Specialist Aviation Engineering: Supporting British Airways at Heathrow 

Ian Perrett has spent more than three decades working in the aviation engineering environment at Heathrow. He reflects on the specialist engineering knowledge, relationships, and people behind OCS’s long standing support for British Airways, while Operations Director Oliver Garett looks at how that expertise fits within a much wider relationship across the British Airways estate.

When Ian Perrett joined the operation in 1992, he initially looked after the fleet of vehicles used across it. More than three decades later, Ian is still there. So are colleagues whose experience on the operation stretches back even further.

In an industry transformed by new aircraft, new technology, changing regulation, and growing operational demands, that continuity has created something difficult to replicate: decades of specialist knowledge held by people who know the equipment, understand the operation, and have built relationships across British Airways, manufacturers, and suppliers.

We spoke to Ian about what more than three decades supporting one of Britain’s best known airlines has taught him.

What Did the Aviation Engineering Operation Look Like Back in 1992?

“When I arrived, the work included engineering services supporting the specialist equipment used across the operation. More than three decades later, we’re still here.”

Ian joined in June of 1992, initially looking after vehicles used across the operation.

Today, OCS continues to provide specialist engineering support within British Airways’ engineering operation at Heathrow, maintaining equipment and assets that help its aircraft maintenance teams do their jobs safely, efficiently and reliably.

Much of that work is invisible to passengers. But behind an airline operation of British Airways’ scale sits an extensive network of specialist equipment that needs to be available when engineers need it.

People Hear ‘Aviation Engineering Services for British Airways’. What Does That Actually Mean on the Ground?

“We support a wide range of specialist ground support equipment, tooling and maintenance assets used within British Airways’ engineering operation at Heathrow. That covers everything from equipment used by engineers during aircraft maintenance to vehicles and the supporting infrastructure around the aircraft.

“It’s not simply about repairing something when it breaks. The equipment needs to be maintained, inspected and available when it’s needed. Most passengers will never see that side of the operation, but for the engineers relying on that equipment to maintain an aircraft, it matters enormously.

What Do You Think British Airways Values Most From Our Partnership?

“British Airways treats us as one of their own rather than a subcontractor. They want partners who will work with them to find solutions, and we’ve always tried to support them and help them achieve what they need.”

“One of the things that’s helped the relationship endure is that collaborative approach. Over many years, we’ve developed a strong understanding of the operation and work closely with the customer to respond to challenges, identify improvements and support their objectives.”

A Relationship That Has Kept Evolving

The engineering operation Ian joined is one part of a much broader relationship between OCS and British Airways.

In 2013, OCS was awarded the British Airways soft services contract, broadening the relationship beyond the specialist engineering support already being delivered at Heathrow. OCS has retained the soft services contract since.

As the relationship has evolved, so has the breadth of services OCS delivers across the British Airways estate. For Oliver Garett, Operations Director, OCS, soft services encompass the frontline activities that keep workplaces and operational environments functioning 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

“Cleaning is certainly part of it, but it’s only one part of the picture. For British Airways, soft services are about all those frontline activities that keep the workplace functioning 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

“That includes cleaning, but also services such as porterage, front of house reception, washroom services, pest control and workplace support, alongside specialist aviation services and laundry.

That breadth extends beyond the British Airways estate itself.

OCS also supports British Airways through its Central Way operation near Heathrow, a CAA regulated facility handling around 73 million in flight items every year.

The operation brings together laundry and the preparation of products that ultimately make their way on board aircraft. Behind those volumes has been a sustained focus on improving service delivery.

Energy use per kilogram of laundry has been reduced from 0.8 to 0.6 kilowatt hours through measures including water recycling, warm rinsing, low temperature washing, heat recovery, full LED lighting and a steam free environment.

Between 2018 and 2023, the team also removed 97 tonnes of polyethene from the operation, a reduction of around 30%. Single use plastic has been removed from items including headsets and charity collection packs, replaced with a paper band produced using specialist machinery.

The facility has been rated Outstanding by the Civil Aviation Authority for five consecutive years and has also achieved RoSPA Gold recognition.

It is a very different service from the engineering operation Ian joined, but the principle behind it is familiar: understand what matters to the customer and keep finding ways to improve it.

Evolving With the Customer

For Ian, partnership is not about continuing to deliver something in the same way simply because it has always been done that way. It is about understanding where the customer’s priorities are moving. That can be seen elsewhere across the British Airways estate.

At the airline’s head office, OCS identified an opportunity to change a waste system using around 78,000 plastic bin bags every year, equivalent to approximately 4.4 tonnes of plastic and 20.1 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.

Introduced under British Airways’ Better World branding in January 2024, the new structured waste system created dedicated waste streams and used bins made from 80% recycled materials.

The result was a 70% reduction in plastic usage and a 58% increase in recycling rates.

The examples are different, with specialist engineering equipment at Heathrow, in flight products at Central Way, and waste management at the airline’s head office, but together they show how a long term relationships can continue to change around the needs of the customer.

Aviation Engineering Is Highly Technical. How Much of the Job Is About Relationships?

“Aviation is built on teamwork. Whether you’re working with the customer, manufacturers, suppliers or colleagues across the wider operation, strong relationships and clear communication make a huge difference. Everybody brings expertise, and everybody has a role to play.”

That network extends beyond British Airways. Decades spent maintaining specialist assets give the team first hand knowledge of how equipment performs in a live aviation environment. That experience can inform conversations with manufacturers and suppliers, making the team part of the discussion about how challenges can be solved.

After More Than Three Decades in Aviation, What Is the Lesson You Would Take From It?

“The relationship has been built over decades. We’ve spent years learning the operation, understanding what matters most to the customer and continuously looking for ways to improve. That’s where trust comes from. You’re not simply delivering a contract; you’re helping the customer solve challenges and achieve their goals.”

Ian’s more than three decades in aviation engineering have given him an understanding of the customer and its engineering environment built through years of working alongside colleagues, manufacturers and suppliers. Across the team, that experience continues to be shared, helping others develop and adding to the knowledge behind the operation.

The wider OCS relationship with British Airways has evolved too, spanning workplace services, in flight products, laundry and initiatives to reduce waste and improve efficiency. The services may have changed, but the principle Ian describes has remained consistent: understand what matters to the customer, work closely with them and keep finding ways to improve.

Because every journey matters.