A group of 48 apprentices who worked for Monarch Aircraft Engineering Ltd (MAEL) — the engineering arm of the collapsed short-haul airline — are being taken on by British Airways.

They were recently invited to visit BA’s engineering base at Heathrow. All 48 then accepted an offer to continue their apprenticeship with the airline, which will enable them to complete their Easa Part-66 A licence and obtain their NVQs in aircraft maintenance.

BA (www.britishairways.com) engineering director Jason Mahoney said: “We’re committed to investing in the very best talent, and we are passionate about supporting development within the engineering community.

“Having met the apprentices and seen how hard-working and capable they are, I knew that they would be the perfect fit for our team. Helping them to qualify as aircraft engineers with British Airways is a fantastic outcome for everyone involved.”

Lee Rome, one of the former MAEL apprentices who will be joining BA, said: “We were all facing an uncertain future, following the events that took place at Monarch in January, when we saw our dreams of becoming qualified aircraft engineers slipping away.

“I couldn’t be more grateful to British Airways for taking us all on and allowing us to complete our apprenticeships.”

BA also welcomed its first apprentice cabin crew recently. The airline now runs seven apprenticeship programmes, ranging from head office and customer service roles to engineering and operations.