Congratulations to London Biggin Hill Airport and Bombardier on the official opening of their award-winning service centre.

Dignitaries performed the honours at the super-hangar, which is among the largest business jet maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities in the UK.

John Reid & Sons (Strucsteel) Ltd worked with main contractor, Tonbridge-based Civils Contracting Ltd on the dual-cantilever hangar.

We provided the design, drawing, fabrication and installation of the complete steel frame, electrically operated hangar doors and underslung cranes as well as the floor decking, cladding and glazing elements.

Our Pre-Construction Director Richard Hanson and Head of Technical John Harrison, pictured above, represented the company at the ceremony.

As well as a ribbon-cutting and presentations, the event included the opportunity to tour the hangar and its offices,  look inside some of the private and business jets on show, and see a Spitfire at close quarters.

The inauguration of the super-hangar represents major expansion of Canadian aviation giant Bombardier’s presence at Biggin Hill where it is the airport’s largest tenant.

Its new service centre extends over 250,000 sq ft. Among its features are 22 service bays, capable of accommodating up to 14 Global 7500 aircraft at the same time as well as Bombardier’s newly launched Global 8000 business jet when it enters into service in 2025.

The expansion will bring the facility’s workforce to more than 250 employees, with the expectation to grow this number. It is also another milestone in Biggin Hill’s target of creating 2,300 high-quality, well-paid jobs by 2030.

The service centre claimed top honours in the prestigious Structural Steel Design Awards (SSDA) this Autumn.

It was one of just five Award winners out of 21 finalists in the British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA) organised contest.

REIDsteel was the only company to perform both the structural design and steelwork fabrication for an Award-winning project.

The hangar is REIDsteel’s 11th at the airport.