Heston MRO has signed a purchase agreement for the acquisition of Cairns MRO from Jet Aviation.

Once completed, the acquisition will expand Heston MRO’s capabilities into full heavy maintenance for regional aircraft, the company said, as well as avionics repairs shops for a wider range of aircraft types.

Cairns MRO was established more than 20 years ago and expanded significantly in 2018. It initially operated under Hawker Pacific and most recently under Jet Aviation brands. Cairns MRO is housed in 5,400sq m of space – hangars and offices – and is the largest MRO centre in Far North Queensland.

“We are excited to add [the] Cairns facility to the Heston MRO family,” said Heston MRO’s director and partner Jonas Butautis. “Over the last couple of years our company has been looking for the best options in how to expand into heavy maintenance and components repairs in Australia. Having done the analysis on the Cairns facility, its professional and experienced staff, range of capabilities and growth potential, we decided that it fits well into the overall Heston MRO vision of becoming a ‘total care’ partner for airlines in the Australasian region.

“Once the transaction is complete, Heston MRO will be offering line, base, components, engines MRO capabilities, as well as technical training and other services. With selected services we will be able to cover the full suite of aircraft types, from smaller regionals like ATR and Dash 8 Q400, narrowbodies like 737s and A320s, to large widebodies like 777s, 787s, A350s and A380s.”

The transaction is subject to standard pre-closing procedures and is expected to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2022. Once completed, the Cairns facility will operate under the Heston MRO brand.