Mesa, the engineering and maintenance arm of Hi Fly group, has officially opened its new hangar at Beja Airport in Portugal. The €30 million (approximately $36.4 million) facility will provide line and base maintenance services for Hi Fly’s Airbus fleet, as well as for other airlines contracted with the MRO provider.
The 9,500 m2 (31,167 ft.2) widebody hangar, which began construction in April 2019, has space for up to three aircraft simultaneously. It also features workshops, a warehouse, offices, training facilities and other support premises. Mesa says it plans to create around 150 jobs at the facility in its first three years of activity.
According to the MRO provider, the hangar will have capability to service Airbus A319, A320, A321, A330, A340 and A350 aircraft. Mesa will be performing a range of services, including A and C checks, cabin interior upgrades and modifications, engine replacement and borescope inspections, landing gear replacement, hydraulics tests, defects correction and troubleshooting, service bulletins and airworthiness directives.
“Beja is a prime location for aircraft maintenance, and with this additional capacity we hope not only to keep up with the strong growth of Hi Fly’s fleet but also to acquire new customers, mainly from Europe and Africa,” says Paulo Mirpuri, president of Hi Fly and Mesa. “It’s a big project for the group and we’re looking forward to welcoming our fleet to this fantastic facility.”
In addition to the Beja facility, the EASA Part 145 maintenance organization is headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal and has maintenance stations in Brussels, Belgium and Brisbane, Australia.
