The chance to poke around an international airport is not to be missed so it was no surprise the full house sign went up in record time when the Maintenance Engineering Society (MESNZ) was invited to bring its Kaeser Compressors Network Evening Series to Auckland International Airport in July.

Building on the 2016 visit where the attendees were treated to an up close and personal view of the push back preparations for an international flight, Kevin Ingle and his team extended this year’s tour through the baggage handling and service sections of the facility, providing an insight into the complexities of maintaining and constantly improving a facility that is a player on the world stage.

With CAA clearance, the party of 50 plus were bussed in from the Maintenance Depot to the International Apron to view a world seldom seen by the general public. Receiving, processing, servicing and turning around a gigantic 500-ton A380 requires a symphony of separate actions and interactions as well as impeccable plant reliability.

Even something as simple as an airbridge can have catastrophic effect if it malfunctions or fails to function.

On the tarmac, a huge amount of effort goes into getting passengers, baggage and refreshments on board, communications established, pre-flight checks, etc.

From here the group split up for a dual tour of the baggage loading hall and the impressive service area featuring the teams latest HVAC plant. The amount of effort that goes into making a passengers experience effortless is amazing.

Kevin Ingle and his team are responsible for a 1500ha mini city that demands uninterrupted major infrastructures 24/7 including buildings, services, HVAC, wildlife, terminals and runways.

Failure is unthinkable, and the demands are high. Yet the team are the most well balanced affable people you could meet and somehow you get the feeling they love coming to work.

The MESNZ Network Evenings are hosted to showcase local operations and provide networking opportunities for engineers across all regions of New Zealand. The evenings offer the opportunity to take a look at the host operation and discuss common issues and solutions in a relaxed after work environment.

Open to interested members of the public, the nights are well patronised as proven at Auckland International Airport. As well as learning firsthand about the capabilities and achievements of the AIAL team, the audience enjoyed light refreshments and benefited from the opportunity to network with their peers, taking new connections and solutions back to their workplaces.

The Maintenance Engineering Society is active across New Zealand, providing opportunities for maintenance engineers and manufacturing operations to network and share innovations and experiences; both at a national level at their annual national conference, or at these regional events. The 2018 National Maintenance Engineering Conference will be held at the Energy Events Centre, Rotorua in November 13-15.