Biggin Hill grows into aviation hub

London Biggin Hill Airport is developing far beyond its traditional role as a place for private aircraft to take off and land, as business aviation airports increasingly evolve into complete aviation centres offering maintenance, engineering, technical support and other specialist services.

For decades, the value of a business aviation airport was largely determined by its runway, location and accessibility. Those factors remain important, but today's private aviation industry requires considerably more.

Aircraft operators increasingly want airports where maintenance, engineering, handling and technical services can be accessed in one location, reducing downtime and avoiding unnecessary positioning flights.

London Biggin Hill Airport has become a good example of this changing model.

Located approximately 12 miles southeast of central London, the airport combines access to the capital with a growing community of specialist aviation businesses.

Rather than functioning simply as a gateway for private jets arriving in London, Biggin Hill is increasingly becoming an aviation ecosystem in its own right.

Runway access will always be fundamental to an airport, but business aviation has become increasingly focused on efficiency on the ground.

Private and corporate aircraft can represent investments worth tens of millions of pounds. When one of those aircraft is unavailable because it is waiting for maintenance, parts or specialist engineering work, the consequences for an operator can be significant.

Aircraft utilisation has also increased, making reliable turnaround times particularly important.

This has changed what operators expect from airports.

Being able to land close to London is valuable. Being able to land, receive maintenance, complete engineering work, update avionics and carry out interior or exterior work without repositioning the aircraft elsewhere can be considerably more valuable.

That is the principle behind the aviation ecosystem developing at Biggin Hill.

London Biggin Hill Airport is now home to more than 70 aviation businesses, creating a substantial concentration of expertise within a single airport site.

The services available extend well beyond passenger and aircraft handling.

Businesses based at the airport cover areas including aircraft maintenance, avionics, engineering, cabin interiors and operational support.

Bringing these services together creates what the airport describes as a "one-stop shop" for business aviation.

An aircraft arriving at Biggin Hill can potentially undergo several different types of work during the same visit rather than flying between airports or maintenance centres.

For an operator, this can mean fewer aircraft movements, simpler planning and less time with an aircraft unavailable for passenger operations.

Reducing downtime is becoming increasingly important throughout business aviation.

If an aircraft requires maintenance at one location, interior work at another and specialist engineering somewhere else, every additional movement adds complexity.

Crews may need to be organised, slots arranged and fuel purchased simply to move an aircraft between facilities.

There is also the possibility that delays at one location will affect the next stage of the maintenance programme.

Co-locating services can simplify that process.

Engineers and specialist businesses can work more closely together, while unexpected technical problems may be addressed without requiring an aircraft to leave the airport in search of the necessary expertise.

This can be particularly valuable for aircraft operating intensive corporate or charter schedules.

The development of specialist aviation services has also helped Biggin Hill attract investment from major aerospace manufacturers.

One of the most significant examples is Bombardier, which has established an important European maintenance presence at the airport.

Its London Biggin Hill Service Centre provides support for Bombardier business aircraft and forms an important part of the manufacturer's European aftermarket network.

Investment in facilities of this scale illustrates why aviation clusters are becoming attractive to aircraft manufacturers.

A manufacturer considering a new maintenance or technical facility needs more than suitable buildings.

Access to qualified engineers, established aviation suppliers, aircraft movements and other specialist businesses can all influence where investment is made.

Once a substantial aviation cluster develops, it can therefore become self-reinforcing: more businesses attract additional expertise and investment, which in turn makes the airport more useful to operators.

Buildings and hangars alone cannot create an aviation maintenance centre.

The industry also needs people.

One of the major challenges facing business aviation is ensuring there are enough trained engineers and technicians to support increasingly sophisticated aircraft.

Modern business jets combine advanced avionics, complex electrical systems, composite materials and highly sophisticated engines with luxurious cabins containing extensive communications and entertainment technology.

Maintaining these aircraft requires specialist knowledge.

As fleets grow and aircraft become more technically advanced, competition for appropriately qualified workers is likely to increase.

Biggin Hill is therefore investing not only in physical infrastructure but also in developing future aviation workers.

The airport has been involved in programmes designed to introduce young people to careers in aviation and provide clearer routes into the industry.

These include apprenticeships, relationships with colleges and initiatives such as Futures Week.

Such programmes are increasingly important because many aviation careers are less visible to young people than becoming a pilot or cabin crew member.

Behind every aircraft are engineers, technicians, avionics specialists, mechanics, ground operations personnel and numerous other professionals.

Creating a local pipeline of trained workers could prove just as important to Biggin Hill's long-term development as constructing additional hangars.

Training also needs to reflect what aviation businesses actually require.

Collaboration between employers, airports and educational institutions can help ensure people entering the industry have skills that can be used immediately in a working aviation environment.

Biggin Hill's development reflects a wider transformation taking place at specialist business aviation airports.

Traditionally, airports generated much of their activity from aircraft movements, passenger handling, parking and fuel.

Those services remain important, but maintenance and engineering can provide another valuable source of long-term activity.

This can also make an airport less dependent on fluctuations in passenger movements.

An aircraft undergoing major maintenance may remain at an airport for days or weeks, supporting engineers, suppliers and specialist businesses even when flight activity changes.

A successful aviation airport can consequently become something closer to an industrial and technical centre built around a runway.

Despite the growing importance of engineering and maintenance, location remains one of Biggin Hill's biggest attractions.

The airport provides business aviation access to London without operating as a major scheduled passenger airport.

For private aviation customers, avoiding the much larger terminals associated with Heathrow, Gatwick and other commercial airports can provide a more specialised experience.

Its position also makes Biggin Hill particularly relevant for passengers travelling to and from London by private aircraft.

However, the airport's future increasingly appears to depend on much more than passenger arrivals and departures.

Its growing maintenance and engineering capabilities mean an aircraft can potentially arrive carrying passengers, remain for scheduled technical work and return to service without needing to be repositioned to another specialist facility.

The transformation underway at Biggin Hill demonstrates how the definition of a successful business aviation airport is changing.

A runway and convenient location may bring an aircraft to an airport, but the services surrounding that runway can determine how long operators remain and whether they return.

Maintenance facilities, engineering expertise, aircraft manufacturers, handling companies, training programmes and skilled workers are becoming interconnected parts of the same operation.

For airports capable of bringing those elements together, the opportunity extends far beyond simply increasing the number of aircraft movements.

They can become long-term centres for aviation investment, employment and technical expertise.

London Biggin Hill Airport's expanding aviation community suggests this is already happening.

As private aircraft become more sophisticated and operators place greater emphasis on reliability and aircraft availability, airports offering a complete range of services in one location could become increasingly important to the future of European business aviation.

Passengers travelling by private aircraft through London Biggin Hill Airport can pre-book their onward journey with Airports Transfer, including transfers between Biggin Hill and central London, hotels, business districts and London's other airports.

Pre-arranging ground transportation can be particularly useful for private aviation passengers, allowing the onward vehicle to be organised around the planned aircraft arrival rather than arranging transport after landing.

Written by Airports Transfer for passengers travelling to and from London airports.