Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering (HAECO) is opening its third hangar later this month and launching a new joint venture in China, while HAECO's sister company in mainland China Taikoo (Xiamen) Aircraft Engineering (TAECO) is opening its six hangar mid next year.
HAECO's third hangar opens on 25 September and is a two-bay widebody hangar capable of handling Boeing 747-8 aircraft, HAECO general manager of marketing, Albert Leung, told Flight Daily News on the sidelines of Asian Aerospace.
TAECO general manager of marketing, Hans Chau, also said at the show yesterday that TAECO mid-next year is opening its sixth hangar and it too is a two-bay widebody hangar.
This will increase TAECO's capacity so that it can handle 12 747s and five 737s simultaneously, he says.
TAECO generally handles widebodies but Chau says it will also be doing Airbus A320 heavy checks and the first customer will be Hong Kong's Dragonair. Currently Dragonair has its A320 heavy checks done at HAECO.
Besides opening new hangars, HAECO is expanding its business further in China.
HAECO commercial director Summit Chan says that in next year's second half it is opening Taikoo Sichuan Aircraft Engineering Services. It will perform A320 heavy checks for Chengdu-based Sichuan Airlines, he says. HAECO owns 40%, of the venture, while Sichuan Airlines Group and Sichuan Haite High-Tech have 42% and 9%, respectively.
Source: Flight Daily News
