China Eastern Airlines and Safran Landing Systems have combined their respective areas of expertise to create a world-class centre of excellence in the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of landing gear on Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 commercial airplanes.
The new company, Xi'an Eastern Safran Landing Systems Services, Ltd., will be based in Xi'an, already the main maintenance hub for China Eastern's fleet, in an area that offers a large pool of qualified workers. It will primarily provide services for the Chinese domestic market.
The new venture hopes to capitalise on the fact that Chinese fleets of single-aisle commercial jets are currently reaching maturity, which means that they will require general overhauls of their landing gear.
Vincent Mascré, CEO of Safran Landing Systems, says the plant will be one of the largest landing gear maintenance facilities in the country, and will feature state-of-the-art technologies developed by Safran Landing Systems. The 10,000 m2 plant will be a showcase for the company's customer support capabilities in China.
Construction of the new plant will start in the first half of 2017, with operations expected to start in 2018.