Gallery: Aeroplex Of Central Europe Expands In Budapest

An upturn in aircraft and component maintenance demand is driving a growth spurt at Aeroplex of Central Europe (ACE). The Budapest-based MRO provider has just invested €1.2 million ($1.28 million) in a new paint shop, which it says doubles its existing workshop capacity.

“Thanks to the persistent work in recent years, we have tripled the number of orders coming into our paint shop, which made it essential to expand the capacity established nearly 20 years ago,” says Ferenc Hortobagyi, component repair manager at ACE.

The new paint shop features a paint booth, paint mixing room and an ergonomic downdraft sanding table, as well as special air handling features. ACE says the new features will ensure higher quality work, faster turnarounds, fulfillment of more orders and the ability to perform more specialized, precision painting work.

Part of what is driving higher demand for paint is ACE’s component maintenance business, which it says is “booming.” The facility specializes in painting of aircraft components, interior panels, equipment and structural elements. ACE says it is receiving many new orders for overhaul and painting of engine hardware, as well as aircraft wheel and brake components. This includes a large number of unique parts and special requests. For example, a representative for ACE says it has a long-term partnership with a major engine manufacturer, through which its composite team repairs thousands of fan blade platforms and acoustical panels that require painting after maintenance.

Projected demand for future component maintenance also reflects ACE’s growth in the segment. Aviation Week Intelligence Network’s 2023 Commercial Fleet & MRO Forecast predicts that demand for components MRO in Europe will grow from $4.6 billion in 2023 to $5.9 billion in 2032.

Also driving component demand at ACE is its recent growth in base maintenance activity following its opening of a new hangar at Liszt Ferenc International Airport in March 2022. This doubled its hangar capacity in Budapest and ACE says the base is now booking more aircraft maintenance projects than ever before.

The new hangar facility welcomed its first widebody aircraft last summer and has been busy ever since. In a press release announcing the new paint facility, ACE said “conscious capacity development is taking place in all segments of the company,” so it is progressively renovating and expanding its work areas. According to a representative for ACE, it is also exploring new business opportunities, including in the defense sector.

In January, ACE’s Budapest base welcomed its first Boeing 747, a freighter operated by Aerotranscargo that underwent scheduled maintenance, including inspections, checks and troubleshooting of a minor technical defect. ACE says the aircraft had to undergo maintenance in its outdoor space because all of its hangar spaces have been fully booked during the winter season.

To meet growing demand, ACE is actively recruiting new workforce. A representative says it has tripled its staff over the last six years to nearly 700 employees, but this has been difficult due to the labor shortage. “We are experiencing a manpower shortage, which is a global issue in the aviation industry, as well as a lack of supply of properly skilled and motivated workers,” says a representative for ACE. “To mitigate this, one of the pillars of our human resources strategy is to retain our employees. We are playing a major role in Hungarian secondary and higher education, supporting the next generation of MRO professionals through dual partnerships.”

Pictured here are four new members of ACE’s Service Engineering team, who recently graduated from the dual degree master’s program between ACE and Budapest University of Technology and Economics.