Up to 80 jobs at Aberdeen Airport are at risk after airline BMI Regional revealed plans to relocate its engineering operations to Bristol.
The move comes after the low-cost airline was merged with Loganair last month. Brothers Stephen and Peter Bond, who sold their helicopter firm Bond Aviation in 2011, took control of BMI Regional and Loganair in a deal estimated to be worth £8million with their newly formed regional airline group, Airline Investments Limited (AIL).
The firm said the re-organisation would not affect 40 ground crew who will remain at Aberdeen, nor will it affect the number of flights leaving the city’s airport.
A spokesman for AIL Group said: “The organisational changes are being considered in line with the decision to integrate the group and rationalise the business. These are tough decisions but are in line with our strategic focus of becoming a more efficient and agile organisation.
“BMI Regional will continue to operate its Bristol, Esbjerg, Norwich and Oslo services from Aberdeen. The airline has a long tradition of serving the city and it will continue to be a key destination for the group.”
AIL said it was planning to acquire hangar space at Bristol Airport, which has recently enjoyed a £120million expansion. It aims to grow its 80-strong workforce there by 30%.
Peter Simpson, an aviation industry stalwart who recently joined AIL as chief executive, said the move of the engineering facilities was “a natural step for the airline”.
“Bristol Airport, a hub that has invested £120million in expansion over the past five years, continues to offer BMI Regional the necessary capacity for potential future growth,” he said.
“By dedicating hangar space and expanding other services there, and by dedicating hangar space to Loganair in Aberdeen, we will continue to maximise growth opportunities and strengthen our presence in established markets.
“In 2012, the airline had no crew based at Bristol Airport but announced staff figures of 80 in 2014 with a plan to increase this number by 30%. The engineering facilities move is a natural step for the airline.”
Mr Simpson added: “We’ve rebuilt our infrastructure and systems and reshaped our operating network to focus on profitable routes which enables us to continue our growth into 2016 and beyond. We will provide updates as soon as we have more information on these proposals.
“Loganair has expanded its aircraft presence at Aberdeen. It is therefore important that appropriate infrastructure is in place to ensure we can deliver operational reliability for these expanded operations. Today’s announcement will have no impact on Loganair staff, routes or frequency.
“All options will be explored through consultation to minimize impact on positions, but it is possible that an estimated 80 Aberdeen-based roles may be affected as a result of the proposals outlined today. The BMI pilot and cabin crew base at Aberdeen, together with the scheduled service’s to Bristol, Esbjerg, Norwich and Oslo are unaffected by this announcement.
“We recognise that this is an unsettling period for colleagues and options will certainly include locational redeployment. The business will offer support throughout the process while implementing this strategic reorganisation which will ensure that BMI Regional is able to continue to develop its presence in key UK and European markets,” said Mr Simpson.