Aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul business, Caerdav, which is chaired by leader singer of Iron Maiden, Bruce Dickinson, has expanded with a new operation at Cardiff Airport.
The St Athan-based business has invested in dedicated line maintenance station at the nearby airport. The facility will initially providing support for ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance) operator, Avion Express.
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The new line station will carry out overnight daily and weekly maintenance checks for Avion Express as part of its summer 2024 contract with holiday giant TUI, ensuring its aircraft remain operational throughout the season.
Chris Coleman, managing director at Caerdav said: “This is a major step forward in Caerdav’s ongoing growth strategy, enabling our skilled workforce to provide outstanding line maintenance to a major international airport.
" As a proud Welsh business, we’re excited to add this string to our bow, establishing new relationships with both Avion Express and Cardiff Airport that we hope to develop further over time.”
The new line station is manned by six dedicated technicians from Caerdav, who are all rated to work on Airbus A320, Boeing 737, 757 and 767 aircraft. Initially working on the A320 operated by Avion Express for TUI Airways across the 2024 summer season, Caerdav is looking to make it a permanent fixture at the airport moving forwards.
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Aleksandr Abramov, technical operations director at Avion Express said: “It’s fantastic to be working with Caerdav as they establish the new line station. The summer contract is extremely important for the airline, so having dedicated maintenance support from such a skilled team to keep the aircraft flying all season will provide a massive operational advantage.”
Chief executive of the Rhoose-base airport, Spencer Birns, said: “It’s great news seeing Caerdav bolstering its offering to provide line maintenance at Cardiff Airport.”
The new line station opened this month for the summer season, with plans in place to make it a permanent fixture at the airport.
Cardiff Airport, which is wholly-owned by the Welsh Government but operates through a separate commercial company,is looking to drive aircraft passenger related revenue activities. It i targeting getting annual passenger numbers back to its pre-Covid level of 1.6 million by 2026. It is currently below one million.