Vallair has announced that it will be extending its full maintenance capabilities with the addition of a state-of-the-art hangar at Marcel Dassault Airport in Châteauroux, France. Available from the first quarter of 2022, the facility will be dedicated to the support of widebody Airbus and Boeing aircraft and accommodate up to five A321 size aircraft simultaneously, or a combination of A330/A340 and A321s.
“This is a natural expansion for us,” says Malcolm Chandler, Head of Commercial & Marketing at Vallair. “Our initial focus will be the Airbus A330 maintenance capabilities with a view to adding A340/A350, and possibly B777, at a later stage. Vallair will then be able to offer the full range of maintenance capabilities including NDT, lease transitions, LOPA change and cabin refurbishment, which will be offered alongside our current aerostructure services. Our existing composite facility in Châteauroux already offers repairs for critical parts such as nacelles, fan cowls, thrust reversers and flying control surfaces enabling our customers to benefit from cost effective solutions with quick turn-around-times.”
Vallair’s existing MRO facility located in Montpellier, France, already supports operators and lessors providing maintenance, modifications, reconfigurations, and painting for narrowbody aircraft as well as parking and storage. “With such a comprehensive background in MRO, we definitely welcome the opportunity of being able to extend our capabilities into the widebody market,” continues Chandler.
The new Châteauroux facility will initially service Airbus aircraft but is large and flexible enough to accommodate other widebodies (Including the A350 and A380) that will enable Vallair to extend its parking and storage services to the widebody market as well.