Cardiff Aviation has unveiled its unique ‘airline-in-a-box’ concept, designed to transform aviation by making it easy to establish airlines across the world with minimal risk, thanks to its unique blend of MRO, training and leasing facilities.

With airline-in-a-box, interested providers get everything they need to create a fully-fledged EASA-class airline without exposing themselves to the risks and costs associated with traditional ACMI. Cardiff Aviation’s concept brings much more flexibility to the market, sourcing aircraft, training, maintenance and regulatory support for the operator and amending services required as market conditions change.

Bruce Dickinson, Chairman of Cardiff Aviation says: “Airline-in-a-box is exactly what it sounds like – we carry out everything you need to establish operations to create an airline accredited under EASA safety standards, and all you have to do is pick the name and sell the tickets. It’s really that simple. We’re giving people the opportunity to set up an airline at low cost and low-risk, but also giving them the pathway to develop further down the line.”

The concept is particularly suited for countries which want to set up a world-class airline with European standards but lack the infrastructure or local expertise to do so. Cardiff Aviation handles whichever aspects of set-up are required, but crucially also provides consultancy that will allow the provider to operate independently in the future, if desired.

Dickinson says: “Crucially, we’ve developed an approach which allows sustainable business. On standard ACMI, if you have a couple of months of low business, you lose your deposit. We don’t do that. We offer a more flexible approach to ACMI and we’ll also source aircraft that the customer owns but they fly on our AOC so all compliance, safety and oversight requirements are taken care of.”

The proof-of-concept has already taken place with the establishment of Air Djibouti, where Cardiff Aviation has provided crew, maintenance and training to develop local pilots and staff, as well as sourcing aircraft for Air Djibouti that will fly on Cardiff Aviation’s EASA AOC. The company is now looking at opportunities in other African nations and South East Asia.

Dickinson concludes: “What we’re trying to do is ensure that those who want to set up their own airline don’t end up having to lose their initial investment and then have to spend even more just to keep the lights on. Cardiff Aviation’s airline-in-a-box is all about being honest, managing expectations and delivering EASA-class airline services – without the financial black hole in which many new airlines who’ve set up on their own find themselves.”

Maintenance work is carried out by Cardiff Aviation’s world class MRO facility at St. Athan, while pilot training takes place at the company’s training centre, which features two Boeing 747 simulators.