Aircraft engine overhaul company, GE Aviation Wales is celebrating 20 years of overhauling engines for British Airways. The company, which is based in Nantgarw, services a range of aircraft engines for the airline, including the CFM56 engine, the GE90 engine and the Rolls-Royce RB211 engine which has been overhauled at the facility for the last two decades.
Guests, including Chief Executive Officer of British Airways, Keith Williams and Bill Millhaem, General Manager of the GE90 Program at GE Aviation, attended a celebratory event held at the British Airways Maintenance Centre in Cardiff to mark the significant milestone, and to recognise the team who are employed to work on overhauling the airline's engines, including aircraft engineers, apprentices, interns and support staff.
The contract to overhaul the RB211 engine for British Airways began in 1992 and to date over 1,400 RB211 engine shop visits have taken place over the 20 years. In addition to overhauling the RB211 which powers the airline's Boeing 747s and 767s, GE Aviation Wales also overhauls the CFM56 engine which powers the airline¡¯s Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s, and the GE90 engine which powers the Boeing 777.
Mike Patton, Managing Director of GE Aviation Wales, said: "The number and range of engines that we overhaul for British Airways shows the continued confidence the airline has in GE Aviation Wales. Over the last two decades our commitment for delivering quality, innovation and business excellence to British Airways has continued and is just as strong today. Every engine that comes into the shop is overhauled to the highest quality with safety always at the forefront.
"This anniversary is a significant milestone and we look forward to continuing to work together with British Airways to build on our partnership."
Garry Copeland, Managing Director of Operations at British Airways, said: "We have had a major engineering presence in Wales for almost 20 years, employing more than a thousand people across three state of the art facilities.
We are delighted to have reached this landmark with GE, a company that shares our commitment to the aviation sector in Wales.
We look forward to continuing to work with GE, and to developing and expanding our presence in the region."
GE Aviation Wales occupies over 1.2 million sq. ft. and has two state-of-the-art engine test facilities. Employing a highly skilled workforce of over 1,200 people, the Nantgarw-based facility provides customer support for a range of global companies including Emirates, Continental and easyJet.
Business Minister Edwina Hart, said:" The strong partnership built up between GE and BA over the past 20 years has played a key role in developing the dynamic Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul sector in South Wales. "
Today's event celebrates a considerable achievement by these two leading centres of excellence in South Wales. The partnership has not only helped drive the growth of the aerospace industry in the region, it has resulted in significant investment and job creation during this period.
The Welsh Government continues to support developments at both GE and BA facilities, which together with the establishment of an Enterprise Zone for Aerospace at St Athan, have helped position Wales internationally as a significant centre for aerospace. |
