ST Engineering’s Commercial Aerospace business and SF Airlines today officially opened a new airframe maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Ezhou, Hubei, China developed through their joint venture, ST Engineering Aerospace (HuBei) Aviation Services.

Established in 2023^[1], the joint venture has been focusing on plans and designs to deliver high-quality airframe MRO services to SF Airlines and global third-party customers.

The Ezhou facility will initially feature two hangars. As market demand grows, the facility may be subsequently expanded with four additional hangars. The first hangar will induct its inaugural aircraft on 12 August 2025, while the second hangar is slated for completion in 2H2027. Together, the two hangars can accommodate up to four widebody or eight narrowbody aircraft simultaneously.

Strategically located at the Ezhou Huahu International Airport — China’s first dedicated cargo airport with extensive domestic and international routes — the greenfield facility is purpose-built to provide line and heavy maintenance services to cargo and passenger aircraft. It will support the freighter MRO demands of SF Airlines, which is China’s largest freighter airline in fleet size, and serve the increasing needs of other cargo and passenger airlines that provide services to and from the region.

Jeffrey Lam, President Commercial Aerospace at ST Engineering, said, “With China leading in global aviation growth, Ezhou’s emergence as a logistics and aviation hub makes it a strategic location from which to serve freight and airline operators. Our new facility in Ezhou is well positioned to meet the rising MRO needs of operators in China and across the region.”

Lisheng, Chairman of SF Airlines, said, “The global aviation market continues to recover, driving strong demand for aircraft maintenance services. As Hubei province’s aviation industry cluster rapidly takes shape, the establishment of the airframe MRO facility in Ezhou presents broad development prospects.

“With strong support from all sectors, the new facility will fully leverage industrial chain synergies to build a competitive maintenance brand. It will consistently provide professional, efficient and reliable MRO services to customers while contributing to the high-quality development of the aviation industry.”

The facility currently employs about 200 staff, and it is expected to generate up to 700 high-value jobs for the local community when both its hangars are fully operational. In addition to recruiting and training skilled technicians, the facility will incorporate smart technologies including robotics and digital systems to support high-efficiency operations.

ST Engineering’s Commercial Aerospace business offers comprehensive MRO services across airframes, engines, and components, backed by 50 years of track record in aviation solutions and highly experienced teams of engineers and technicians across facilities in Asia Pacific, the U.S. and Europe. The Ezhou facility is the latest addition to ST Engineering’s worldwide MRO network and reflects its ongoing efforts to optimise its global footprint and align capacity with evolving market needs.

ST Engineering is a global technology, defence and engineering group with a diverse portfolio of businesses across the aerospace, smart city, defence and public security segments. The Group harnesses technology and innovation to solve real-world problems, enabling a more secure and sustainable world. Headquartered in Singapore, it has operations spanning Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the U.S., serving customers in more than 100 countries. ST Engineering reported revenue of over $11b in FY2024 and ranks among the largest companies listed on the Singapore Exchange. It is a component stock of MSCI Singapore, FTSE Straits Times Index and Dow Jones Best-in-Class Asia Pacific Index.

SF Airlines was established in 2009, a cargo airline affiliated to SF Express with the headquarters based in Shenzhen. As of February 2023, SF Airlines owns a fleet of 79 freighters. SF Airlines has three major aviation hubs in Hangzhou, Beijing and Ezhou City separately cooperating with each other to ensure an efficient flight operation under a well organised network.

SF Airlines is committed to providing customers with safe and efficient express air services and customized aviation logistics solutions, which is one of the core competitiveness of SF Express business and a powerful extension of the SF Express brand.

Featured image credited to istock.com/JakeOlimb