This article is published in Aviation Week MRO part of Aviation Week Intelligence Network (AWIN), and is complimentary through Jan 10, 2026. For information on becoming an AWIN Member to access more content like this, click here.
LUANDA, Angola—Togo-based ASKY and Angolan flag-carrier TAAG have revealed plans to establish their own MRO operations, with both independently aiming to develop greater self-sufficiency in servicing and maintaining their expanding fleets.
“We are planning a joint venture with Ethiopian Airlines to build an MRO center in Lomé, Togo, which will serve West and Central Africa, in addition to the demands of ASKY,” ASKY CEO Esayas Woldemariam Hailu told Aviation Week at the African Airlines Association annual meeting in Luanda, Angola in early December.
Today, ASKY relies on Ethiopian, which is its strategic partner and minority shareholder, for its MRO support, but in general it is important for the continent’s carriers to develop greater service capabilities in plants located in Africa, he said.
“In 2026, we will finalize the detailed proposal and get it approved by the boards of Ethiopian and ASKY and work on a bankable business plan and financing,” Hailu said.
“In 2027, we will work on the design, consultancy and contractor bids after which the ground-breaking follows.”
It is estimated the plant will be about a $100 million investment initially with the funding source to be decided but potentially to feature ASKY’s current shareholders which include the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), the West African Development Bank (BOAD) and ECOBANK Group.
The first phase sees two hangars being built capable of handling two narrowbodies, plus the addition of component repair facilities.
ASKY is aiming to expand the scope of its MRO center as its fleet grows and to handle widebodies in line with its ambitions to add Boeing 787s for long-haul operations in the future.
“We will also upscale it because there is a land arrangement with Government of Togo that includes the option to upgrade it,” Hailu said. “The government has been very supportive and cooperative when it comes to growing aviation, because it has the ambition to make Lomé a logistics for West and Central Africa.”
ASKY’s plans to build up its own operational capacity include the arrival of its first Boeing 737-8 full flight simulator to be delivered by manufacturer CAE in June 2026 and housed in a newly constructed flight training facility in Lomé, noted Hailu.
TAAG is similarly developing its own MRO operations, with the first of three prefabricated hangars being supplied by a Spanish aircraft hangar manufacturer entering service in June 2026, Nelson Pedro Rodrigues de Oliveira, CEO of TAAG told Aviation Week.
The MRO venture is being developed with assistance from Chinese partner AVIC [Aviation Industry Corporation of China], the large state-owned aerospace group.
Initially the center will perform A and B checks on TAAG’s fleet moving on to heavier C checks as it gains the necessary approvals and experience.
Related Content
