HAECO builds Asian MRO momentum with ANA, JAL and Garuda contracts
AeroMorning — John Smith
– September 28, 2026
HONG KONG — Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company (HAECO)
is strengthening its position in the Asia-Pacific aircraft maintenance market
after securing new or extended agreements with Japan Airlines, Garuda Indonesia
and All Nippon Airways in a three-day sequence of announcements at MRO
Asia-Pacific 2026.
The contracts, announced between September 22 and 24, cover
three different segments of the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) market —
airframe maintenance, engine services and landing gear overhaul — highlighting
the breadth of HAECO’s offering as the Asian aviation aftermarket continues to
expand.
For HAECO, the agreements also provide additional visibility
for its Xiamen operations, which are becoming an increasingly important part of
the group’s regional strategy.
A $3.3 billion-plus aviation business
HAECO is one of Asia’s largest independent aircraft
engineering and maintenance groups. The company operates 14 businesses and
employs around 15,000 people, with operations spanning Hong Kong, mainland
China, Europe and the Americas. Its portfolio covers airframe and line
maintenance, component overhaul, aerostructures, landing gear, engine services,
parts manufacturing and technical training.
HAECO is wholly owned by Swire Pacific, the Hong Kong-listed
conglomerate. Swire Pacific’s aviation interests include HAECO as well as a
significant associate stake in Cathay Pacific Airways.
In 2025, the aviation division generated HK$23.86 billion
($3.05 billion) in revenue, up 10% from HK$21.66 billion ($2.77 billion) a year
earlier. Aviation also generated HK$5.27 billion ($675 million) in attributable
profit for Swire Pacific, compared with HK$4.70 billion ($603 million) in 2024.
The scale of the business is important in a market where
airlines increasingly outsource maintenance to specialised providers. HAECO’s
combination of airframe, component and engine capabilities allows it to address
several parts of the aftermarket value chain rather than relying exclusively on
traditional heavy maintenance.
JAL: long-term airframe maintenance relationship
The first announcement came on September 22, when HAECO said
it had extended its base-maintenance agreement with Japan Airlines (JAL)
through 2033.
The contract covers JAL’s Boeing 737, 767, 777 and 787
fleets as well as its Airbus A350s. HAECO expects the agreement to generate more
than 180 aircraft inputs at its Xiamen facility.
The agreement extends a relationship that has already lasted
more than 20 years. HAECO and JAL have completed more than 430 aircraft inputs
in Xiamen, with the first JAL A350 entering the facility for base maintenance
in 2025.
The relationship also extends beyond China. JAL is a
shareholder in Taikoo (Xiamen) Aircraft Engineering, HAECO’s Xiamen operation,
and is a joint-venture partner in HAECO’s planned maintenance facility at Van
Don International Airport in Vietnam, scheduled to begin operations in 2028.
For HAECO, the JAL contract is therefore more than a
renewal: it provides long-term workload visibility while linking its Chinese
and future Southeast Asian maintenance footprint.
Garuda: expanding GE90 engine business
On September 23, HAECO announced a new agreement with Garuda
Indonesia covering three GE90 performance restoration shop visits through 2028.
The work will be performed by HAECO Engine Services in
Xiamen and expands a partnership established in 2025. That initial agreement
represented HAECO’s first direct engine-services contract with an Asia-Pacific
airline customer.
HAECO said it has already completed two GE90 performance
restoration visits and one quick turn for Garuda. Two additional GE90 engines
were undergoing performance restoration work when the latest contract was
announced.
The new agreement is particularly relevant because GE90
capability is one of HAECO’s strategic engine-service areas. HAECO says it is
an authorised GE90 Service Provider and GE90 Centre of Excellence, and holds
the GE90 Brand Service Agreement for Asia through 2040.
The contract consequently gives HAECO additional GE90
workload at a time when the company’s engine business is becoming an
increasingly important component of its overall MRO offering.
ANA: entering a new area of fleet support
The third announcement came on September 24, when HAECO said
it had signed a new landing-gear overhaul agreement with All Nippon Airways
(ANA) through 2030.
The contract covers landing gear for ANA’s Boeing 777-300ER
and 777F fleets, with the work to be performed at HAECO’s dedicated
landing-gear facility in Xiamen.
The agreement expands a relationship between the two
companies that dates back to 1997. Their cooperation has already included
airframe base and line maintenance in Hong Kong and mainland China. In June
2025, HAECO and ANA marked the airline’s 500th aircraft input at Xiamen Gaoqi
International Airport.
The significance of the new contract lies in the expansion
from airframe support into a specialised component activity. It demonstrates
how HAECO is using its broader technical portfolio to deepen existing airline
relationships.
Xiamen at the centre of the strategy
All three agreements ultimately reinforce the importance of
Xiamen to HAECO’s Asian strategy.
The company is preparing to move its main Xiamen maintenance
operation to a new facility at Xiang’an International Airport, scheduled to
enter service by the end of 2026. HAECO describes the new structure as the
world’s largest single-span hangar and says it has received LEED Platinum
certification.
The expansion comes as airlines in Asia continue to seek
additional MRO capacity close to their growing fleets. HAECO’s contracts with
ANA, JAL and Garuda demonstrate three different ways in which that capacity can
be monetised: heavy airframe maintenance, engine overhaul and specialised
component services.
A competitive Asian MRO market
HAECO, however, is operating in a highly competitive
regional market.
ST Engineering is one of the most significant
competitors, with a large commercial aerospace operation spanning airframe,
engine and component MRO. The Singapore-based group is also expanding its
engine capabilities: new CFM engine shops are expected to increase its annual
capacity progressively to around 300 engine shop visits by 2027.
SIA Engineering Company, the maintenance arm of
Singapore Airlines, is another major Asian MRO provider, with capabilities
covering airframe, component and engine-related services.
In China, GAMECO is a significant competitor, while Ameco
in Beijing provides another major maintenance platform. Both companies were
among the major MRO exhibitors at MRO Asia-Pacific 2026, alongside HAECO, ST
Engineering and SIA Engineering.
Other regional players include GMF AeroAsia in Indonesia and
MTU Maintenance Zhuhai, while international groups such as Lufthansa Technik
and Safran are also expanding their presence in Asia. The growth of OEM-backed
engine MRO facilities is adding another layer of competition: Rolls-Royce and
Air China, for example, opened Beijing Aero Engine Services in late 2025, while
Safran has been expanding LEAP engine MRO capacity in India.
For HAECO, the competitive challenge is therefore not simply
about adding hangars. Engine authorisations, specialised component
capabilities, skilled labour, geographic proximity and long-term relationships
with airlines are becoming increasingly important differentiators.
The ANA, JAL and Garuda agreements illustrate HAECO’s
strategy on each of those fronts. They add contracted work, deepen
relationships with major Asian carriers and broaden the range of services
delivered from its Xiamen platform.
With the new Xiang’an facility scheduled to open by the end
of 2026 and the planned Vietnam operation due in 2028, HAECO is entering the
next phase of its Asian expansion with a larger infrastructure base and a
growing portfolio of long-term airline relationships.
For the wider Asian MRO market, the three agreements offer
another indication of where competition is heading: toward larger regional
networks, specialised capabilities and increasingly integrated relationships
between airlines and independent maintenance providers.
