1,000 gifts.

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British Airways Acquires Boeing’s Gatwick MRO Hangar Facility, Securing Jobs

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