WORKING WEEK
flightglobal.com 11-17 June 2019 | Flight International | 91
Independent maintenance firms must seek out work, explains JonesStriving for results delivers growth
Joachim Jones caught the flying bug at age six, and after several roles in industry, became Cardiff
Aviation’s first chief executive, where he is now leading its expanding MRO and training operations
WORK EXPERIENCE JOACHIM JONES
a centre of excellence for Airbus
A320s and 737s. There are nearly
3,000 of these aircraft in opera-
tion in Europe alone, so there is a
huge potential pipeline of work –
particularly as we are an inde-
pendent MRO, an increasingly
unusual offering in the UK.
What challenges do you face?
Although there is a lot of engi-
neering talent in South Wales,
overall there is a lot of competi-
tion for skilled engineers in
MRO. That’s why we’ll be invest-
ing further in engineer training –
ideally, we want to develop our
own technicians and mechanics
on site. As an independent MRO,
we also cannot rely on guaran-
teed work from a parent airline,
so we must actively source work.
Airlines want MROs who deliver
on time and on budget, which is
what we can demonstrate. Over
the past year, we have forged a
credible reputation for fulfilling
our promises. Therefore, we
must significantly invest in our
people to ensure that we scale up
without compromising our com-
mitment to reliability. We are al-
ready seeing a substantial in-
crease in work volumes, yet
repeatedly keeping our pledges
to customers. nHow did you start out in
aviation?
I’ve wanted to be a pilot for as long
as I can remember. My first experi-
ence of aviation was sitting in the
cockpit of a Lockheed F-104 Star-
fighter at an air show in Germany
at the age of six. In 2000 I qualified
for my airline transport pilot li-
cence and began flying for airlines.
It was a great place to begin my
aviation career, and it has provid-
ed me with a firm foundation.
How has your career progressed?
After flying as a pilot, I went into
operational management and busi-
ness development roles with Ger-
man companies FAI Aviation and
Lufthansa Technik, and then set
up my own airline, Jetisfaction, in
- It was unfortunately a victim
of the global downturn and closed
in 2011. From that, I gained a deep
understanding of how to tackle
challenges in the world of avia-
tion. That prompted me to become
a consultant – a role that took me
around the world, advising com-
panies on how to adapt and devel-
op in an increasingly competitive
marketplace.
What are the highlights?
It was a dream come true when I
did my first solo flight, in a Cessna
152 – and there have been many
highlights since. It was very excit-
ing to establish an airline from
scratch. My time as chief execu-
tive of GulfCap Group was also
fascinating, helping high-net-
worth individuals to invest in avi-
ation and establish their own air-
lines. And of course, working
with Bruce Dickinson at Cardiff
Aviation is the latest highlight –
not many people get to live their
dream of working as an entrepre-
neur in aviation, in collaboration
with a rock star who loves every-
thing to do with aircraft.
What are your strengths?
I’m passionate about aviation
and I enjoy building businesses.
There’s no better feeling in the
world than the sense of achieve-
ment when you see a company
grow to be a major success, and
that’s what’s driving me at Car-
diff Aviation. As an entrepre-
neur, I’m always eager to look at
new ways of generating revenue
and developing strong invest-
ment opportunities.
What are your responsibilities?
Traditionally, Cardiff Aviation has
had two quite separate business
strands: MRO and pilot training.
My new role changes that. We’re
restructuring the company tobring both elements closer togeth-
er, and concurrently, grow both
operations. I am also building a
new leadership team so we can
make the most effective use of the
fantastic resources we have. Our
MRO hangars in St Athan are mil-
itary-grade in terms of equipment
and our simulators include one of
the world’s rarest helicopter de-
vices and a Level D Boeing 747
simulator that has just been up-
graded with the very latest visu-
als. Complementing that, we’re
fortunate to be based where there
is a lot of engineering talent, so I’ll
be looking to harness those skills
to deliver work on time and on
budget, which is critical in MRO.
What plans do you have to grow
the business?
The best way to grow is through
business specialisation. There-
fore, the masterplan is to becomeCardiff AviationIf you would like to feature in
Working Week, or you know
someone who would, email
your pitch to kate.sarsfield@
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