Boeing's plan to build a maintenance hangar at London Gatwick airport has been approved by the local district authority.
The airport says construction work is scheduled to begin later this year following Crawley Borough Council's green-lighting of the project.
To become operational in early 2019, the hangar will be used to service Boeing aircraft all the way up to the 747.
When it disclosed the project nearly a year ago, Gatwick airport foresaw the hangar opening in 2018.
An artist's impression of the site indicates that a Boeing-branded hangar will be built in the airport's northwest zone, opposite an existing widebody maintenance facility used by Virgin Atlantic.
Gatwick airport says the new hangar – with a staff of more than 100 – will serve local Boeing operators and international customers of the manufacturer's Global Fleet Care support programme.
"This new hangar will play an important role in supporting Gatwick's long-haul network," the airport says.
Norwegian has stationed 737s and 787s at Gatwick, and enlisted in Boeing's aftermarket support programme.
Maintenance is being conducted for the Scandinavian budget carrier by Boeing's UK partner Monarch Aircraft Engineering.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
