With effect from the beginning of March 2020, Richard Bower, CEO of AIM Altitude, has become Chief Commercial Officer for AVIC Cabin Systems.
AIM Altitude was acquired by AVIC International in 2016 and became part of AVIC Cabin Systems in July 2018. With a number of UK executive leadership changes currently across the group, Andres Budo has been appointed Senior Vice President, Aftersales and Services, for AVIC Cabin Systems, having previously been CEO of Thompson Aero Seating.
All operational aspects of both AIM Altitude and Thompson Aero Seating will be managed by newly created positions of Vice President & General Manager responsible for Supply Chain, Quality, Operations, Programme Management & Engineering in each business. Wayne Ball has been appointed as VP & General Manager for AIM Altitude and Neil Taggart has been appointed VP & General Manager for Thompson Aero Seating, both having previously served as COO for their respective companies.
Richard Bower said: “I am delighted to have been appointed Chief Commercial Officer for AVIC Cabin Systems. The companies under the AVIC Cabin Systems alliance have been working closely together for some time, integrating skills and strengthening our position in the market. In my new position, I will be able to continue to enhance this working relationship and deliver value to our customers. Wayne Ball is an excellent choice for Vice President & General Manager of AIM Altitude and I have great confidence that his will prove to be an extremely successful appointment.”
AVIC Cabin Systems unites AIM Altitude, based in Bournemouth, UK; Thompson Aero Seating in Northern Ireland; Fesher Aviation Components Company Ltd, and Jiatai Aircraft Equipment Co Ltd, both Chinese companies; and Austria-based FACC. AVIC Cabin Systems itself is headquartered in London, UK.
About AIM Altitude
AIM Altitude designs, manufactures, certifies, and maintains cabin interiors for the world’s major airlines on Airbus, Boeing and other OEMs’ aircraft.
The market-leading products and services of AIM Altitude include: premium customised monuments, social spaces, bars, galleys and stowages, composite components and a full-service product-support capability. AIM Altitude’s products are all inspirationally designed, meticulously engineered and beautifully crafted.
AIM Altitude is a global company headquartered in the UK, with bases in New Zealand, the Middle East, and North America. Whilst being a modern, innovative and pioneering company, AIM Altitude still has links to its roots as a small coachworks business, established in the UK in the early 1900s.
AIM Altitude is owned by AVIC Cabin Systems, which also owns FACC, Jiatai Aircraft Equipment Co., Fesher and Thompson Aero Seating. ACS’s mission is to integrate the capabilities of the member companies to deliver more competitive turnkey and fully integrated cabin solutions to customers. The parent company AVIC focuses on aviation manufacturing but is also involved in several other business sectors, including automobile, trade and logistics, retail, electronics and real estate investment, with revenue of US$55 billion in 2017.
About AVIC Cabin Systems
Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) has united the competences of multiple companies within the AVIC Group to create AVIC Cabin Systems. With an integrated product portfolio, this new alliance covers the essential features of the aircraft cabin and expands the company’s global presence.
By uniting these world-wide subsidiaries under a new corporate structure, AVIC has created an alliance of interiors expertise that operates across four continents. The goal is to offer complete solutions from a single source, from the entrance area through to the galley and the main cabin. This applies to original aircraft equipment, retrofit and full-service product support.
AVIC Cabin systems encompasses AIM Altitude, FACC, Jiatai Aircraft Equipment Co., Fesher and Thompson Aero Seating.
About Thompson Aero Seating
Thompson Aero Seating is one of the leading suppliers of Business- and First-Class aircraft seating, with a worldwide customer base featuring many of the world’s top airlines including Delta, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines. With increasing market share and an evolving and expanding product portfolio Thompson’s seats are installed upon all major aircraft types from Airbus and Boeing, including the A380 and Boeing B787 Dreamliner.
Today, under the ownership of AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China), one of the world’s largest and leading aerospace companies, Thompson is one of Northern Ireland’s most successful and fastest growing businesses. Recent years have seen a rapid growth in the order book with around 1600 staff across 4 sites located in the Portadown and Banbridge areas which includes full design, engineering, manufacturing and R&D capabilities. With Thompson’s planned future growth and expansion plans being backed and endorsed by AVIC, together with the ability to offer a broader range of cabin interior products under the recently created AVIC Cabin Systems (ACS) division, the Thompson success story looks well set to continue.
