UK Minister for Aviation, Maritime and Decarbonisation Keir Mather MP visited Jet2.com’s maintenance hangar at Leeds Bradford Airport. Hosted by chief operations officer Phil Ward and head of base maintenance Marcus Mountcastle, the tour showcased the facility’s capacity to service three aircraft simultaneously for Jet2’s 139-aircraft fleet.
Mather met engineers and apprentices, including one from his constituency, as Jet2 emphasized its regional employment and skills investment. The airline has initiated over 400 apprenticeships across disciplines and currently trains more than 30 engineering apprentices.
Discussions highlighted needs for enhanced funding in engineering roles and featured Jet2’s fully funded Jet2FlightPath pilot training scheme. Sustainability topics included airspace modernisation and development of a UK sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry.
Phil Ward, Jet2 chief operations officer, stated: “A huge amount of investment and hard work goes into running our award-winning operations, so it was great to welcome the Aviation Minister and give him a first-hand insight into why nothing beats a Jet2holiday.”
Ward added: “As well as demonstrating how we continue to develop fantastic careers and invest in homegrown skills across the UK, we also discussed our plans for decarbonisation and some of the key levers that are needed to drive this, such as airspace modernisation and a thriving UK SAF industry.”
The visit underscores Jet2’s commitment to workforce development amid operational expansion.