The Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson is looking to bring thousands of tonnes of heavy metal and up to 1000 new jobs to South Wales.
Dickinson, a commercial airline pilot and established aviation entrepreneur, has set up Cardiff Aviation, which will provide specialist services to the airline industry. The business will be based at St Athan Enterprise Zone in the Vale of Glamorgan, where it has leased 1.2ha of hangar space from the Welsh Government.
It is expected the first clients will be announced this month, and the first Boeing 747 simulator has been bought and is due for delivery in June.
Dickinson, whose band was the subject of the documentary film Flight 666, said: "A cautious projection is that we'd expect to create up to 1000 jobs within 18 months based on the level of interest and commitment from aircraft manufacturers and operators.
"South Wales has long had an association with the aircraft industry and I am delighted I am able to play a small part in the continuation of that tradition."
