STS Aviation Services, the repair division of U.S.-based STS Aviation Group, has been granted regulatory approval to establish a dedicated engine shop at its base maintenance hangar in Manchester, England.

The approval for engine services was transferred from its facility in Newquay, England, which it acquired as part of its Apple Aviation buyout in 2019. 

The engine shop in Manchester has capacity for aircraft engine storage, inspection, repair and overhaul on several engine types, which STS says will complement its existing in-field support for aircraft engines.

Aviation Week has contacted STS about which engine models will eventually be serviced at the facility.

STS leased the Manchester facility, close to the city’s airport, in April 2022 from defunct airline Thomas Cook following its liquidation the previous year. The facility has a volume area of around 140,000 ft.² and capacity for multiple lines of maintenance, according to STS.

Maintenance operations commenced in early November 2022 and since then, STS says it has delivered more than 40 aircraft to customers. The company has been on a recruitment drive across the UK, with locations in Manchester and Birmingham looking to add new staff. STS says it has already started adding to its engine shop team in Manchester.

“The aircraft engine shop is the natural next step toward helping our customers reduce aircraft maintenance costs and down time,” says Mick Adams, CEO for STS Aviation Services in the UK. The engine operation at Manchester will be led by Mike Pilbrow, who has previously held roles at Rolls-Royce and Argo MRT.

“Our aircraft base maintenance facility in Manchester incorporates a combined engine maintenance area and sheet metal workshop,” says Ian Bartholomew, managing director of STS Aviation Services in the United Kingdom. “We are intent on developing further back shop capabilities, be it for an aircraft undergoing maintenance in Manchester or to support additional STS facilities and our teams in the field.”