By Aviation Editor Doug Maclean
40 years ago this year Virgin Atlantic Airlines was a brand new name in the sky. Now Virgin is a household name in many service sectors and the airline currently have a fleet of 41 modern wide body aircraft. In 2024 Virgin is now associated with quality and innovation.
The airline has seldom been seen at Prestwick in all those years. An occasional training flight or weather diversion has usually been the reason for a Virgin aircraft visiting Prestwick. That has now changed with the announcement that the high quality and swift efficiency of Storm Aviation has attracted them to our Ayrshire airport.
Storm, part of the FL Technics company, recently closed their London Stansted hanger to concentrate on their wide body aircraft hanger at Prestwick.
They have implemented several enhancements at the Prestwick facility, including new capabilities, enhanced management structure, and investments in people and infrastructure.
These improvements ensure that the quality and range of services offered, from engine changes to “C2 6-year base checks” on the Airbus 320/A321/Boeing 737 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner family of aircraft, are consistently delivered on time and on budget, to meet their customer’s requirements. In a highly competitive market quality and efficiency are required in all the work that such companies do.
Kenny Chan, Director of Maintenance stated, “Focusing our base efforts at our Prestwick hangar is a strategic move to streamline our operations and improve efficiency.
By centralising our base maintenance solution at Glasgow Prestwick, we aim to better serve our customers with the highest quality standards while ensuring a sustainable business model.”
Virgin Atlantic have now shown their faith in the Prestwick facility by sending a Boeing 787 Dreamliner for scheduled inspection. Virgin have a fleet of 17 of these beautiful aircraft and each one has its own name.
The West End Girl was the name of this aircraft and hopefully we will see the likes of Queen Bea and Amazing Grace follow into Prestwick in future. Ayrshire Daily News photographer Kai Brown caught the Dreamliner just after landing at a rather damp Prestwick.
A spokesperson said “Storm Aviation recently welcomed a Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 to our hangar at Glasgow-Prestwick Airport for a scheduled inspection. Our team diligently completed the required inspections and repairs, successfully finishing all tasks within the designated time frame.”
“Upon departure, the Virgin Atlantic team expressed their gratitude for the outstanding effort, commending both teams for their collaboration in accomplishing this ad hoc repair. We look forward to continuing our partnership and supporting Virgin Atlantic in the future.”
Storm are an excellent company who really take an interest in Ayrshire community affairs and not only employ a full arrange of staff at Prestwick but also take time to promote careers in aviation.
They highlight the exciting prospects that await people joining such a stable and well paid industry. Attracting quality new customers to Prestwick points to a growing future and Storm’s investment is likely to grow as they build on Scotland’s excellent history looking after all aspects of aviation.
Pictures Kai Brown and Storm Aviation.