UK-based MRO Caerdav will begin offering aircraft cargo conversion services as part of a new offering capitalizing on market demand partly driven by COVID-19.
The company told Aviation Week that its customer offering will include both full and soft conversion options. It is targeting the first quarter of 2021 for the introduction of full conversion services, with the soft conversion offering possibly being rolled out sooner.
Work will take place at its facility in St. Athan, located around 20 miles west of Cardiff, which currently holds capacity for four narrowbody aircraft. Caerdav says it will look to utilize space for two aircraft conversions at any one time.
Assigning manpower to tasks will be dependent on the size of the job, but the company plans to specifically recruit new lead engineers and project managers to work on the conversion program.
“In addition to our own world-class MRO facility, we have access to a huge pool of local, experienced engineering talent – making the move into cargo conversions the next logical step for the business," says Bruce Dickinson, chairman of Caerdav.
Since last year, which saw the business rebrand from its former Cardiff Aviation name, Caerdav has made several capability additions while also gaining new approvals such as FAA Part 145 repair station certification in May 2019.
In October of last year, the company signed a memorandum of understanding for investment from the Middle East from Dubai-based conglomerate MOBH Group.
The undisclosed amount was earmarked to help finance the creation of a center of excellence for commercial aviation training at Bro Tathan business park, which will provide pilot and cabin crew training, along with the construction of a new aircraft paint hangar. Once built, it will offer full paint services on aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 767.
Owing to COVID-19, Caerdav says the investment program is on hold and will be reassessed in 2021.
