Commercial MRO Provider DTX Group Launches In Dubai

DTX Group, a Dubai-based provider of MRO services to the commercial aerospace sector, has launched following its chairman Hussein Lookmanjee’s divestment from Drayton Aerospace.

Formerly the international arm of Drayton Aerospace, DTX Group is now an independent entity under the sole ownership of Lookmanjee.

Over the past six years, Lookmanjee and his team have developed a global footprint in line with broader brisk aftermarket growth that was only temporarily halted by the pandemic. DTX’s parts trading business operates in the U.S.; it has two MRO facilities in Brazil and plans to launch a new facility in the Middle East by the third quarter of 2025.  

The company expects to post more than $100 million in revenue for the 2025 calendar year.

Currently, DTX Group’s core MRO capabilities include the ability to provide nose to tail support on narrowbody aircraft, while it has widebody capabilities in base maintenance, landing gears and some components, Lookmanjee tells Aviation Week. In addition, the company plans to expand into parts manufacturer approval (PMA) manufacturing and aircraft teardowns—it projects it will do seven of the latter this year.

A PMA designation from the FAA demonstrates that a company is authorized to manufacture aircraft components that meet industry standards. Compared to OEM components, PMA parts are usually 20% to 80% cheaper.

With DTX being spun off from Drayton Aerospace, the Chinese private equity investor Lion Capital will take over Drayton’s China business. “This strategy helps satisfy the vision of the Chinese shareholders while giving DTX the ability to focus on the international market,” Lookmanjee tells Aviation Week. “One of the lessons learned from our emerging markets strategy is that you need to find the right balance between localization and standardization. China, given its size, culture and complexity, requires a stronger localized approach than most other markets.”

Regarding DTX’s growing business in the Middle East and South America, Lookmanjee says that the two regions “present interesting opportunities” for diversification of maintenance sourcing, which is important for addressing supply chain risks. He notes that the Middle East and South America are comparable to China in terms of labor costs and in some cases provide advantages in terms of logistics and access to skilled labor.

“Lastly, we feel that the regional markets in both areas [the Middle East and South America] are underserved and there is a need to increase support for regional operators in both regions,” he says.

Looking ahead, DTX has an active M&A pipeline that includes a U.S. PMA manufacturer as well as MRO firms in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. It is also considering investing in an airline in Africa.

DTX expects the PMA acquisition to be finalized in the next 60 days.