ST Engineering Opens New Airframe MRO Facility in China

_{One of SF Airlines’ aircraft at ST Engineering’s airframe MRO facility in Ezhou. Photo: ST Engineering}

ST Engineering announced the opening of a new airframe maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Ezhou, Hubei, China, on 11 August 2025.

The new Ezhou facility was developed through a joint venture company between ST Engineering and SF Airlines. The joint venture, ST Engineering Aerospace (HuBei) Aviation Services, established in 2023, has been developing plans and designs to provide high-quality airframe MRO services to SF Airlines and global third-party customers.

The airframe MRO facility will initially include two hangars, with potential expansion for four additional hangers should market demand increases. The first hangar will begin operations on 12 August 2025, and the second will be completed in the second half of 2027. Collectively, both hangers can accommodate up to four widebody or eight narrowbody aircraft at once.

^{One of SF Airlines’ aircraft at ST Engineering’s airframe MRO facility in Ezhou. Photo: ST Engineering}

Strategically situated at Ezhou Huahu International Airport, China’s first dedicated cargo airport, the greenfield facility is designed for line and heavy maintenance of cargo and passenger aircraft. It will support the freighter MRO demands of SF Airlines, China’s largest freighter airline in fleet size, as well as other carriers in the region.

Currently employing around 200 staff, the facility is projected to create up to 700 high-value local jobs with two fully operational hangers. The facility will also incorporate smart technologies like robotics and digital systems to support its operations.

In a press release, Jeffrey Lam, President Commercial Aerospace at ST Engineering, commented on China’s leading global aviation growth and “Ezhou’s emergence as a logistics and aviation hub” in China.

Located in a strategic area 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,” Mr Lam added.

Lisheng, Chairman of SF Airlines, noted that as the province’s aviation cluster develops rapidly, the new airframe MRO facility “presents broad development prospects.”

“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,” said Lisheng.