Australian line-maintenance provider Heston MRO is establishing component repair services as part of a wider expansion strategy following an ownership change.
Heston Aviation acquired Aircraft Maintenance Services Australia from Singapore Airlines’ engineering arm in late 2018, and rebranded it earlier this year. Jonas Butautis, who has served as chief executive of the eastern European maintenance companies Magnetic MRO and FL Technics, is a partner in Heston Aviation.
Brisbane-headquartered Heston MRO says its new components unit will “firstly” concentrate on equipment trading, repairs, exchanges and leasing for customers in the Australasian and southwest Pacific region.
“Initial investments” have been made to establish its own Boeing 737NG component stock, “with planned expansion into [Airbus] A320 and other aircraft platforms”, the company says.
It adds: “With extensive experience and a global partner network at Heston MRO’s owners, the company is flexible to promptly scale up the services based on customer needs.”
The MRO provider intends to establish in-house service capabilities for frequently removed items within a year and offer flat-rate, hour-based and fixed-price repair service packages.
Additionally, the company plans to receive an on-wing engine service approval in 2019.
Heston MRO
Head of components Paul Popow states: “Adding components and materials services is an organic step towards the strategic goal of becoming a total technical care partner for our customers in the Australasian and Pacific Islands region.”
Heston MRO has line stations in Brisbane, Coolangatta, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, and is considering operations in Cairns and Darwin, the company’s website indicates.
Butautis, in 2014, led an expansion programme at Tallinn-based Magnetic MRO – a company previously known as Air Maintenance Estonia.
In 2018, Magnetic MRO was acquired by Chinese investor Guangzhou Hangxin Aviation Technology.
Prior to his time at Magnetic MRO, Butautis was chief executive of Lithuanian maintenance provider FL Technics.
FL Technics and Magnetic MRO both specialise in airframe checks for 737s and A320-family jets. The establishment of component maintenance capabilities – in co-operation with external equipment repair shops – played a central part in both companies’ expansion.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
