A NORTH Yorkshire manufacturer of tube bending machines has won an order from British Airways for its new aircraft.

British Airways has called on the expertise of Scarborough-based Unison to provide an engineering solution for its new fleet of Airbus A380s and Boeing 787s.

The airline has placed an order with Unison for its tube bending machinery to produce replacement rigid hydraulic tubes for its new aircraft.

Alan Pickering, managing director of Unison, said: “This turnkey solution demands tight integration of hardware and software to create a seamless production environment for the efficient on-demand manufacture of specialist precision parts.

“By assigning responsibility for the performance of the entire installation to Unison, British Airways can be confident that its tube fabrication requirements are fully met from the outset.”

Both the A380 and the 787 Dreamliner have advanced hydraulic systems that operate under much higher pressure than other commercial aircraft.

To accommodate the greater pressure, the new Unison equipment will manufacture the hydraulic pipework from specialist aerospace materials, such as titanium alloy, using thick tube walls.

The tube bending machinery will be installed at the airline’s Engineering maintenance base at Heathrow Airport where the aircraft will be maintained.

In addition to supplying the complete tube fabrication solution Unison will also be working with British Airways to integrate the new process into the airline’s engineering operation.

British Airways Engineering general manager James Murray-Smith, said: “Our investment in new aircraft demands the very best maintenance care and equipment available.

“We’re excited to be working with this talented British company that can provide the high calibre of specialist knowledge, experience and quality product that we need.”