Dan Air Engineering Limited was the maintenance arm of Dan Air Services Limited, itself a subsidiary of Davies and Newman, one of Britain's foremost wholly privately owned, independentindependent from government-owned corporations ship broking and airline companies during the 1970s and 80s.
Dan-Air Engineering was established in 1954 at Lasham Airfield to maintain the fledgling airline's rapidly growing fleet as well as to cater to the maintenance requirements of third parties.
The organisation embarked on a major expansion during the 1970s, following the introduction of several new aircraft types into its sister airline's fleet. This led to the opening of a new maintenance base at Manchester.
Further expansion followed in the 1980s, leading to the opening of a new widebody-capable maintenance facility at Gatwick, its sister airline's main operating base.
Following its sister airline's adoption of a new corporate strategy at the beginning of the 1990s, which resulted in a simpler, less maintenance-intensive fleet mix, Dan-Air Engineering was put up for sale as its capacity exceeded the sister airline's maintenance requirements by 45%.The Spirit of Dan-Air, Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, p. 182Dan-Air shanghais Cathay manager, Air Transport, Flight International, 12–18 February 1992, p. 11
FLS Aerospace acquired Dan-Air Engineering on 28 February 1991 for £27.5 million.The Spirit of Dan-Air, Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, p. 183Dan-Air Engineering sold to FLS Group, Business, Flight International, 16–22 January 1991, p. 13
History Dan-Air's growing and varied fleet necessitated the development of a comprehensive 'in-house' maintenance capability from the start. This led to the establishment of sister company Dan-Air Engineering in 1954, the airline's second year of operation.
A new maintenance base Following Dan-Air's acquisition of three Avro Yorks in 1954, the airline selected Lasham Airfield, a former Royal Air Force World War II airfield near the northeast Hampshire town of Basingstoke, as its maintenance base due to the ample availability of hangar space.The Spirit of Dan-Air, Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, p. 15Airline Profile: Number Forty-Three in the Series – Dan-Air, Flight International, 31 May 1973, p. 836 (Meredith Air Transport, whose operation at Southend Dan-Air had taken over at the time of its formation, lacked adequate maintenance facilities at that airport. When the fledgling airline moved its operating base to Blackbushe in 1955, it continued to face a shortage of adequate maintenance facilities as Airwork, Britavia, Eagle, Silver City and Westminster Airways, whose presence at the airport predated Dan-Air's, had already occupied most of the available hangar space. Blackbushe's lack of space resulted from its earlier use as a military airfield where no provision had been made for future commercial operations. The airport's biggest drawback was its location on both sides of the A30 along the Hampshire-Surrey county border, with the terminal and apron to the north and the maintenance area to the south, and taxiways as well as one of the runways crossing it. This arrangement necessitated frequent closures of the busy road on account of aircraft moving across it, thereby preventing the efficient use of both road and airport as well as ruling out the latter's expansion.Airliner Classics (Dan-Air – Popular British Charter operator: Southend to Blackbushe), Key Publishing, Stamford, UK, November 2011, p. 90)
At the time, Lasham Airfield was in excellent condition, featuring a newly resurfaced runway and a large, empty hangar. (The Air Ministry had decided to upgrade the airfield following the end of the Berlin Airlift in preparation for further Cold War tensions.)
Eventually, Davies and Newman, the parent company of both the airline and its new engineering offshoot, managed to negotiate a 21-year lease of the airfield's maintenance facilities with the Air Ministry.The Spirit of Dan-Air, Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, p. 16
Major expansion in the 1970s and early to mid-1980s
Dan-Air Engineering's first phase of major expansion occurred at Lasham, following sister company Dan-Air's purchase of a pair of de Havilland Comet series 4 jetliners from British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) in 1966.Airliner World (The Last of Dan-Air's Comets – Dan-Air and the Comet), Key Publishing, Stamford, UK, November 2010, p. 69 These aircraft were ferried from BOAC's Heathrow base to Lasham during the early summer of that year for a six-month conversion by Dan-Air Engineering from a 74-seat, low-density, two-class long-haul scheduled configuration into a 106-seat, high-density, single-class short- to medium-haul inclusive tour (IT) layout.The Spirit of Dan-Air, Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, pp. 47, 63Airline Profile: Number Forty-Three in the Series – Dan-Air, Flight International, 31 May 1973, p. 839Airliner World (The Last of Dan-Air's Comets – Dan-Air and the Comet), Key Publishing, Stamford, UK, November 2010, p. 70Aviation News (Dan-Air's Comets – Second-hand stalwarts: Inclusive tours), Key Publishing, Bourne, UK, July 2017, p. 19 This conversion involved structurally "reinforcing" the aircraft — including strengthening the cabin floor and the wing roots – as they were expected to perform many more takeoffs and landings after entering service with Dan-Air (compared with their original role at BOAC). It also involved replacing internal doors with curtains as a weight-saving measure. Subsequently, acquired, larger Comet series 4B and 4C aircraft underwent similar structural modifications to enable them to carry up to 119 passengers before entering service with sister airline Dan-Air.Airliner World (The Last of Dan-Air's Comets – Additional Comets), Key Publishing, Stamford, UK, November 2010, pp. 71–73
