MAJOR INVESTMENT AT LONDON OXFORD AIRPORT IS SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD

London Oxford Airport has begun construction work on a new development phase.

Central to the work is a 63,000 sq ft 140m long hangar including offices, stores and workshops and capable of accommodating up to six Bombardier Global, Gulfstream or Dassault Falcon Jet models, simultaneously. The new hangar is the first facility in a new north zone of the airport and will be used mainly by established tenants, along with some larger business aircraft for which there has been limited capacity at Oxford.

The airport is investing in infrastructure to accommodate more businesses and allow established companies, such as Airbus Helicopters, Volare Aviation and Jet Maintenance International to expand.

The new facilities will also support existing and future aircraft, including eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) and hybrid/electric models along with a new fuel farm which will quadruple the capacity of the original facility and provide space for additional future static tankage for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

The projects are being overseen by Will Curtis, who joined London Oxford Airport as Managing Director in 2020.

A large area of new aircraft parking apron has been created along with seven new helipads supporting Airbus Helicopters and the growing number of commercial helicopter businesses at the airport, such as MyHeli.

Will said: “In a new post-pandemic economic environment, it’s critical that the UK ramps up its capabilities and capacity to provide growth and further employment, especially in high-value, high-skilled and knowledge-based industrial sectors.

Head of Business Development, James Dillon-Godfray added: ‘We have longestablished maintenance, repair and overhaul businesses that need to expand. These new developments allow us to move people around the airport to facilitate that. We are also in dialogue with several new entities about joining us in the next few years, for which this capacity is essential.”

London Oxford Airport is home to Airbus Helicopters UK’s headquarters and a steadily growing business aviation sector, supporting around 10,000 private and charter passengers a year, mainly for business trips.

Last year a new 100-room hotel opened at the entrance of the airport on the adjacent Oxford Technology Park.

Banbury food safety company Fortress Technology triples manufacturing capacity

Fortress Technology Europe has more than tripled its manufacturing capacity after moving into a new purpose-built industrial facility on Thorpe Way in Banbury.

Having merged with British checkweighing and X-ray inspection specialist Sparc Systems three years ago, the 30,000 sq ft facility, marks the next milestone in the company’s growth.

Employing nearly 70 food inspection engineering and service specialists, the company builds X-ray, metal detectors and checkweighers used by factories that supply supermarkets and retailers throughout Europe and beyond.

Re-locating into this larger new production facility represents a significant investment by the Group’s Canadian parent company.

Managing Director Phil Brown said: “This is an exciting time for digital technologies, especially in the food production market.”

The team spent months designing the production floor in the new facility before moving in equipment, machinery and people.

Commercial Manager Jodie Curry added: “No inspection company globally is better placed to navigate the food supply and pricing challenges brought about by the pandemic and now the Ukraine crisis.”