Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance and AAR Corp have completed the formation of their jointly-owned nacelle MRO venture, xCelle Asia, following the receipt of regulatory approval.
The previously announced joint venture is located in Chonburi and will specialise in the overhaul of nacelles for new-generation aircraft.
Building on the success of the partners’ existing joint venture in the Americas, xCelle Asia is positioned to deliver expanded service and support to operators across the Asia-Pacific region.
Licensed by multiple OEMs, xCelle Asia will initially provide a full range of nacelle MRO services, including on-wing and on-site inspections, as well as rotable support for next-generation aircraft.
Capability at launch will cover GEnx, Trent 1000 and LEAP-1A engine types, with additional new-generation platforms to follow.
Benjamin Moreau, senior vice president strategy and business development at AFI KLM E&M, said: "The creation of xCelle Asia represents a major step forward in strengthening our global MRO network.
"By expanding our nacelle capabilities into the Asia-Pacific region, we are positioning ourselves to deliver world-class, next-generation support closer to our customers.
"This new venture reflects our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and operational excellence, and we are proud to bring our expertise to one of the world’s most dynamic aviation markets."
Jim Berberet, AAR’s senior vice president of component services, added: "This joint venture markedly expands our service offerings in the Asia-Pacific region and furthers our ability to deliver high quality, industry leading solutions to our customers.
"We are looking forward to replicating our current success in the Americas by combining the experience of AAR’s highly regarded Component Services team in Thailand with AFI KLM E&M’s global network.”
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