Gallery: Engine MRO Developments In North America

Southwest Airlines operates a mixed fleet of Boeing 737NG and 737 MAX aircraft, with an expected transition to an all-MAX fleet by 2031. Speaking to Inside MRO in April, Ken Barone, the Dallas-based airline's director of fleet asset management, said the fleet is covered under a variety of aftermarket support agreements, but with modifications for both engine types on the horizon, the carrier is navigating a battle against engine supply. 

"On our CFM56 engines, we’re expecting a wave of P04 high-pressure turbine (HPT) blade replacements," Barone said. "That’s about half of that fleet that we have to get ready for in the latter half of this year. There will be a need for spares to support that campaign. On the Leap side, another pool is coming up. At the end of this year, the Stage 1 HPT disk will not be approved for ultimate life, and we’ll have it removed after no more than 10,000 cycles. That will just be an additional pull on the industry that will not only put pressure on the Leap spares but also on the CFM56."

Hanwha Aviation, launched in 2024 as an engine leasing platform by South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group, has taken further steps into the aftermarket following its acquisition of Miami-based MRO provider Eko Green Industrial last year. Hanwha Aviation CEO Jeff Lewis said the move into MRO gives the company the ability to launch a used serviceable material business in the future, as part of its vertically integrated approach to MRO and asset management. Hanwha Aviation is set to unveil a new FAA- and European Union Aviation Safety Agency-certified facility specializing in hospital and on-wing services for a range of engine types, with a new brand name and identity imminent, Lewis said.

Japanese conglomerate Marubeni recently invested in Miami-based spare parts specialist DASI. The company partners with OEMs, airlines, and MROs to buy and sell surplus parts, including commercial engine components. Marubeni—which has previously invested in used serviceable material specialist Magellan Aviation—said it plans to invest in DASI’s digital offering, including further development of the company's online marketplace, while growing the availability of factory-new spare parts and surplus inventory.

In early 2026, VSE Corporation reached an agreement to buy Atlanta-based MRO provider Precision Aviation Group (PAG) for around $2 billion. PAG, which operates from 29 locations worldwide, specializes in component, engine and avionics services. It also offers Designated Engineering Representative (DER) repairs and reverse engineering of alternative parts. The PAG acquisition continues VSE's buyouts of several companies over the past two years, including Turbine Controls, Kellstrom, and Turbine Weld Industries.

Delta TechOps announced it had achieved full repair capability on the CFM Internatioal CFM Leap-1A, powering Airbus A320neo aircraft. The Atlanta-based MRO had previously gained full capability for Leap-1B engine models, the engine option for the Boeing 737 MAX. Delta TechOps was among the five inaugural companies of CFM's Leap Premier MRO network, which has since grown to seven MROs as of April.

Pratt & Whitney is investing more than $100 million in three U.S. MRO sites. To boost Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine maintenance capacity, it is investing $78 million in Irving, Texas, to open a 500,000-ft.² Commercial Serviceable Assets facility, which buys, sells and manages used serviceable material (USM) and engines, raising USM stock by 60%. In West Palm Beach, Florida, $20 million expanded the facility by 50,000 ft.² and increased GTF MRO capacity by 40%. The site added new equipment for engine assembly, disassembly, machining, testing, cleaning and warehousing. The remaining $4.7 million was spent in Springdale, Arkansas, to expand its Propulsion Systems Division by 7,000 ft.² for engine case repairs. New equipment enables GTF additive manufacturing repairs, reducing process time by over 60%.

Engine MRO specialist CTS Engines received certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, enabling it to provide maintenance services for Chinese-registered aircraft and operators. Following this, the Coral Springs-based company doubled its site capacity and the number of engine bays after moving from its former facility in Fort Lauderdale last year.

BP Aero, acquired by Spain-based ITP Aero in 2024, will further expand its MRO presence in Dallas, Texas, with a new facility. Once built, the facility will enable the development of more advanced repair capabilities for its current portfolio of CFM International CFM56 and Leap engines, and GE Aerospace CF6, CF34 and GE90 engine parts, as well as offer new capabilities to support the growing demand for the Leap, Pratt & Whitney GTF, and GEnx engine platforms. The new facility is close to BP Aero's current site, and once operational from late 2026, it will more than double the company’s current component repair footprint. The company expects to create more than 100 new jobs at the site over the next two years.