Spirit AeroSystems has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Malaysia Airlines to develop MRO services for the 737 Next Generation (NG) aircraft.

Under the terms of the agreement, Spirit and Malaysia Airlines will start to jointly work on establishing repair services for nacelle and flight control surfaces to support the airline’s fleet and the aircraft of other operators before the end of 2022.

“This is an important development as Spirit Aftermarket Services continues to expand service offerings to the important Asia Pacific market,” said Spirit AeroSystems’ senior vice president of aftermarket services Kailash Krishnaswamy.

Krishnaswamy said Spirit’s aftermarket business continues to grow since the 2021 acquisition of select Bombardier MRO operations in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Casablanca, Morocco; the acquisition of assets from Applied Aerodynamics in Dallas, Texas, USA; and the SEAS joint venture.

Spirit’s aftermarket business revenues have grown from $186 million in 2019 to $239.9 million in 2021. Spirit is targeting growth in the aftermarket business to $500 million in revenue by 2025.

Malaysia Airlines’ group chief operations officer Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi commented: “We are delighted to fortify our partnership with global players within the aviation landscape, especially in leveraging the capabilities of Malaysia Airlines Engineering’s expertise in providing reliable and high-quality MRO services that prioritises safety.

“This is in line with our long-term business plan aspirations of becoming Asia’s leading travel and aviation services provider which will further accelerate the growth of our MRO services and capabilities within the region.”