Dan-Air's acquisition of its first two BAC One-Elevens from American Airlines in 1969Air Transport ..., Flight International, 27 March 1969, p. 466Airline Profile: Number Forty-Three in the Series – Dan-Air, Flight International, 31 May 1973, pp. 836/7 necessitated a major modification programme at Lasham before these aircraft could join the UK civil aircraft register as these were 400 series models that had been built to comply with US airworthiness requirements, which differed in several important aspects from the UK's airworthiness requirements.The Spirit of Dan-Air, Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, pp. 63/4
The introduction of Dan-Air's first American-built jet aircraft, an ex-Pan Am Boeing 707 320 series "Intercontinental", in 1971Jet for Dan-Air, World News ..., Flight International, 14 January 1971, p. 40Air Transport ..., Flight International, 18 March 1971, p. 362 eventually led to Dan-Air Engineering being granted "FAA Repair Station" status. This meant that it could perform maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) tasks on aircraft that were on the US civil aircraft register and/or were governed by US airworthiness standards.The Spirit of Dan-Air, Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, p. 147
Dan-Air's decision to become the first British operator of the Boeing 727 resulted in the purchase of three 100 series examples from Japan Airlines (JAL) in 1972. As these aircraft lacked high frequency (HF) radios, they needed to be flown across the Pacific with two intermediate 24-hour stops at Wake Island and Honolulu (where the aircraft refuelled and waited for the overflight of the next scheduled Tokyo – Los Angeles Boeing 747 service to provide navigational assistance for the next stage of the onward journey until Los Angeles was reached).JAL crews ferried each aircraft from Tokyo via Wake Island, Honolulu and Los Angeles to Seattle Boeing Field After reaching the US, they underwent an extensive modification programme at Boeing's Wichita plant in Kansas to comply with British Civil Airworthiness Requirements (BCAR). These modifications entailed the installation of two additional emergency doors each side of the rear fuselage and a full stall-protection system, including a stick pusher. Following their arrival in the UK at Dan-Air Engineering's Lasham base,via Gatwick each aircraft was fitted with new galleys manufactured by Dan-Air Engineering together with 150 seats. The aircraft were also repainted at Lasham prior to their entry into service with Dan-Air in 1973.The Spirit of Dan-Air, Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, pp. 122, 236First British 727 ready, Air Transport, Flight International, 29 March 1973, p. 500
By the mid-1970s, Dan-Air Engineering's workforce had expanded to more than 800, the vast majority of whom were based at Lasham.
The continuing, rapid expansion of the Dan-Air fleet during the 1970s as well as growing third-party work during that period resulted in the opening of Dan-Air Engineering's second maintenance base at Manchester Airport in 1976. The new Manchester base took over Lasham's maintenance of Dan-Air's One-Eleven and Hawker Siddeley 748 fleets. It also developed third-party de Havilland Canada Dash 7 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 maintenance capabilities, as a result of which Lasham began to specialise in the maintenance of all Boeing narrow-bodied aircraft types.The Spirit of Dan-Air, Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, pp. 92, 147
Eventually, Dan-Air Engineering became the second biggest employer at Manchester Airport (after the airport authority).The Spirit of Dan-Air, Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, p. 148
Dan-Air had its entire 17-strong One-Eleven fleet hush-kitted at Dan-Air Engineering's Manchester base by the end of 1985.The Spirit of Dan-Air, Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, p. 92Air Transport, Flight International, 14 April 1984, p. 992
By the late-1980s, Dan-Air Engineering's total workforce had almost doubled to 1,500.Commercial Manager ... Dan-Air – Engineering Division, Marketplace – Aerospace Appointments, Flight International, 13 August 1988, p. 100 (This was in addition to Dan-Air's 3,000-strong workforce at the time, resulting in a total employee strength of 4,500 for the entire Davies and Newman group during that period.)
Further expansion in the late 1980s On 28 February 1989 Dan-Air Engineering opened its third base at London Gatwick, its sister airline Dan-Air's main operating base since 1960. At that time Dan-Air Engineering maintained over 100 aircraft, including Dan-Air's 50-strong fleet.Avionics Engineers – Gatwick ... Dan-Air – Engineering Division, Marketplace – Aerospace Appointments, Flight International, 28 January 1989, p. 67 The new Gatwick maintenance base featured Dan-Air Engineering's first and only widebody-capable hangar (located at the airport's northwest side).Dan-Air's space shop, Flight International, 13 May 1989, p. 12Skyport (... but Virgin want it for its plane space), Gatwick edition, Hounslow, 4 August 2006 Princess Alexandra conducted the official opening ceremony for Dan-Air Engineering's new hangar at Gatwick Airport on 18 April 1989.Airliner Classics (Dan-Air – Popular British Charter operator: Gatwick's new hangar), Key Publishing, Stamford, UK, November 2011, p. 95 The Gatwick hangar could handle all Western-built widebodied aircraft — including the Boeing 747, then the world's largest widebodied airliner in commercial airline service.
Davies and Newman's decision to establish a new, widebody-capable maintenance facility operated by maintenance subsidiary Dan-Air Engineering at airline subsidiary Dan-Air's Gatwick base was taken in response to the following events: Gatwick had experienced rapid growth since the late-1970s, with an increasing number of movements at the airport accounted for by widebodied aircraft, including those operated by US carriers on transatlantic scheduled services.