MHI RJ Aviation Group (MHIRJ) is growing its international service network through a new agreement signed July 20 at the Farnborough International Airshow. Under the agreement, Air Nostrum Engineering and Maintenance (ANEM) will become an MHIRJ Authorized Service Facility (ASF) in Europe.

According to MHIRJ, the agreement is an important step in expanding its service network internationally. It says the addition of ANEM will grow its existing ASF support structure in Europe and create additional capacity for CRJ operators in the region. Previously, MHIRJ’s only ASF in Europe has been Slovenia-based MRO Adria Tehnika.

Based in Valencia, Spain, ANEM is a subsidiary of Air Nostrum that provides Part 145 MRO services to multiple airlines based in Europe, Africa and Latin America. These include Spanish regional carrier Air Nostrum, which operates 37 CRJ Series aircraft.

“ANEM brings a versatile set of capabilities that substantially enhances the CRJ Series MRO support for our European and international customers,” says Ismail Mokabel, senior vice-president and head of aftermarket at MHIRJ. “As the maintenance arm of the largest CRJ Series carrier in Europe, our strategic collaboration with ANEM favorably positions us to collectively grow and expand support outside of North America.”

MHIRJ operates North American service centers in Tucson, Arizona; Macon, Georgia and Bridgeport, West Virginia. It also has an ASF in Canada at Jazz Technical Services, which is based at Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

“This is the first step in broadening our relationship with Air Nostrum to provide support to MHIRJ’s customers outside of North America,” says Amel Belkhamsa, head of aftermarket commercial services and spare parts operations at MHIRJ. “We wanted to find an MRO with a large range of capabilities to open the door to even more potential future collaboration, such as in the areas of material support and field response services, to ensure that all our international customers receive the best support available.”