British Airways becomes first airline to maintain own A380 evacuation slides

British Airways has become the first airline to be given approval to overhaul its own A380 evacuation slides. British Airways Interiors Engineering in Blackwood, South Wales will now overhaul slides for the airline’s eight A380s. Overhaul services will include inflation systems checks, component repairs and replacements, as well as slide testing and repacking. The British Airways Interiors team of technicians will also certify the slides for up to three years. To achieve this new qualification British Airways’ technicians underwent a thorough training programme at the slide maintenance manufacturer, UTC Aerospace Systems’ training and maintenance facility in Phoenix, Arizona. A team of 10 British Airways technicians are already trained, with plans for more to follow.