Eastern Europe has become a tough neighborhood in recent weeks, but that has not stopped progress on aircraft maintenance in nations still at peace. For example, Hungary’s Aeroplex of Central Europe opened a major new maintenance hangar in early March at its base in Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport.

The new hangar can handle four narrowbodies or one widebody aircraft simultaneously. Both the capacity and service portfolio of the Hungarian MRO are significantly expanded with the hangar’s opening.

The state-owned Aeroplex announced the opening of the new facility on March 4. The hangar has nearly 8,200 m² (nearly 90,000 ft.²) of space. It was built at a cost of ten billion Hungarian Forints (roughly $30 million), with the Hungarian government providing about $9 million of that amount.

Aeroplex employed about 650 people at the end of 2021, and the new hangar should create opportunities for 200 more Aeroplex staff. The hangar approximately doubles the MRO’s maintenance capacity.

Aeroplex's current maintenance portfolio includes the Boeing 777 and the Airbus 787. The company expects to support the A330 and A350 as well.

Within the hangar are two special cranes, one with a load capacity of 5 tons and the other able to lift 10 tons. These can operate all Aeroplex’s tools, and the MRO says it has acquired machines with the latest technology.

Árpád Demény, managing director of Aeroplex, spoke at the opening of the hangar, emphasizing that the date was also the 30th anniversary of the company's foundation. He also stressed the importance of adding those 200 jobs with the facility.

Aeroplex, which restructured six years ago, has stabilized its operations and is now on a growth path, says Demény. He adds that Aeroplex is the only independent aircraft maintenance provider in the region that has widebody capacity.