Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide

Aerospace Events

HRH The Prince of Wales visits BAMC

HRH The Prince of Wales has toured British Airways’ engineering base in Cardiff ‒ BA Maintenance Cardiff (BAMC) ‒ seeing first-hand the changes, large and small, which the airline is making as it works towards more sustainable flying.


Images courtesy British Airways

HRH The Prince of Wales toured British Airways Maintenance Cardiff (BAMC), gaining insights into how the airline is striving to improve the sustainability of its flights and operations.

In front of more than 400 BA staff, His Royal Highness was shown the nose-to-tail focus on sustainability from the heavy-weight investments in new fuel-efficient aircraft, to the smallest detail of using a light-weight solder in aircraft repairs, bringing down the carbon footprint of each journey.

Advertisement
ODU RT

British Airways is forensically assessing its entire operation to find the little changes which add up to a big change of direction.
•    Each First-Class duvet is now made from 19 recycled plastic bottles
•    Replacing seats on short-haul aircraft with new lighter weight versions saves 9,100 tonnes of CO2 per year. That’s equivalent to more than 350 return flights from London to Berlin
•    BA now taxi to the runway using a single engine taxi on short haul flights, saving 3,700 tonnes of CO2 per year, equivalent to more than 100 return flights from London to Madrid
•    BA's lighter cabin trolleys save 5,000 tonnes of CO2 per year; that’s a saving equivalent to more than 300 return flights from London to Paris
•    BA now retract our landing lights earlier on our A320 fleet, burning less fuel and saving 8,000 tonnes of CO2 per year; a saving equivalent to 150 return flights from London to Athens
•    BA have replaced plastic swizzle sticks with bamboo versions, saving 45 tonnes of plastic per year
•    The plastic wraps on bedding have been replaced by paper bands. That adds up to more than 19 million pieces of plastic which have been removed

His Royal Highness was shown around a Boeing 787-9, one of the world’s most efficient aircraft, with the airline investing in a further 73 fuel-efficient and quieter aircraft to arrive before 2024.

Apprentices who work at British Airways Maintenance, Cardiff showed off the inside of the aircraft’s engine, explaining that work has now started on a project to convert household waste into sustainable aviation fuel. Also, on board the aircraft, he saw how many single use plastics were being replaced by sustainable alternatives.

As the event came to a close, HRH unveiled a plaque created from recycled aircraft parts to mark the visit.

British Airways’ Chairman and Chief Executive, Alex Cruz, who led the tour, said: “It has been an honour to showcase our work in this area to His Royal Highness today.

"Every decision we make at British Airways now starts with a simple question: what does that mean for our sustainability aspiration?

Advertisement
DSEI 2025

"We’re now offsetting carbon emissions on all our flights within the UK, and were the first airline group to commit to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

"We’ve got a lot of work to do, but keeping an eye on the detail as well as the bigger picture is the only way to get there.”

Louise Evans, Director of Communications & Corporate Responsibility said: “From new, quieter and more fuel efficient aircraft to sustainable swizzle sticks that eliminate the use of single use plastic, we’re carrying out a huge transformation of the way we fly.

“His Royal Highness opened this engineering base 26 years ago, and we were delighted to welcome him back to our engineering base here in Cardiff so he can see for himself the steps we are taking to a sustainable future.”

Around 1,000 colleagues work for BA in Wales and colleagues who took part in the visit came from across the airline’s Welsh bases (Avionics and Interiors).

HRH the Prince of Wales was returning to BAMC after opening the site 26 years ago and was hosted by Alex Cruz (BA’s Chairman and Chief Executive), Jonathon Counsell (IAG’s Head of Sustainability) and Brian Parcell (BAMC Head of Operations).

BAMC carries out maintenance on 80 long-haul aircraft a year. Its engineers carry out more than 1,000,000 tasks/ jobs a year, working on up to five aircraft at a time, 24 hours a day.

 

Advertisement
Cranfield University
Stansted unveils new brand

Aerospace

Stansted unveils new brand

4 July 2025

London Stansted Airport has unveiled a new brand as it continues to welcome record-breaking passenger numbers and progresses plans to increase capacity and transform the airport experience.

RTX

Aerospace

RTX's Collins Aerospace opens Wolverhampton facility

4 July 2025

RTX's Collins Aerospace has expanded its aircraft electrification capabilities with the introduction of a new engineering centre of excellence in Wolverhampton, UK.

Serco appoints Keith Williams as Chair

Aerospace Defence Security Space

Serco appoints Keith Williams as Chair

4 July 2025

Serco has appointed Keith Williams to the Board as a Non-Executive Director and Chair designate.

Bristol Airport launches Supply Chain Sustainability Charter

Aerospace

Bristol Airport launches Supply Chain Sustainability Charter

4 July 2025

Bristol Airport has announced the launch of a new Supply Chain Sustainability Charter, designed to inspire and support more sustainable practices across its business supply chain.

Advertisement
Leonardo RT
Vertical Aerospace and Bristow expand AAM solutions

Aerospace

Vertical Aerospace and Bristow expand AAM solutions

4 July 2025

Vertical Aerospace and Bristow are expanding their strategic partnership to bring advanced air mobility (AAM) into commercial operation.

Airframe Designs aligns with US NCAMP standards

Aerospace Defence Security

Airframe Designs aligns with US NCAMP standards

3 July 2025

Airframe Designs has aligned its material systems with the US National Centre for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP) which works with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and industry partners to support its existing testing processes.

Advertisement
Leonardo RT