NORWICH INTERNATIONAL AVIATION ACADEMY READY FOR TAKE OFF WITH £3M FROM GOVT GROWTH DEAL

NORWICH INTERNATIONAL AVIATION ACADEMY READY FOR TAKE OFF WITH £3M FROM GOVT GROWTH DEAL

Aspiring aviation students are one-step closer to achieving their ambitions after New Anglia LEP secured £3m Growth Fund money to kick-start the development of the aviation academy at Norwich International Airport.

The £12.5m project, unveiled in September 2013, will create an internationally-recognised centre of excellence for education and skills in aviation with a unique collaboration between the region’s employers, education groups, the LEP and local authorities.

It will be the first of its kind in theUKand support 80 engineering apprenticeships per year, as well as degree-level and further and higher education courses in engineering, airport operations and cabin crew training, for hundreds of students.

The £3m secured by the LEP will pay for the creation of the centre at the airport.

Mark Pendlington, chairman of New Anglia LEP said: “This project is the centerpiece of all our ambitions to create an aviation cluster around Norwich Airport. The benefits of this academy will be felt by aviation businesses across the UK and the world, it will be a powerful draw for further inwards investment and once again give our region a strong competitive advantage over other key European locations.

The academy presents a whole new world of opportunities for local students and we are delighted to have been able to support its creation.”

 Andrew Bell, Chief Executive of Norwich International Airport, said. “The Norwich International Aviation Academy addresses two key issues. Firstly it helps to satisfy the demand for diverse skills at Norwich Airport, a demand which is increasing as the airport, and the businesses that are based here, grow. Without the right skills, the potential of these businesses, and of the Airport, will not be realised.

Secondly, it projects a clear message both across the UK and internationally that we are intent on becoming a centre of excellence for aviation. There is a well-documented global skills deficit across a range of aviation activities which the academy will help to address. This facility will enable local students to go global in their career ambitions, and will attract students into the region from the UK market and overseas.”

KLM UK Engineering Limited has been a founding partner in the project. 

Arjan Meijer, managing director, said: “KLM UK Engineering is looking forward to delivering its Aircraft Engineering courses to a much larger group of students through the NIAA than can currently be managed at our own college. This will allow the company to transfer its excellent skills and knowledge to the aircraft maintenance engineers of the future.

I am very excited about the academy as it will significantly increase the availability of local technically trained staff for our company. To interest future generations early-on for jobs in aviation is crucial, not only for sustaining our current aircraft maintenance business, but also to allow for further growth of our industry worldwide. The NIAA will position Norwich firmly on the international aviation industry map.”

 Simon Witts, Chief Executive of Aviation Skills Partnership said: “We are delighted that we have been able to play a pivotal role in bringing the partners together to make this project a reality.  With our main skills partners City College Norwich and University of East Anglia and main project partners NPS Group and WT Partnership, we are immensely proud that we can launch the first of our planned Aviation Skills Hubs in Norwich, a City within a region that I believe offers exactly the right ingredients for a successful academy”.

The remainder of the £12.5m investment is expected to come from loan funding and the private sector, who will provide the “real world” training experience with a full size aircraft, plus additional equipment and aviation facilities.

It is supported by a core group of founding partners, including KLM UK Engineering, Norwich International Airport, Aviation Skills Partnership, City College Norwich, University of East Anglia, New Anglia LEP, Norwich City Council, Norfolk County Council and Broadland District Council.

The Academy plans to open its doors in September 2016 although a ‘feeder’ programme with City College Norwich started in September 2014.

KLM UK Engineering Limited - Widens Its Portfolio by Obtaining FAA Approval

KLM UK Engineering Limited Widens Its Portfolio by Obtaining FAA Approval

Paris, Amstelveen, Norwich, September 18, 2014.

KLM UK Engineering Limited is pleased to announce that it has obtained its FAA Approval this year.

 Expanding the KLM UK Engineering’s portfolio

KLM UK Engineering Limited is one of the first UK based MRO’s to be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration since the US Department of Homeland Security Transportation Security Administration prohibition stopping the FAA issuing any new foreign repair station certifications was lifted early this year.

 Arjan Meijer Managing Director of KLM UK Engineering Limited comments "KLM UK Engineering Limited has always had the expertise and facilities to accommodate the required work. It has been a long process, but now we are very pleased to have obtained FAA certification. This new approval allows us to expand and develop our current maintenance activities and we look forward to welcoming new customers to our hangars".

