Lithuanian Carrier GetJet Expands MRO Interests

GetJet Aviation Holdings, parent of Lithuanian ACMI and charter operator GetJet Airlines, is expanding into the MRO market as it seeks to diversify revenue and address one of the most persistent bottlenecks in global aviation: the shortage of available maintenance capacity.

GetJet’s MRO operation, AirHub Aviation, has opened an MRO center at Siauliai, a joint civilian-military airfield and NATO base in the north of the Baltic nation that currently handles a significant amount of cargo traffic.

GetJet is opening a hangar there that will have one widebody and six narrowbody lanes. “We’re not focusing on being a pure MRO player like Lufthansa Technik or Turkish Technic,” GetJet founder Alex Celiadin told Aviation Daily. “We’re a niche player that’s utilized by lessors and smaller operators. The focus is on smaller airlines, lessors and asset managers—mainly people we have something in common with.”  

However, the company has recently signed a General Terms Agreement with Airbus and hopes to become a favored location for the European airframer as it stores aircraft left unfinished due to the ongoing global supply chain problem.

When new aircraft roll off Airbus’s final assembly lines but lack interior components, such as seats, “They go into storage for six to 12 months,” Celiadin said. “We’re trying to enter this market where customers choose their location; we will be the final stop where they put seats on board just before they enter service.”

Airliners that are in storage for lengthy periods require maintenance procedures such as borescope inspections, which GetJet provides at the Siauliai facility.

Meanwhile, GetJet is also building a hangar at Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, for its own use.

The group is investing €10 million ($11.8 million) in expanding its in-house MRO capabilities at Vilnius Airport, capable of undertaking heavy maintenance on Airbus A320-family ceo and neo models, together with Boeing 737-800s. “The focus is technical independence for GetJet Airlines to ensure we stay the most agile provider in the market,” Celiadin said.

The company’s charter and ACMI services utilize a fleet of 11 A320s, one A321 and five 737-800s. It anticipates receiving a further three A320s by the end of December or early in 2026.

GetJet has flown for several major operators, including LCCs Wizz Air and Transavia, as well as full-service carriers such as Finnair and TAP Air Portugal.

Its ACMI services have recently proved particularly successful in the Middle East, Celiadin said, with Etihad being among its customers. If customers want GetJet personnel to have the aircraft painted up in their liveries, or change internal configurations, to add business-class seating, for example, this can be accommodated.