A new 54,000 sq. ft. hangar will be built at Norwich Airport to meet increased industry demand
The £7 million development will include workshop facilities for KLM UK Engineering which currently employs 390 at the site.
The new hangar along with a 15,500 sq. ft. workshop will give significant additional capacity for KLM’s maintenance and repair services.
Norwich Airport managing director Richard Pace said that KLM UK Engineering is a major employer in Norwich with hundreds of skilled staff. This deal underlines its long-term commitment to the region and is another significant milestone in the airport’s strategy of creating a global aviation centre of excellence.
Students which study apprentices with KLM through its International Aviation Academy in Norwich will also get greater exposure to international aircraft – with KLM now better equipped to handle maintenance jobs coming in from across the globe.
KLM UK Engineering, which has been headquartered in Norwich for more than 40 years, currently has five heavy maintenance bays across three hangars at the airport.
Peter van der Horst, KLM UK Engineering’s managing director, said they are delighted to have agreed this expansion project with Norwich Airport. This will enable them to provide a more efficient service to their customers, allow them to maintain the larger next generation aircraft and provide extra capacity with a sixth bay.
He said that their team in Norwich are excited with this development and look forward to revealing the new hangar in 2020.
With KLM moving into the new hangar, the vacated space will be taken up by Satys Air Livery UK.
The aircraft repainting company will be making Norwich the head office for its painting and aftermarket division.
With four hangers used for repainting narrow body aircrafts this will now make Norwich Airport the largest site in Europe used for this purpose.
Thierry Melet, managing director of Satys Air Livery UK, said they are looking forward to consolidating their position in Norwich. The additional hangar will provide both additional capacity for growth and potential synergies to satisfy their current customers in a very competitive market.