British Airways is to invest millions of pounds in upgrading and expanding its Cardiff maintenance base so that Airbus A350s can be serviced and repaired at the facility.
The airline announced on November 22, 2024, that it plans to expand one of three existing maintenance bays at British Airways Maintenance Cardiff (BAMC) to facilitate larger long-haul A350 aircraft.
A spokesperson for British Airways said: “When completed, BAMC will go from one to two fully flexible bays, which will allow more complex and detailed maintenance work to be completed.”
As it stands, the Cardiff engineering base can only accommodate Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner aircraft, and British Airways is looking to explore ways to facilitate more aircraft types.
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.”
Best added: “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.”
The upgrade is part of a £7 billion ($8.7 billion) transformation investment that will start in 2025 and is due to be completed by 2026.
In March 2024, British Airways announced the investment of billions in everything from artificial intelligence (AI) to airport lounges and new cabins in its next generation of A320neo and A321neo aircraft.
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.”
British Airways Maintenance Cardiff employs 480 people from the local area.