The responsibility and the challenge

Certifying that an aircraft is fit to fly has to be one of the most responsible and challenging roles within the aviation industry. At the same time, devising a maintenance programme that gives the airline the aircraft it needs when it needs them calls for sophisticated planning skills.

The engineers and support staff within Aircraft Maintenance are there to make sure this all happens. We do everything from checking flight logs and liaising with the pilots at the end of a flight to undertaking repairs and carrying out full scheduled maintenance programmes in our hangers.

We have one of the largest, and certainly the most diverse, fleets in the business - everything from Airbus A320s to Boeing 777s. Our main base of operations is at Heathrow, but we also have a base at Gatwick and a Boeing 747 maintenance facility at Cardiff International Airport. These operations are supported by over 100 line maintenance stations all over the world.

Join Aircraft Maintenance and you will be at the forefront of an industry that is developing at a phenomenal pace. Changes are being introduced all the time; refurbishments, upgrades and technology innovations mean an aircraft introduced to the airline will bear almost no resemblance to the same aircraft on retirement.

One of the biggest trends in recent years has been the increased complexity of cabin interiors, which now comprise almost half of what we do. Think about it. A Boeing 747 and 777 1st Class seat contains 17 motors; each of our new Club Class seats has a full PC underneath it. On our larger aircraft, video screens are now built into every seat, and the in-flight entertainment system for a long haul flight manages a more complex programme than the average ten screen multiplex cinema.

It's about as far from traditional "oily rag" engineering as it's possible to get. Watch an aircraft being prepared for flight and one is struck by the precision, the attention to intricate detail and the sense of calm urgency.

Bringing these skills together is what makes this such a rewarding place to be. For everyone who works here, nothing beats the satisfaction of standing at the end of the runway as an aircraft takes off for its destination. This time tomorrow it could be in Sydney or Cape Town - the Aircraft Maintenance teams know they will have played an important part in its safe arrival.