ROCK star Bruce Dickinson has vowed to create 1,000 jobs at a “centre of excellence” for British aviation. The Iron Maiden frontman, a fully qualified pilot, yesterday bought 132,000sq ft of old RAF hangars in South Wales.
He aims to use the site at St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, to service Boeing 737s, train pilots on simulators and, one day, build airships.
His firm, CARDIFF AVIATION, hopes to take on the first 50 to 60 staff this July. Hundreds more would follow as contracts come in.
Bruce, 53, whose hits include Run To The Hills, is initially putting in £1million with co-investors.
He said: “No one could figure out what to do with the hangars. There was nothing in them but birds’ nests.
“I got talking to the Welsh government and thought, ‘We have the possibility of starting something that can put skills back into the UK’. It could be a centre of excellence.”
It comes six months after Bruce failed to save charter airline ASTRAEUS, with whom he flew. Back then he urged David Cameron to cut red-tape and asked Brits to “get stuck in” to help the nation. Yesterday he again implored the PM to “let people off the leash”.
He said: “I’ve got to pay a stamp duty bill of £60,000 for this hangar before I even get any business.
“Surely it would be better if I could use that to buy tools and equipment rather than George Osborne putting it into his plain piped trousers.”
