Airline Monarch has begun the search for up to 150 skilled technicians and engineers for its new jet maintenance centre at Birmingham Airport.

Monarch Aircraft Engineering (MAE) has begun recruiting for the plant ahead of its opening in November, which will include facilities to handle the latest in jet technology.

Another 150 new jobs will also become available at a later date.

The 110,000 sq ft hangar will handle repairs and maintenance on a contract basis for other airlines as well as perform essential work on their own fleet of aircraft.

Iain Rawlinson, executive chairman of Monarch Group, said: “The Monarch Group’s investment in a new state-of-the-art facility at Birmingham Airport is a signal of our intent to drive the further growth of this strategically-important division of the group.

“The 150 new employment opportunities MAE is creating with this new facility, with the potential for a further 150, underlines The Monarch Group’s position as a significant employer in the Midlands region and the contribution it can make to the UK industrial landscape.

“We are very pleased to be able to give this support to the region.”

The hangar will be the first in the UK to have the capacity for Boeing 787 Dreamliner maintenance, with sufficient capacity for other wide body aircraft, such as Boeing 777, 747 and Airbus A350.

The facility will be large enough to accommodate two Boeing 777s long-haul planes or 10 narrow-body aircraft and will contain a number of component-repair and back shops.

It will complement Monarch’s existing heavy maintenance facilities in the UK at London Luton and Manchester Airports.

Maintenance activities for other airlines have grown to 27 per cent of Monarch’s work last year from just 18 per cent in 2011. Over the next three years this is planned to increase to almost 40 per cent of turnover and to consolidate the company position in the top 10 largest airframe maintenance and repair organisations in Europe.

Mick Adams, managing director of MAE, said: “MAE’s business is underpinned by the expertise of our people and our apprenticeship scheme is renowned within the industry for developing high-calibre aircraft engineers. We look forward to welcoming 150 talented people, with the potential for a further 150, to our new facility at Birmingham Airport, where they will complement our expertise across existing locations and join in our exciting plans for further growth.”