Gallery: New MRO Facilities in 2022

FEAM Aero broke ground on its second widebody hangar at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in early November. The MRO says it needs to double capacity at the airport due to growing e-commerce demand and cargo fleets. It expects the $40.2 million hangar to be completed by the end of 2023.

Fokker Services Group announced plans in mid-October to build a new widebody hangar at its existing site in the Netherlands. The hangar will provide capacity for several widebodies, including Airbus A330, A350 and Boeing 777 aircraft. It has begun construction of the hangar, which it expects to take between 12-14 weeks to complete.

Ecube opened its first U.S. teardown facility in mid-October at Coolidge Municipal Airport in Arizona. The facility joins Ecube’s existing European sites in Spain and the UK. It says expansion to the U.S. will enable it to cover almost 90% of the global aircraft aftermarket.

MTU Maintenance Serbia opened in early October in Nova Pazova, near Belgrade. The 42,000 ft.² facility will provide engine parts repairs, with revenue work set to begin in December. MTU plans to increase its workforce to more than 400 employees in the coming years.

Spirit Evergreen Aftermarket Solutions (SEAS), a joint venture between Spirit AeroSystems and Evergreen Aviation Technologies, opened Oct. 3 in Taiwan. The facility provides MRO services for nacelles and flight controls on Boeing 737, 747-8, 747, 767 and 787 aircraft, as well as Airbus A320 and A330 aircraft.

In early September Rolls-Royce and Air China announced plans to establish mainland China’s first joint maintenance engine facility. The joint venture, Beijing Aero Engine Services, will support Trent 700, Trent XWB-84 and Trent 1000 engines. The facility is expected to open in 2026 and the companies expect it to support up to 250 shop visits annually once it reaches full capacity by the mid-2030s.

Lufthansa Technik Philippines opened its new Pasay Bay maintenance hangar in late August. It invested $40 million in the 97,000 ft.² facility, which it estimates will increase its capacity by up to 20%. It plans to add up to 275 new employees at the facility.

Southwest Airlines opened a new Technical Operations facility at Denver International Airport in late March. The 130,000 ft.² facility includes hangar space for up to three Boeing 737s, as well as maintenance shops, warehouse space, a training area and offices. The facility is Southwest’s seventh in the U.S.

The airline is also building a maintenance hangar at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

FL Technics Engine Services moved its operations to a new purpose-built facility next to Kaunas International Airport in late May. The new facility, which features a hangar, shops and storage facilities, is located near FL Technics’ MRO hangar and logistics hub. It says growing market demand made the move necessary, and the facilities were purpose-built to accommodate further expansion in line with its growth strategy.

MTU Maintenance Hannover opened its facility expansion on May 20. The extension, which began construction in 2019, includes a workshop for engine maintenance and a modern office building. It says the expansion was necessary due to growing demand for engine maintenance.

On May 18 Ryanair opened its first heavy maintenance facility in Ireland. The low-cost carrier invested €10 million ($10.5 million) in the 56,200 ft.² facility at Shannon Airport, which features a three-bay hangar. The facility will aid maintenance of Ryanair’s fleet as it surpasses 600 aircraft by 2026 and the airline says it plans to create 200 new jobs at the site.

Tarmac Aerosave added a new designated engine shop at its main base in Tarbes, France in April. The engine shop will be Tarmac Aerosave’s fifth at its Tarbes headquarters and it is certified to carry out line maintenance, dismantling and storage activities on CFM56, LEAP-1A and LEAP-1B engines. It says the 59,200 ft.² hangar has capacity for 100 engine storage spots as well as separate work areas.

STS Aviation Services agreed to a deal in late April to lease a base maintenance facility in Manchester, UK. The 140,000 ft.² facility was formerly operated by Thomas Cook and has the capacity for multiple lines of maintenance. It expects to begin operations at the site in October and has announced plans to add more than 100 jobs, with another 100 jobs added in 2023.

Spirit Airlines announced plans in April to open a new maintenance hangar at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) later this year. It plans to use the facility to handle overnight schedule checks, engine changes and other repairs. The facility includes two internal bays, four exterior ramp spaces, and warehouse and office space. Spirit plans to open the facility around Aug. 1.

SIA Engineering Company Limited (SIAEC) signed a memorandum of understanding in early April to potentially lease two hangars at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Selangor, Malaysia. The facilities have a combined capacity of six simultaneous aircraft checks.

In a statement announced April 5, SIAEC CEO Ng Chin Hwee said: “These hangars will strengthen our network of base maintenance facilities in the region, enabling us to cater to the varying needs and capabilities required by our customers.” He added that in addition to the new hangars, its plans to acquire SR Technics Malaysia and POS Aviation Engineering Services would complement the capabilities of its Singapore hub.

MTU Maintenance Zhuhai started construction in March on a new training facility in China. The training center will be a joint venture with China Southern Airlines that will target training 50-100 engine maintenance mechanics annually. It plans to commence operations at the new training facility at the beginning of 2023.

In early March, SR Technics opened a new aircraft maintenance hangar at Malta International Airport. The 430,000 ft.² facility can accommodate up to six narrowbodies simultaneously and will give SR Technics increased capacity for heavy maintenance, C-checks and cabin modifications. The Swiss MRO plans to grow the facility’s staff by up to 500 people over the next two years.

In early March, Hungarian MRO Aeroplex of Central Europe opened a new hangar at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport. The 8,200 m² (approximately 88,000 ft.²) hangar can accommodate one widebody or four narrowbodies simultaneously and Aeroplex says it has doubled its maintenance capacity at the airport. It plans to hire for 200 new jobs at the hangar.

Vallair opened its new maintenance hangar at Marcel Dassault Airport in Chateauroux, France in late February. The 8,520 m² (approximately 92,000 ft.²) facility can accommodate up to five Airbus A321-sized aircraft simultaneously or a combination of A330/A340s and A321s. Vallair says the new hangar will create nearly 200 new jobs in the region.

Ascent Aviation Services broke ground on its new facility in Roswell, New Mexico in mid-February. The MRO’s leased space at the Roswell Air Center will cover 10 acres and it plans for the maintenance hangar to be large enough to accommodate widebodies. It plans to hire 360 employees in Roswell and expects the new facility to be open by the end of 2022.

Safran Nacelles announced plans at the Singapore Airshow to open a new repair facility in Suzhou, China. The 56,000 ft.² repair station will be located at Safran’s existing complex in the Suzhou’s free economic zone. It will provide capabilities such as repair of nacelles and line replaceable units under both Civil Aviation Administration of China and European Union Aviation Safety Agency certifications. The facility is expected to begin operating in Q2 2022.

On Jan. 31, Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) announced plans for two future aircraft MRO facilities at Dayton International Airport in Ohio, U.S. It says the facilities will create approximately 150 new jobs in the Dayton region, citing the area’s “extensive supply chain, highly skilled workforce and proven standing as a logistics hub” as drivers behind the decision. SNC has started construction on the first facility, which will continue throughout 2022.

Magnetic Group announced in late January that it is launching a new office and hub in Miami. The new location—the company’s first in the U.S.—will focus on introducing Magnetic Trading services in the local market, including spare parts and component solutions, a total asset management program, repair management and AOG spare parts supply. It will also have engine stands available for lease through its EngineStands24 subsidiary.

On Jan. 25, China Airlines and Nordam opened a new joint-venture aircraft component repair facility in Taiwan. Located at Taoyuan International Airport, the 5,828 m.² facility (approximately 63,000 ft.²) facility, called Nordam Asia Ltd., will provide MRO services for components such as fan and inlet cowls, flight controls, radomes and reversers.