AIM Aviation Limited has signed a 20-year lease with MAG Property for a new £11 million, purpose built 160,000 square feet advanced manufacturing and office facility, on Aviation Business Park at Bournemouth Airport in Dorset, UK.
Construction on the seven-acre development site is set to commence in August 2014 and is scheduled for completion by the end of summer 2015.
The new purpose-built facility for AIM Aviation, a market leading specialist designer and manufacturer of aircraft cabin interior products, will provide AIM’s Cabin Interiors Division with 30% additional capacity, to meet expanding demand for its premium aircraft interiors.
The new manufacturing unit will feature modern offices and a new Customer Zone, for viewing of mock-up interiors and styling options; plus a new dedicated test facility.
Lynda Shillaw, Divisional CEO, Property at Manchester Airports Group (MAG), the parent company of Bournemouth Airport, said: “AIM Aviation is a global leader in its field and this major investment in a new state-of-the-art facility underlines the strength of Aviation Business Park as a leading location for businesses looking to grow, and of our credentials as a property developer willing to support growth for incumbent partners and newcomers to the site.
“This project will continue to build upon the existing success of the park and kick-starts our ten-year development programme that has the potential to create more than 1,000 new jobs and up to half a million square feet of new first class property assets.”
Colin Thornton, MD of AIM Aviation’s Cabin Interiors Division, said: “This is part of an overall progression strategy to provide AIM Aviation with the best possible facilities for all cabin interior requirements and sufficient capacity to meet with the company’s own plans for growth and that of the commercial aviation market.
“Having the whole team under one roof in one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in Europe will greatly enhance our ability to meet customers’ demand for reduced time-to-market and best value. In addition, this exciting project will allow AIM Aviation to have a modern facility in keeping with the high quality of product it supplies and are delighted to be investing in Bournemouth.”
Aviation Business Park has maintained a high level of resilience through the economic downturn and has shown robustness in meeting demand for smaller industrial units and relocating larger units, with occupancy levels now at around 97%. It is a particularly favourable location for industrial occupiers within the A31-M27 Corridor, offering the unique benefit of direct access to the airport, its flights and its full-length commercial runway.
The new development for AIM Aviation forms part of a wider ten-year development masterplan for Aviation Business Park, backed by Christchurch Borough Council and Dorset County Council.
Outline planning permission was secured in December 2011 to deliver a range of quality new business premises and commercial space, split across five separate plots, totalling around 35-acres, within the existing footprint of the 200-acre Aviation Business Park.
Aviation Business Park currently provides 1.6m sq ft of business space, supports over 200 businesses and around 2,500 jobs. Existing major occupiers include: Honeywell, Babcock, Meggitt, Siemens, Cobham and CSE Citation.