The aircraft, in this case an Icelandair-operated Boeing 757, has its cabin thoroughly stripped out so technicians can undertake a full structural inspection of the upper deck.

Once work is complete on the 757, a mix of different aircraft types will enter the Luton hangar. Monarch is anticipating everything from 757 and 767, A300 and A320 aircraft - the four core aircraft maintained at Luton. “Over the past six months we’ve seen every when of these aircraft types come in for different types of checks,” says Chris Dare, managing director of Monarch Aircraft Engineering.

During the winter Monarch will see more commercial aircraft undergoing heavy checks, with more cargo aircraft typically arriving during the summer months. However, in the past six months, this has changed somewhat, according to Monarch’s Dare. “There’s been no pattern to it during that time period and it’s been a mixture of both cargo and commercial.”

Seating is taken out of an aircraft and stored in a platform located above the shop floor. This provides a convenient space for technicians to store the seats and work on them.

A DHL-operated Airbus A300 undergoes heavy maintenance in the second bay at Monarch’s Luton hangar. It is in the facility on a 30-day input and was expected to be serviceable on May 1 following engine and ground checks being carried out a few days before. 

For an aircraft like the A300, there will be up between 1,300-1,400 pieces of papers detailing the work history along with what is required on the aircraft.

The aircraft, which is more than 20 years old, has also undergone a passenger-to-freighter conversion during its life. Monarch estimates around 10,000 man hours will be used on this aircraft for this heavy check.

The pre-load area, where Monarch will typically store its spare parts needed for aircraft. The components are controlled through a mix of electronic software and manual methods.