Mature-aircraft trader and lessor Vallair has acquired a new hangar in Chateauroux, France where it will introduce widebody capabilities for Airbus and Boeing aircraft from the first quarter 2022.

The company says the 8,500m2 facility will be able to accommodate up to five A321 size aircraft simultaneously as well as a combination of the narrowbody family with larger A330 and A340 aircraft. Vallair says the facility is also A380 capable.

Over the next few years, Vallair expects the facility will lead to the creation of nearly 200 jobs, comprised of Vallair employees and subcontractors.

“This is a natural expansion for us,“ says Malcolm Chandler, head of commercial and marketing at Vallair. The facility will open initially focused on A330 maintenance, but will look to add A340, A350 and potential 777 capabilities in future.

Once implemented, Vallair says it will be able to offer the full range of maintenance capabilities including NDT, lease transitions, LOPA change and cabin refurbishment, which will be offered alongside current aerostructure services.

“Our existing composite facility in Chateauroux already offers repairs for critical parts such as nacelles, fan cowls, thrust reversers and flying control surfaces,” Chandler says.

The move to grow its facility further adds to Vallair’s MRO capabilities in France. It also operates a site in Montpellier, which supports operators and lessors providing maintenance, modifications, reconfigurations, and painting for narrowbody aircraft, as well as parking and storage.