GAMA Aviation opens Bournemouth maintenance facility

GAMA Aviation officially unveiled its maintenance facility at Bournemouth International Airport on Thursday. The centre, which has moved from Farnborough Airport, has been in operation since August 2018.

The company has acquired two hangar spaces spanning 100,000 square feet, as well as 35,000 square feet of office space. The facility is now fully functional for AOG support, base maintenance and line maintenance. It also provides charter and management services. GAMA typically deals with aircraft in the first and second stages of pre-ownership. Its Fort Lauderdale also does aircraft completions.

The Bournemouth hangar is currently servicing three Bombardier Globals and one Challenger aircraft, in addition to several smaller aircraft. Scott McVicar, managing director, said: “The space can fit as many aircraft as you can see, but there is a lot of space under the wings which we use for other work.”

GAMA also provides services to the commercial aviation and defence sectors. McVicar said its technicians often work on British Airways aircraft that fly into the 2.2km-runway airport.

There are more than 30 staff at the Bournemouth facility already, making a total of 90 across GAMA’s Oxford facility and its Farnborough HQ.

The company primarily services Challengers, Globals and Hawkers. McVicar said: “We’re focusing on the Bombardier sweet spot.”

He added that GAMA Aviation was seeking to expand and had made strides in its software wing. “At GAMA, we intend to deliver the service that meets the operational needs of our customers. Our three-year plan is in progress and we intend to grow our MRO in a big way.”