Spirit AeroSystems and Evergreen Aviation Technologies have signed a joint venture (JV) agreement to form a new aftermarket services company in Asia Pacific.

The companies will transfer repair capabilities to the new venture, Spirit Evergreen Aftermarket Solutions (SEAS), with the aim of increasing manufacturing expertise and services to meet growing fleet demands in the region.

Spirit has also announced the acquisition (through a subsidiary) of the assets of Applied Aerodynamics, a composite MRO company based in Farmer Branch, Texas, USA. This includes a 120,000sq ft facility. Spirit also acquired select Bombardier assets last year.

Of the SEAS joint venture, which is still subject to certain closing conditions, Spirit AeroSystems’ senior director of aftermarket solutions Jim Lickteig said: “Spirit AeroSystems is strategically expanding our capabilities in the Asia Pacific region because the local fleet operators need affordable, efficient repairs and we’re in a position to deliver on that need with our expertise and quality MRO services.

“By embarking on these new relationships, we will be better prepared to help passenger and freight carriers in the region remain competitive as the industry continues to recover from the pandemic.”

Spirit previously entered into a multi-year agreement with Evergreen Aviation Technologies in September 2020 in which Spirit provided maintenance services in the Taiwan facility on products the aerostructures company manufactures, including the 777 GE90/Trent800 nacelle, 737 CFM56-7B thrust reverser and flight control surfaces, along with broader nacelle MRO services on the CF6 powered aircraft and A320.

By enhancing this existing commercial agreement with a joint venture agreement, Spirit and Evergreen said they would continue working to expand capabilities to better service customers in the region.

“Evergreen Aviation Technologies is excited to enter into the business venture with Spirit to collectively deliver optimal business propositions to fleet operators and partners in the region. [Our] corporate values of transparency, honesty and integrity infuses well with Spirit’s transparency, collaboration and inspiration,” said the company’s executive vice president of business coordination division Kin Chong. “Carriers in the region can expect more responsive service solutions.”

Of the Applied Aerodynamics acquisition, Lickteig commented: “Spirit AeroSystems is investing heavily in MRO capabilities to improve the customer experience as part of its strategic transformation to be a more balanced, global company and Applied Aerodynamics is an obvious fit to help us achieve this goal.

“With this acquisition, we’re prepared to help customers where they need us the most as they rise out of this pandemic. By providing customised, high-quality MRO solutions, we can help operators control their costs and improve efficiencies and speed because of the added capacity.”

Spirit noted that the acquisition would enable it to expand beyond MRO services for thrust reversers and nacelles on the 737 and 777. These additional composite repairs include radomes, flight controls, lats, slats, flaps, spoilers, ailerons, winglets and main landing gear doors for the 737, 747, 757, 767, A320, A321 and 787.

Applied Aerodynamics president Brad Teel said: “Spirit AeroSystems has been a trusted partner for many years because we share a common goal of delivering high-quality solutions with unrivalled pricing and efficiencies to help customers maximise airtime.

“In addition to our values, this acquisition is a natural fit because we complement each other’s services, expertise and capabilities. This will benefit the aviation industry significantly as it begins to bounce back from a challenging year and will require high-quality, affordable partners more than ever.”