Ground broken on AIM Altitude's new £11m facility at Bournemouth

AIM Altitude has broken ground on its development of significant new facilities in Bournemouth. An £11m investment will see the construction of a purpose-built 168,000 square-metre facility for AIM Altitude on the Aviation Business Park at Bournemouth Airport.

The new facility will consolidate AIM Altitude's numerous Bournemouth-based premises into one building, providing 30% additional capacity for the design, engineering and manufacture of aircraft cabin interiors. This development at Bournemouth has been preceded by substantial investment at AIM Altitude's Byfleet facility and follows the company's overall plans for growth, in line with the expansion of the commercial aviation market as a whole.

Colin Thornton, managing director of the Cabin Interiors division at AIM Altitude, says: “The new facility will help us to meet the increasing demand for premium aircraft bars and monuments. We will be expanding our manufacturing and testing capabilities, to allow for growth, as well as increasing office space. We will also have a dedicated Customer Zone for existing and prospective customers to view full-size mock-ups of interiors and styling options, whilst maintaining the vital confidentiality of design.”

The manufacturing space will be established following LEAN principles and, having the whole team and process under one roof will greatly enhance AIM Altitude's ability to meet customer demands for reduced time-to-market and best value.

AIM Altitude worked closely with Natural England to ensure that the development was able to proceed. The area was found to be a habitat for 28 Smooth Snakes and 17 Sand Lizards, which have had to be carefully and humanely trapped and released into a new, more suitable and sustainable SSSI area, by a team of licensed specialists, under the guidance of Natural England. Colin Thornton explains: “We take our corporate social responsibility very seriously and were keen to work with Natural England to ensure our development has as little impact on the natural environment as possible.”