STS Aviation Services will commence MRO operations at its leased facility in Manchester, UK at the beginning of November.

The company, part of U.S.-based STS Aviation Group, has signed a long-term lease agreement for the base maintenance hangar, formerly operated by defunct airline Thomas Cook. It has also received full closure to the Part 145 findings from the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority regulator.

The facility has a volume area of around 140,000 ft.² and has capacity for multiple lines of maintenance, according to STS.

“It was more than one year ago when STS first engaged with the relevant stakeholders for the facility. At that time, we set a go-live target for the first week of November, and we are now at that point,” says Ian Radford, vice president of technology at STS Aviation Services.

Radford adds that the MRO provider is also further ramping up capabilities at the facility. “We have built a solid base for MRO in Manchester with space to grow. In addition to reaching our go-live target date, STS Aviation Services also received audit closure for its first C rating," he says. "Here we will build back-shop capabilities to go along with our sizeable engine shop and its B rating.”

Eddie Boyce, head of base maintenance in Manchester for STS Aviation Services, says to date, the company has added 70 engineers, mechanics and other support personnel to the Manchester operation. “In addition to assembling a dynamic workforce, we have made a significant investment in aircraft access equipment as well as tooling and test equipment,” he says. 

When the lease deal was agreed to last April, STS said it planned to add job roles at the Manchester site “with immediate effect.” At the time of the announcement, STS was targeting the creation of 200 new jobs at the base maintenance facility by 2023.

In the UK, the Manchester facility will operate alongside its main base maintenance facility in Birmingham. The former Monarch Aircraft Engineering facility was acquired in 2019. That same year, the company also acquired Apple Aviation’s facility in Newquay, where it offers base and line maintenance services.

Across the U.S. and Europe, STS Aviation Services operates four aircraft hangars, two interior modification facilities and more than 42 line maintenance stations.