flydubai Boeing 737-8KN A6-FEK which had arrived for cabin modifications back on Saturday 21 December 2013 reappeared outside to Monarch Hangar at lunchtime...
.... but after being checked over and turned around it was pulled back into the hangar
.... reappearing again outside the hangar just before 1830 - after fuelling it then departed BHX on the final stage of its delivery flight to Dubai
Monarch Airbus A321-231 G-OZBI was an afternoon arrival from Malaga - the aircraft was repainted during December 2013 into the latest version of their colour scheme
Air France Airbus A320-214 F-GKXT operated their morning service to Paris CDG
BA Cityflyer Embraer 190-100LR G-LCYN positioned in from Edinburgh to operate an additional ski IT flight to Chambery for the Christmas holiday....
.... it was the 700th Embraer E-Jet to be built and wears special marking on the nose
Turkish Airlines "Sharklet" equipped Airbus A321-231 TC-JSK operated their morning service from Istanbul arriving in blustery conditions
Monarch Boeing 757-2T7 G-MONK was a lunchtime arrival from Gatwick parking on the Elmdon apron prior to a visit to the Monarch Aircraft Engineering Hangar
Hawker 800XP M-YCEF spent the day parked up after arriving back from Bournemouth on Saturday evening after an absence of nearly three months
The new Monarch Aircraft Engineering Hangar is starting to go "yellow" as the contractors start to add the external cladding to the office/service area
Monarch Aircraft Engineering (MAEL), the award-winning independent aircraft maintenance provider and a division of The Monarch Group, has reached another key milestone in the construction of its new 110,000 sq. ft state-of-the-art maintenance facility, at Birmingham Airport in the UK
Since the ground-breaking ceremony in January 2013, work has continued at a pace on the hangar build, with the largest and heaviest component of the entire build - the "valley truss" beam - measuring 4.2 metre deep and spanning 66 metres and weighing approximately 80 tonnes, now being installed
Commenting on this milestone, Mick Adams, Managing Director of MAEL, said: "The development of our new hangar at Birmingham Airport continues to define a new airport landscape and we are extremely pleased that the project remains on target. We are now working hard on the detailed requirements for all aspects of the operation to ensure that we are ready for the first aircraft to enter our facility in November 2013"
Will Heynes, Development Director of Birmingham Airport, said: "This development is a significant addition to our infrastructure. It enhances our offer of world class facilities and supports our ability to offer more skilled jobs in the region. The programme is progressing well thanks to the great efforts of all parties involved and we look forward to welcoming the first jet into the new hangar this November"
Another view of new Monarch Aircraft
Engineering Hangar from air-side
showing continued progress with the
structure now largely complete....
.... and the view of the rear of the
building showing the offices/service area
.... and a view of the whole site with the
Monarch Hangar on the left, the asphalt
Batching plant for the Runway extension/A45 diversion project, the Eurojet
Hangar,
the Elmdon site and the new ATC Tower on the far right of the photo
A look at the site of the new Monarch Aircraft Engineering Hangar a month after contractors moved on site - initially most of the work as been on the foundations.... - to see this image "full size" just click on it
.... but a large number of lorry loads of the frame/structure have now arrived on site in preparation for the start of work on the actual hangar
More lorry loads of the frame/structure are parked adjacent to the Elmdon Building....
.... seen in the foreground with the site of the new Hangar - which will be constructed to the north of the Eurojet Hangar - also in the view
The frame/structure of the new Monarch Aircraft Engineering Hangar has now started to arrive on site with these sections being stored adjacent to the Elmdon Building
With work on the new Monarch Aircraft Engineering Hangar starting shortly contractors have moved on site to secure the construction site from the rest of the active airfield
The new hangar will be constructed to the north of the Eurojet hangar that was completed in 2012
A New Years Day look at the site of the new Monarch Aircraft Engineering Hangar construction of which is planned to start shortly - "click" on photo to see larger image
The new hangar for Monarch Aircraft Engineering will be located on the Elmdon site at Birmingham Airport
Monarch Aircraft Engineering - MAEL - the award-winning independent aircraft maintenance
provider today, Tuesday 20 November 2012, announced plans to significantly expand its UK
operations with a new 110,000 sq. ft state-of-the-art maintenance facility, creating 150 new
jobs, with the potential for a further 150, at Birmingham Airport
Due to be completed and operational by the end of 2013, the new MAEL facility will incorporate
industry-leading design and build standards and is the first UK hangar to have the capacity for
Boeing 787 dreamliner maintenance, with sufficient capacity for other wide body aircraft, such
as Boeing 777, 747 and Airbus A350. The facility will be large enough to accommodate two
Boeing 777-300ER aircraft or 10 narrow-body aircraft and will contain a number of component
repair and back shops
Paul Kehoe, CEO of Birmingham Airport, said: "We are delighted to have been chosen as the
Airport for Monarch Group’s UK engineering expansion, following the growth of its flight operation
in Birmingham this year. The decision to create this state-of-the-art facility in the West Midlands
demonstrates Monarch’s long-term commitment to the region, creating job opportunities for
skilled engineers and young people looking to start a career in aircraft maintenance"
The new facility at Birmingham Airport will complement MAEL’s existing heavy maintenance
facilities in the UK at London Luton and Manchester Airports and supports the recent and
continuing growth of MAEL’s high-quality aircraft engineering activities
MAEL’s own third-party (i.e. non-Monarch Airlines) maintenance activities have grown to 27%
of business in 2012 from 18% in 2010, and over the next three years this is planned to increase
to almost 40% of turnover and to consolidate MAEL’s position in the top 10 largest airframe
maintenance and repair organisations (MRO) in Europe
MAEL operates globally, supporting clients throughout Europe, the Middle East, Australia and
North America, where it applies superior knowledge of maintaining both legacy fleets and new
technology aircraft such as the Boeing 787 dreamliner, for which it is one of only six worldwide
Boeing-approved GoldCare providers. Current MAEL operations include an extensive global line
maintenance network, engineering technical management team, component maintenance and
spares trading organisation as well as a new purpose-built training academy
As a division of The Monarch Group, the leading UK-based travel group, MAEL also provides
high-quality aircraft maintenance and engineering services to the Monarch Airlines’ fleet,
contributing significantly to the scheduled leisure airline’s efficiency and reliability. Birmingham
Airport is one of Monarch Airlines’ six UK bases, and during 2012 the airline also expanded
its services from the airport
Mick Adams, Managing Director of MAEL, apprentices and Paul Kehoe, CEO at Birmingham Airport
Commenting on the new MRO facility at Birmingham Airport, Mick Adams, Managing Director
of MAEL, said: "Our new state-of-the-art hangar at Birmingham Airport combined with our
existing facilities at London Luton and Manchester, and large line maintenance operation at
London Gatwick, will ensure that MAEL is uniquely positioned to provide its international and
domestic customers with a high-quality and leading maintenance and repair service in key,
strategically-important MRO locations across the UK"
Caroline Spelman, MP for Meriden, which includes Birmingham Airport, said: "I am delighted
to hear about the engineering facility Monarch are investing in at Birmingham Airport. The
creation of 300 jobs through this facility and the opportunities for apprentices is a vote of
confidence in the airport and the great heritage in engineering our area has"
