Ballygowan business gains contract with leading aircraft firm

Ballygowan business gains contract with leading aircraft firm

27 March 2019

AIRCRAFT manufacturer Dornier Seawings has contracted Ballygowan precision engineering company McGreevy Engineering to machine parts for its iconic Seastar amphibious aircraft,.

Dornier rose to prominence in the 1920s and 1930s as a manufacturer of large, all metal flying boats.

The Seastar, designed in Germany, is engineered to operate from runway and water surfaces allowing for short field take-off and landing capabilities.

Representatives from the local company met initially with Dornier Seawings at the Farnborough Airshow last July and subsequently gained a number of contracts.

The Ballygowan firm’s managing director, Aaron McGreevy, said it was very pleased to be working with Dornier Seawings, a multicultural and multi-national joint venture between the Dornier family and two fully state-owned Chinese enterprises.

“Given our recent investment to diversify our capabilities this is great news indeed,” said Mr McGreevy.

“The Dornier brand has a heritage of a pioneering spirit. Like many Northern Ireland companies it is built on the rich experience of engineering expertise, in this case, in aviation.

“The Dornier family is highly respected given their 100 years of aircraft production and we hope to continue to build on this relationship given our many years of experience in engineering.”

The Seastar is a multi-purpose aircraft covering a wide operational range of VIP transport, commercial, government/special and corporate missions.

Paul Larkin of Dornier Seawings said the company was delighted to be working with McGreevy Engineering.

“The Seastar is superior in every important measure – speed, range, safety, cabin size and lower maintenance costs. It is designed in Germany and strictly adheres to Dornier’s high quality standards,” he explained.

“It is therefore significant that we partner with like-minded companies that understand our ethos, requirement for quality and on time delivery needs as well as added value.”

McGreevy Engineering will be exhibiting at next week’s annual Aircraft Interiors Expo, AIX 2019, in Hamburg.