Gallery: New Developments In Asia-Pacific’s Aftermarket

In early September, Rolls-Royce and Air China announced plans to form a new joint venture focused on Trent engine overhaul services. Beijing Aero Services Engine Company will support Trent 700, Trent XWB-84 and Trent 1000 engines, and the companies expect it to have capacity to support up to 250 shop visits annually by the mid-2030s.

Lufthansa Technik Philippines opened its new $40 million base maintenance hangar in Pasay Bay in late August, following a nearly two-year-long delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 97,000 ft.² facility will service Airbus A320, A330, A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft. LHT Philippines says the hangar will increase its capacity by up to 20% and it plans to add up to 275 new staff at the location.

ST Engineering announced plans in mid-August to set up a Leap 1B engine test cell in Singapore. It is seeking certification from China’s Civil Aviation Administration, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency and the FAA for the new capability, which it expects to have ready by the end of 2023.

Singapore Airlines began its Boeing 777F partnership with DHL Express in mid-August, under which it will provide maintenance and pilots for DHL’s five 777Fs that will operate between Singapore, Incheon, Los Angeles and Honolulu. The first 777F arrived in Singapore on Aug. 16, the second is scheduled to enter service in November, and the remaining three are planned for delivery throughout 2023

Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo is nearing completion of its new maintenance hangar at Bangalore’s Kempe Gowda International Airport. The 218,000 ft.² facility will be equipped for C checks on Airbus A320, A321 and ATR aircraft. It will also provide services such as engine changes, landing gear changes, aircraft painting and engine storage. The facility will give IndiGo the ability to carry out C checks in-house.

Airbus began a partnership with GMR Group in early August to boost MRO workforce in India. GMR School of Aviation in Hyderabad will begin offering a four-year program for aircraft maintenance engineering, through which Airbus will provide the necessary software and courseware, as well as training to GMR instructors. The program is expected to begin operation by October or November.

The Vietnamese Transport Ministry approved approximately $118 million of funding in late July to develop four MRO facilities at the new Long Thanh International Airport that will serve Ho Chi Minh City. The MRO facilities would be able to support aircraft up to the size of Airbus A380s and Boeing 747-8s.

Joint venture Boeing Asia-Pacific Aviation Services ended its operations in August. The JV between Boeing Singapore and Singapore Airlines Engineering company (SIAEC), founded in 2015, provided fleet management services for operators of Boeing 737, 747, 777 and 787 aircraft in the region. The bulk of the JV’s work has been distributed between Boeing and SIAEC.

Boeing Global Services signed a five-year Integrated Materials Management program contract with Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Co., Ltd. (GAMECO) on July 15. Boeing will provide demand planning, on-site staff and logistics services to support GAMECO’s operations. The OEM says the contract marks the first time it will provide a comprehensive materials management solution in mainland China.