Engine maintenance specialist Vortex Aviation will open a new MRO facility in the Chicago area May 1. The 20,000 ft.2 facility will be located in Roselle, Illinois—approximately 20 mi. from Chicago O’Hare International Airport and approximately 34 mi. from Chicago Midway International Airport.
Vortex will provide both on-site maintenance services and on-wing services from the new location. On-site, it will offer hospital shop services, including top case repair and inspections, boroblending, borescope inspections, quick engine change and stand swaps, and engine lease return services.
Meanwhile, its team of field service technicians will be available to travel to customer locations, providing AOG support services such as quick turn engine maintenance, repairs and inspections. It will offer field services to customers throughout the Midwest region.
According to John McKirdy, senior vice president of Vortex Aviation, the new facility will be a significant milestone for the company. “We are excited to expand our operations to this strategically important location and with our experienced team and wide range of capabilities, we are confident that we can deliver the world-class engine maintenance support our customers demand,” he said in a statement.
The Chicago-area facility will be Vortex Aviation’s fourth FAA- and European Union Aviation Safety Agency-approved site. In the U.S. it also operates a facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In Europe it operates facilities in Dublin and Shannon, Ireland.
Vortex Aviation operates as a subsidiary of Kellstrom Aerospace, which acquired it in 2017. It specializes in maintenance of engines and APUs, including the CFM International CFM56-3/-5B/-7B, CF6-80, CF34-8/-10 and Leap platforms, the IAE V2500, and Pratt & Whitney GTF and PW4000 platforms.
