The UK's Daily Mail is reporting that Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson is now applying for a licence to operate flights within Europe for his airline, VVB

Dickinson is taking on pilots and crew after buying a Boeing 737 for his latest venture. The airline will be headquartered at Cardiff Aviation’s base in St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, in South Wales, and it has plans to acquire additional planes.

The 56-year-old British rocker’s passion for planes is no secret – he set up Cardiff Aviation as a maintenance company for jets in 2012 and obtained a commercial pilot’s licence after he learned to fly in Florida back in the 1990s.

More details will be revealed soon.

An aviation repair business chaired by Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson has completed more than £3m worth of business over the last nine months. Cardiff Aviation carries out maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services on airliners from its base at St Athan.

The company says it has completed 43 maintenance inputs on passenger aircraft - including Boeing 737s, 757s and Airbus A320s - on behalf of airlines and leasing companies since last October.

Phil Swanson, commercial director at Cardiff Aviation, said: “Cardiff Aviation’s MRO operations have grown phenomenally in the past nine months and we are seeing strong demand for hangar slots well into 2016.”

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Cardiff Aviation recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Air Djibouti to create and implement a national carrier for the East African nation of Djibouti.

Air Djibouti appointed Cardiff Aviation following a study which identified key markets for the national carrier based on the needs of landlocked neighbouring countries, governmental aid programmes around Africa, the support of military installations currently based in Djibouti, and the need to deliver passengers to major international business hubs such as London and Dubai.

Under the terms of the MoU, Cardiff Aviation will implement and manage a European-level AOC for Air Djibouti, source aircraft, and provide world-class operational management for the new African national carrier.

The company will also provide MRO support from its Twin Peaks facilities at St Athan - Cardiff Airport Aerospace Enterprise Zone.

Bruce Dickinson said: “Djibouti is uniquely placed to provide a hub for investment from Europe, the Middle East and Asia into Africa. By providing full airline support and project implementation to Air Djibouti, Cardiff Aviation will bring a wealth of industry expertise and capability to one of the most exciting aviation markets in the world to spearhead growth in a region with tremendous potential.”

Read more at WalesOnline.co.uk.