IRON MAIDEN Singer's Aircraft Maintenance Business Acquires European Skybus Flight Training

Cardiff Aviation Limited, the aircraft maintenance and flight training organization established in July 2012 by IRON MAIDEN vocalist Bruce Dickinson and business partner Mario Fulgoni, has acquired European Skybus flight training.

The European Skybus flight training centre was acquired from the European Aviation Group for an undisclosed sum.

The centre — which will remain in Bournemouth for the time being — is an Approved Training Organisation and can perform Type Ratings for Boeing 747 aircraft types, approved by the UK/CAA and JAA/EASA authorities.

Its Boeing 737, 747-200/300 Combi, B747-400, BAC 1-11 400/500, and Sikorsky S61N helicopter simulators are used by airlines and aircraft operators worldwide for initial flight crew training as well as MCC, JetOC, IR revalidations, recurrent and refresher training.

"This is an exciting addition to the Cardiff Aviation portfolio of businesses and services," said Mario Fulgoni, joint CEO of Cardiff Aviation Limited.

"For the time being, the flight training centre will remain located at Bournemouth International Airport [BOH] on the south coast of the United Kingdom, but we are likely to incorporate it into our base at St Athan, South Wales in due course."

The 13-acre site offers airside access to a private apron, with customer aircraft parking. A team of full-time engineers maintains the simulators.

Cardiff Aviation was launched in mid-2012 by Dickinson, who is himself a 7,000-hour Boeing 757 pilot, and Mario Fulgoni, a seasoned senior aviation manager and former airline captain. It has 132,000 square feet of hangar space capable of accommodating aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 767-300, and parking for up to 20 narrow bodied commercial airliners. St Athan has a 6,000 ft runway.

As well as maintenance of airliners and other large aircraft for several major and independent airlines, Cardiff Aviation has facilities to complete the full range of ancillary aircraft maintenance and training activities and has the expertise and approvals to certify aircraft from many jurisdictions.

Cardiff Aviation has considerable in-house expertise. However, joint ventures and partnerships — current and to be announced — all based under one roof at Cardiff Aviation's St Athan base, massively extend that resource and expertise offering into a vast array of markets.