About KLM UK Engineering Limited

KLM UK Engineering Limited (KLMUKE) is the leading UK based Maintenance Repair Organisation (MRO) offering a high quality service and products from its head office location in Norwich, at Norwich Airport. With 5 fully equipped modern heavy maintenance bays across 3 hangars and over over 40 years of experience on many aircraft types, including Embraer 170/190, Boeing 737 All Series, Airbus A320 Family, BAe 146 & Avro RJ and Fokker 70/100 types, KLM UK Engineering Limited (KLMUKE) has a solid customer base. Included in our capability and experience is the ability to carry out heavy modifications either at our Norwich facility or at the operator’s home base. 

There is an extensive on-site Workshop supporting all base maintenance activities, delivering a high quality of modifications, repairs, overhaul, NDT, Paint Shop, Trim Bay, Composite and component repairs.  

KLM UK Engineering Limited (KLMUKE) has been based at Norwich Airport for 40 years and employs approximately 370 people and provides line maintenance support throughout the UK. The Company prides itself on having an experienced and skilled work force, delivering a superior service and high quality product at a competitive price.

KLM UK Engineering Limited (KLMUKE) has an on-site Part 147 Technical Training College delivering BSc (Hons) Professional Aviation Engineering Practice, Aviation Engineering, EASA CAT A, B1.1 & B2 Type Training / Basic courses, Compliance and e-learning training.

Airbus A320 Family

KLM UK Engineering Limited, operating within AFI KLM E&M's global MRO network, specialises in maintaining regional jets and narrow-body fleets. The Company has both EASA Part 145 certification & FAA Approval and aims to bolster and further develop its positions in this market with the addition of the Airbus product.

A European leader in the single-aisle passenger aircraft market and having an internationally acknowledged expertise on the Boeing 737, KLM UK Engineering has extended its services to the other workhorse in this segment, the Airbus A320. To meet the growing demand for A320 support for its customer base, the AFI KLM E&M subsidiary is diversifying by adding this type to its maintenance capability. The company has already successfully delivered maintenance and end-of-lease checks, and has three heavy maintenance checks scheduled for the winter 2014/15 programme. This latest offering compliments existing A320 maintenance capabilities in the AFI KLM E&M MRO network in Toulouse (France) and Casablanca (Morocco) and will help to extend group services for both new and existing group customers' fleets, for regional jets and narrow-bodies.

Adaptive services
KLM UK Engineering has been based at Norwich International Airport in the United Kingdom for over four decades, and is well-known in the industry for providing base and line maintenance for Boeing 737s, Fokker F70/F100s, BAe146/AvroRJs & more recently the Airbus A320 Family & Embraer 170/190. These core capabilities include the technical training college which has been in operation for over 25 years, and in this time has directly trained staff and successfully run an in-house apprenticeship scheme. It is currently offering a virtual learning environment product for EASA B1 licenses as well as several Airworthiness courses. KLMUKE is promoting these to the market, both for commercial and military operations. The college has been working with Kingston University in London for over 10 years to deliver a foundation course in aircraft engineering & BSc Hons Aircraft Engineering. The Company has recently added a range of unique services to meet specific carrier demands, such as the decommissioning of aircraft, in order to provide its customers with a truly full scope of services during the lifetime of their aircraft.
KLM UK Engineering operates in a modern facility structured around its three hangars, with five heavy lines of maintenance along with line maintenance stations throughout the UK, including Norwich, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham. With over 30 customers, including Air France, KLM, Transavia Netherlands/France, CityJet, Jet2.com and British Airways, KLM UK Engineering is continuing to expand, driven by a robust portfolio of strengths.
 "We are recognised in the market place and by our customers for our ability to provide competitive rates and high operating standards," adds Arjan Meijer. "This is especially visible in our very short turnaround times (TAT) and our exacting quality standards covering the entire company, which has been further enhanced by the deployment of Lean Six Sigma throughout."

AFI KLM E&M Modifies and Provides Component Support

AFI KLM E&M Modifies and Provides Component Support
for GainJet 737-400

Modification work done by KLM UK Engineering

Paris, Amstelveen, 25 June 2014. GainJet Aviation S.A. contracted AFI KLM E&M to carry out cabin modifications on a Boeing 737-400 68 seats VIP configuration, which they acquired from the AIR FRANCE KLM group in order to expand their fleet of VIP aircraft. The VIP aircraft charter operator will also rely on the expertise and reliability of AFI KLM E&M to provide component support for the same aircraft.

