It all makes very interesting reading. What I believe to have read that it is Monarch Airlines that is on the table. Be it a tie up or merge or supply or take over. Monarch Aircraft Engineering is a total separate business to the airline and from what I have read on this subject believe it to be the airline potentially changing hands. (speculation)
A huge hangar here in BHX with the capacity to take very large aircraft, mainly filled with small regionals, I wouldn't imagine is going to be attractive to Easy or Jet2. The complication of taking on an airline and the associated engineering with all their contracts, around 6 or so at BHX and maybe as many again at MAN and LGW, on types that neither operate isn't going to float the boat of companies that do not do 3rd party maintenance and are not showing any signs of wanting to do so. Therefore I think the engineering would be a stand alone MRO, such as Storm or Apple.
With regards to the airline tie up, the complication of mergers and tie in's transfer of staff and TUPE is an absolute minefield. It breads discontent, an attitude of this isn't how we used to do it, etc etc. I truely hope that going forward, whatever happens that the news comes sooner rather than later, the annual circus is not fun. We have good crews who deserve to have stability, and we have good engineers with lots of experience especially on the regional aircraft and the B737/B787 family which is the main bread and butter at the moment.