The story of Avtrade begins with its founder, Graeme Brooks. After leaving the family home at the age of just fifteen, he applied for a job with British Caledonian Airways at Gatwick Airport for which he wasn’t qualified, nor quite old enough. The interviewer took pity and found a role for him in the Purchasing Department —an opportunity that set him on a path from which he never looked back.

This support at the very beginning of Graeme’s career became a core value within Avtrade, shaping how the company develops new employees by helping them find the right place to grow.

Graeme spent six years working for British Caledonian, then worked for Aerosystems, a Miami-based aircraft parts dealer where he became VP of Sales for Europe. During the eight years he worked at Aerosystems he developed a very close friendship with his boss, Fred Dunn. One evening in 1985, while sharing a drink in London, the pair realised they could do it themselves—and Avtrade was born.

Very quickly, the business came together—Fred in Miami with a small team, and Graeme in the UK employing two staff, working from his home. With the support of his wife Yvonne, the company became a real family from the outset—a fundamental value still held to this day.

Chasing accounts, bringing up children

From its inception, the company operated globally, establishing a presence in Miami and in the UK. Tim Large, based in the Midlands of England joined the UK team and he and Graeme travelled the world, securing new contracts, propelling the business forward and forging a long lasting friendship.

In 1993, the decision was made to invest in the future of the business and it was at this time that Graeme and Fred amicably split their business interests, but the two remained lifelong friends. Graeme’s aim was to invest in inventory and to increase its available stock holding to major airlines. The following year, Avtrade moved to a new facility with both office and warehouse space. From this location, the company was able to better support customers and expand its component support offering with a larger warehouse. Additionally, the location's close proximity to Gatwick Airport provided quick access to international connections.

As new generation aircraft became central to global fleets, Avtrade quickly expanded its inventory. They consistently monitored global market trends and potential industry challenges to stay ahead and tightened partnerships with the airlines they had targeted in their early years.

In 1996, Avtrade opened an office in Beijing, China. This was a huge milestone, making them one of the first aviation parts dealers to establish a presence in China —true pioneers in their market. This expansion initiated a focus on global hubs, a strategy that would continue to develop over the following decades.

It was a time of significant change as the company expanded both within the UK and globally. Their new purpose-built UK Headquarters, Concorde House, opened in 2005 with Graeme believing at the time, it would become their permanent home…

While expanding overseas, the company established a presence in France. This led to a long-lasting partnership with one of the world’s largest airlines, Air France, who selected Avtrade as a partner in a joint venture. AAF Spares Ltd was formed in 2011 and continues to successfully support Air France and KLM Group customers with components.

Avtrade also established its first SE Asia connection, launching support from Singapore.

The company started to gain wider recognition across the industry. After being included in the Hot 100 Fastest-Growing Companies in the UK by Dunn & Bradstreet, Avtrade were voted Best Materials Support and Supply Chain by SIA Engineering Company. They never set out to win awards, but it was a great way to reflect on the hard work the team had been dedicating across the company.

Their global presence continued to grow with expansion in China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Ireland, South Africa, The Americas, Dubai and the Middle East.

In 2014 Avtrade made its biggest move yet to its current HQ facility. It was a huge undertaking, made possible only by their excellent workforce. From this location, their capacity significantly expanded to include 230,000 sq ft of warehousing and 35,000 sq ft of modern office space, located just twenty minutes south of London Gatwick Airport.

Aviation was one of the worst-hit industries during COVID-19, and Avtrade was significantly impacted. Many tough decisions had to be made. They had to adapt, and a skilled IT department ensured that work could continue in various locations.

During this period, Graeme reassessed the way the company operated, adopting an ethos focused on quality over quantity. They still had the parts—lots of them—but they also began to focus on the newest aircraft models. By constantly replenishing stocks of these newer parts, the company was able to work with leading airlines operating the most modern fleets.

Steering toward this new course has continued to serve Avtrade well, even now that the market has reopened.

Avtrade has come a long way over the past forty years and this is only the first part of their journey. The future will no doubt bring challenges, but also exciting opportunities—the same kind of opportunities that led two friends to launch a business in 1985.

With Avtrade's continued growth, the coming years promise further expansion through investment in inventory and global presence. Throughout this evolution, its focus will remain on quality, innovation, and staff development, its guiding principles since the very beginning.