GA Telesis has opened a new Latin America and Caribbean headquarters in El Salvador that will target new business opportunities and industry collaborations in the region.
Initially focused on providing services such as component distribution and used serviceable material, the hub in San Salvador will also explore business opportunities on the MRO side, including component MRO, aircraft systems, landing gear, auxiliary power units, and wheels and brakes.
GA Telesis Founder and CEO Abdol Moabery tells Aviation Week Network that the company is enhancing its focus on the region due to Latin America’s “explosive growth,” which will drive a need for real-time support. Aviation Week Network’s 2025 Commercial Aviation Fleet & MRO Forecast predicts the region will see a 31% increase in commercial MRO growth over the next decade.
Furthermore, GA Telesis plans to partner with OEMs to provide support in the region to alleviate the industry’s ongoing supply chain issues.
“In the long term, we would like to build a component MRO growth strategy around Latin America,” says Moabery. “We’re very successful in our U.S. and European operations, but we'd really like to take that know-how and support the South American market’s growth, and that would include both components and potentially one of our Specialized Procedures Aeroengine Hospitals (SPAH). The SPAHs are a great resource for airlines that need a quick turnaround on engine repairs and having the ability in the region to get the engine in and out as quickly as possible is something that I think they'll find appealing.”
According to Moabery, GA Telesis chose San Salvador for its regional headquarters due to several factors, including a highly educated and bilingual labor pool as well as its proximity to airframe heavy maintenance provider Aeroman. Noting that GA Telesis hopes to “piggyback on their success in San Salvador,” he adds: “It’s not lost on me that for the last 20 plus years, [Aeroman has] built a robust business, and we want to be part of that growth.”
To lead expansion plans in the region, GA Telesis has appointed Bosco Rico as vice president for the Latin America and Caribbean. Rico has more than 25 years of experience in the aviation industry, including at Aeroman, where he held supply chain director and commercial director roles, and at its parent company, MRO Holdings, where he was director of customer experience. In a statement, GA Telesis said that during Rico’s time at MRO Holdings, he “played a pivotal role in harmonizing the customer experience across three major maintenance organizations in North America and Latin America while negotiating multi-year agreements with top-tier airlines.”
Moabery says Rico has already hired several staff at the new headquarters as he works to build out his team. “Then he might open some sort of regional offices further south, in South America, and perhaps to the east. He is really looking at expanding his footprint,” he adds.
As GA Telesis ramps up hiring in Latin America, it also hopes to tap the region’s technology talent to complement its recent digitalization initiatives. Last year, GA Telesis launched its WILBUR parts provenance and records platform and opened a Digital Innovation and R&D Center in Ankara, Turkey that will focus on developing the platform, as well as the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives. “There's a lot of talent, especially around the AI and blockchain areas that we're developing, that we think we could take advantage of in Latin America,” says Moabery.
Aside from the San Salvador headquarters, GA Telesis has MRO operations in Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Santiago. Its Flight Solutions Group also operates out of Sao Paulo and its Leasing, Investments, Finance and Trading Group also operates out of Santiago. Moabery says these locations will report to San Salvador moving forward to enable regional coordination.
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