Supporting the client’s expanding fleet

The aircraft concerned is the third Boeing 737 to have entered service in GainJet’s expanding private executive fleet including a VIP Boeing 757. AFI KLM E&M’s subsidiary KLM UK Engineering, specializing in base maintenance (C-check) and cabin modifications on regional and single-aisle passenger aircraft, carried out the work at its Norwich facility to transform the aircraft into a comfortable business jet. The aircraft cabin has been completely refurbished and can now carry 68 passengers in reclining, leather-upholstered Business Class seats, while the baggage hold has been adapted to contain up to 5.7 tons of baggage.

Arjan Meijer, Managing Director of KLM UK Engineering Limited, said: “We are delighted to be working with GainJet and to help them develop their business jet fleet. We hope that this is the start of a long-term partnership and that we will be able to help them with other projects going forward.”

Ramsey Shaban, President of GainJet Aviation, stated: “The cabin modification project demonstrates KLM UK Engineering’s high quality standards and expertise. We provide top quality aircraft and services to our customers; therefore our suppliers and partners need to also provide such standards of service. We’ve found such a supplier in KLM UK Engineering and are happy to be working with them. After its upgrade, the aircraft is now in pristine condition and will efficiently support our on-going operational expansion in the VIP executive airliner market.”

High level component support

The two parties have now signed an exclusive agreement to organize full component support for this 737-400 aircraft. AFI KLM E&M has extensive know-how on the 737 product from both the operational and maintenance angles, enabling it to tailor its service offer precisely to customer requirements in terms of flexibility and reliability, and in this case, to GainJet.

Under the terms of the contract, AFI KLM E&M will provide MRO services across a wide array of Part Numbers (P/N) along with 24/7 Aircraft On Ground (AOG) support, committing to maximum component availability for GainJet’s 737-400.

KLM UK Engineering Limited

KLM UK Engineering Limited (KLMUKE) is the leading UK based Maintenance Repair Organisation (MRO) offering a high quality service and products from its head office location in Norwich, at Norwich Airport. With 5 fully equipped modern heavy maintenance bays across 3 hangars and over over 40 years of experience on many aircraft types, including Embraer 170/190, Boeing 737 All Series, Airbus A320 Family, BAe 146 & Avro RJ and Fokker 70/100 types, KLM UK Engineering Limited (KLMUKE) has a solid customer base. Included in our capability and experience is the ability to carry out heavy modifications either at our Norwich facility or at the operator’s home base. 

There is an extensive on-site Workshop supporting all base maintenance activities, delivering a high quality of modifications, repairs, overhaul, NDT, Paint Shop, Trim Bay, Composite and component repairs.  

KLM UK Engineering Limited (KLMUKE) has been based at Norwich Airport for 40 years and employs approximately 370 people and provides line maintenance support throughout the UK. The Company prides itself on having an experienced and skilled work force, delivering a superior service and high quality product at a competitive price.

KLM UK Engineering Limited (KLMUKE) has an on-site Part 147 Technical Training College delivering BSc (Hons) Professional Aviation Engineering Practice, Aviation Engineering, EASA CAT A, B1.1 & B2 Type Training / Basic courses, Compliance and e-learning training.

AFI KLM E&M Voted MRO Of The Year by Airline Economics

Trade magazine Airline Economics awarded its "MRO of the Year" accolade to AFI KLM E&M at the Airline Economics Aviation 100 Awards held in Dublin, on 20 January. In this way, the 6,000 people polled in the survey, themselves being airline industry professionals, have acknowledged the expertise underpinning the maintenance, repair, and overhaul solutions delivered by the Group worldwide.
This prestigious award also recompenses the efforts made by AFI KLM E&M and its people to adapt its services and capabilities to the challenges and requirements of its clients.

Receiving the award, Franck Terner, Executive Vice President AIR FRANCE KLM Engineering & Maintenance, said: "We are deeply honoured to receive this award, and proud to have been recognized by our peers as an expert and major operator for aircraft maintenance services. The aviation sector is still experiencing a degree of turbulence and this accolade is seen as an encouragement and a vote of confidence, prompting us to continue our efforts to achieve all-round excellence and performance in the products and services we provide."

KLM Cityhopper Signs with KLM UK Engineering Limited for Fokker 70 Heavy Maintenance

KLM Cityhopper Signs with KLM UK Engineering Limited for Fokker 70 Heavy Maintenance, the agreement also covers modification work on fleet concerned.