About AV SPAN

Built from the
inside of aviation.

AV SPAN was founded by an aviation professional who identified a gap that no one else was filling — a specialist in permanent steel airside structures who operates from an airfield, understands aircraft operations, and does nothing else.

The Founder

"I've spent 25 years building structures for industry. When I looked at aviation, I saw the same need — and nobody serving it properly. So we built AV SPAN."

Iain Gillard has spent over 25 years in intralogistics and steel structures — designing warehouses, material handling systems, conveyor installations, and large-span steel buildings for food manufacturing, storage and industrial applications across the UK and Europe.

When he turned his attention to aviation, the gap was immediately clear. Every company offering airside structures was either a fabric tent supplier, a hire company, or a generalist builder with aviation as a footnote. Nobody was dedicated to permanent, hot-rolled steel aviation infrastructure at commercial aircraft scale.

AV SPAN was his answer to that gap. Based at Leeds East Airport, operated by a PPL-qualified pilot who understands airfield operations from the inside, and backed by a proven European steel supply chain — AV SPAN is built to own the space nobody else was occupying.

Iain Gillard

Founder, AV SPAN · PPL Pilot · 25+ years steel structures & intralogistics
Based at Leeds East Airport (EGCM), Church Fenton, Tadcaster

Why AV SPAN Exists

The gap nobody
was filling.

Look at the aviation structure market and you find the same story repeated everywhere. Fabric tent suppliers claiming to be aviation specialists. General steel building companies with an aviation page sitting between their agricultural buildings and MOT garages. Hire companies offering temporary structures when operators need permanent assets.

What you don't find is a company that does only aviation structures — permanent, hot-rolled steel, at commercial aircraft scale, deployable on the surfaces airfields already have.

That's the gap AV SPAN was built to fill. Not as a sideline. Not as a product category. As the entire business.

Our Base

We don't just supply
to airfields. We operate
from one.

Leeds East Airport (EGCM) is an active general aviation airfield in Church Fenton, North Yorkshire — capable of handling aircraft up to Global 5000 class

Home to PPL and ATPL flight training schools — a live, active aviation environment, not an industrial estate with an aviation connection

Our founder holds a Private Pilot Licence — we understand airfield operations, aircraft movements and airside environments from direct experience

Centrally located in the UK — well positioned to serve aviation customers across England, Scotland and Wales, and with European reach through our supply chain

Being based at an airfield isn't a marketing point — it shapes how we think, how we specify, and how we understand the environment our structures will operate in

EGCM

Leeds East Airport

Church Fenton · Tadcaster
North Yorkshire · LS24 9SE

53°50′N 001°11′W

Our Vision

To become the defining name in airside steel infrastructure across the UK and Europe.

AV SPAN's ambition is straightforward — to be the company that aviation professionals think of first when they need a permanent steel structure on an airfield. Not one of several options. The name. The specialist. The go-to.

We're building that reputation from the ground up — with the right product, the right positioning, and a commitment to doing only this, and doing it better than anyone else.

Specialist, Not Generalist

Aviation structures are our entire business. Every decision, every product, every specification is made in that context — not borrowed from a warehouse or agricultural catalogue.

Permanent, Not Temporary

We deliver structures that operators are proud to own. Hot-rolled steel that looks, feels and performs like a permanent facility — because it is one.

UK Based, Europe Ready

Based at EGCM in North Yorkshire, with a European manufacturing and installation supply chain that allows us to deliver across the UK and continent without compromise.

Supply Chain

European manufacturing.
UK expertise.
Global standards.

AV SPAN structures are manufactured by certified European steel fabricators to EN1090 standards — the same standard required for structural steelwork across the EU and UK. Installation is carried out by experienced specialist crews who travel to every project site.

EN1090 Certified Manufacture

All structural steel components manufactured and certified to European structural standard EN1090 — covering fabrication, assembly and commissioning

Hot-Rolled Steel Throughout

We specify hot-rolled steel frames — not cold-rolled. Stronger, more dimensionally stable, and the appropriate choice for large aviation buildings

Specialist Installation Teams

Experienced installation crews travel to every project across the UK and Europe — ensuring the same quality of construction on every site

UK & European Delivery

Our supply chain is structured for both UK and European project delivery — giving AV SPAN genuine reach across the continent from day one

Two Manufacturing Partners

We work with two certified European manufacturing partners — providing supply resilience, competitive pricing, and the capacity to handle multiple simultaneous projects

Built from theinside of aviation.

The gap nobodywas filling.

We don't just supplyto airfields. We operatefrom one.

European manufacturing.UK expertise.Global standards.

Talk to the specialist.

Built from the
inside of aviation.

The gap nobody
was filling.

We don't just supply
to airfields. We operate
from one.

European manufacturing.
UK expertise.
Global standards.