British Airways has announced a multi-million-pound investment to expand its engineering maintenance facility at Cardiff Airport.
The project involves enlarging one of the existing maintenance bays at British Airways Maintenance Cardiff (BAMC) to accommodate larger long-haul A350 aircraft. Once completed, BAMC will feature two fully flexible bays, enabling more complex maintenance tasks to be performed and increasing the facility’s capability to handle multiple aircraft types. Currently, the base serves only Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft.
This upgrade, part of the airline’s £7 billion transformation investment, will enhance efficiency across maintenance operations by allowing greater flexibility. Construction is set to begin in 2025, with completion expected by 2026.
The development highlights British Airways’ ongoing commitment to its Cardiff-based operations, which employ 480 staff and contribute significantly to the Welsh economy.
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. 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.”
Rebecca Evans, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning for the Welsh Government, welcomed the announcement, stating: “This is very welcome news from British Airways, paving the way for further growth at their Cardiff site and its highly skilled workforce. This announcement once again demonstrates the vital role that Cardiff Airport plays in bringing investment into Wales and in growing our aerospace maintenance, repair and overhaul sector, where we see continued international interest.”
