Max Kingsley-Jones/EXETER
The maintenance arm of UK regional airline British European is gearing up for a larger slice of the BAe 146/Avro RJ market as it undertakes a major expansion of its Exeter facilities. The move comes amid a major review of in-house maintenance activities by BAE Systems.
Rob Thomas, managing director of British European Aviation Services (BEAS), says the company's recently approved five-year plan is to become Europe's leading regional overhaul centre. "A new hangar will be completed next year, boosting our capacity to five 146 bays plus a turboprop bay," he says. This will probably be extended in 3-4 years' time with two bays to handle Boeing 757-size aircraft.
BEAS parent British European operates 17 BAe 146s, and the engineering arm sees maintenance of the type as its core market. "We maintain 27% of the 208 BAe 146s operating in Europe, but we aim to drive it to 40%," says BEAS business manager Andrew Strong.
BAE recently integrated its Regional Aircraft (which includes the Avrotech maintenance arm) and Aviation Services divisions into the new Aircraft Services Group. Last month, BAE informed 146 operators by memo that "Avrotech will cease operations at Woodford at the end of April, with work to be transferred at a rate at which resource can be made available".
BAE is believed to have traditionally struggled to make its maintenance business pay, and the memo has lead to speculation among operators that BAE is considering reducing operations, with Woodford work transferred to its Bristol Filton plant. Filton engineers are about to undergo 146 training at BEAS.
Jim Welsh, director and general manager of BAE Aircraft Services group, says maintenance work at Woodford will go on, explaining that the memo refers to the reorganisation of the business and dissolving the Avrotech name. "We are undertaking a company-wide review," says Welsh, adding that surplus 146 work may be transferred to other BAE sites or third parties. He declines to say when the review will end.
Source: Flight International
