Airhub Aviation has secured regulatory approval from Lithuania’s Transport Competence Agency (TKA) to perform base maintenance on Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, positioning the company to capture a looming wave of first-time heavy maintenance checks for new-generation narrowbodies.

In a press release issued in October 2026, the GetJet Group subsidiary announced the expansion of its maintenance scope to include A320neo jets powered by CFM International LEAP or Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, alongside the 737 MAX family. The approval allows the aircraft lifecycle management company to address growing aftermarket demand driven by capacity shortages and recent airline insolvencies.

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Targeting the 12-year check milestone

The Airbus A320neo family entered commercial service in early 2016, meaning the earliest airframes are now approaching their first 12-year heavy maintenance checks. This milestone presents a significant challenge for operators, as these complex checks are being performed for the first time in the aircraft type’s operational lifecycle.

Oleg Novak, Managing Director of Airhub Aviation, noted that the company is seeing growing demand for both regular 24-month checks and these initial 12-year events.

Managing these complex maintenance events in the most cost-effective manner requires extensive technical expertise and strong MRO capabilities.

Novak stated that operators face potentially longer ground times during these inaugural heavy checks, requiring specialized support across new-generation platforms to preserve residual value.

End-of-life solutions and part-outs

Beyond active service maintenance, Airhub Aviation is expanding its end-of-life asset management for new-generation narrowbodies. The global maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) market is currently navigating supply chain constraints, increasing the value of harvested components.

According to the company, A320neo part-outs are gaining momentum following several airline insolvencies throughout 2025 and 2026. Novak confirmed that over the past 12 months, Airhub Aviation oversaw the end-of-life management process for its first Boeing 737 MAX 8.

“Expanding our Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737MAX maintenance scope responds directly to growing demand from lessors, operators and aftermarket players for specialized support,” Novak said.

GetJet Group’s MRO infrastructure expansion

The base maintenance approval builds upon a foundation established earlier in the year. In May 2026, the TKA granted Airhub Aviation line maintenance approval for the Boeing 737 MAX, covering both MRO and Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation (CAMO) operations.

To support this expanded scope, parent company GetJet Group announced plans in August 2026 to invest €25 million ($29 million) in a new narrowbody maintenance facility at Vilnius International Airport (VNO). The company secured a 121,000-square-foot site under a 40-year land lease. Once completed, the Vilnius site will become the group’s third MRO facility, complementing Airhub Aviation’s existing operations at Šiauliai International Airport (SQQ).

The company is also currently undergoing the regulatory approval process to extend its technical service offerings to the Airbus A220 platform, which will encompass line maintenance, aircraft transitions, and end-of-life asset management.

AirPro News analysis

The arrival of the A320neo at its 12-year heavy maintenance threshold marks a critical transition for the global MRO sector. Because these checks are unprecedented for the airframe, MRO providers lack historical data to optimize turnaround times, making longer ground times highly probable. We expect early movers in this space to gain a significant competitive advantage as they build the first reliable datasets for A320neo heavy maintenance.

Furthermore, the fact that Airhub Aviation is already processing Boeing 737 MAX 8 and A320neo part-outs underscores a unique market dynamic. Typically, narrowbody aircraft of this vintage would remain in revenue service for another decade. However, severe supply chain bottlenecks for CFM LEAP and Pratt & Whitney GTF engines, combined with recent airline insolvencies, have made the sum of the parts for some new-generation airframes more valuable than the operational aircraft itself.

Indian precision manufacturing company Aequs Limited announced on October 12, 2026, the signing of new long-term supply agreements with Safran S.A., expanding its production of flight-critical components for major Airbus SE and The Boeing Company commercial aircraft programs.

The agreements, detailed in a press release issued by Aequs, extend the manufacturer’s relationship to six distinct Safran entities, including Safran Aerosystems and Safran Electronics & Defense. The expanded scope covers the machining of superalloy parts, complex machining coating, and the assembly of landing gear components for the Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A350, and Boeing 787 platforms.

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Expanding the Safran partnership

The October 2026 contracts build upon an established foundation between Aequs and Safran Landing Systems. By adding Safran Aerosystems and Safran Electronics & Defense to its customer portfolio, Aequs deepens its integration into the global aerospace supply chain. The work packages involve highly specialized manufacturing processes, including the handling of superalloys and the application of complex surface coatings required for landing gear assemblies.

Aequs Executive Chairman & CEO Aravind Melligeri highlighted the technical requirements of the new contracts and the operational scale required to execute them.

“These agreements reflect what Aequs was built for: long-horizon partnerships anchored in capability, reliability, and scale. The components Aequs will manufacture for Safran are among the most demanding flight-critical products to industrialize,” Melligeri stated.

He noted that securing these work packages demonstrates the trust developed with customers over the years and validates the capabilities built across the company’s manufacturing ecosystems.

Building on the July 2026 wheels contract

The latest announcement follows a major milestone achieved earlier in the year. In July 2026, Aequs and Safran Landing Systems finalized an agreement for the supply of fully assembled aircraft wheels for the Airbus A320 family.

That contract, which extends through 2042, marked the first serial production agreement for Aequs with a minimum duration of 15 years. A key stipulation of the July agreement is the requirement for 100 percent in-country manufacturing value addition. This mandates that the entire production lifecycle, from the sourcing of domestic Indian aluminum to final assembly and testing, occurs within India.

Manufacturing infrastructure in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu

Aequs operates as an engineering-led, vertically integrated precision manufacturer. The company’s primary aerospace operations are centered at the Belagavi Aerospace Cluster in Karnataka. This facility operates within a single Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and features co-located capabilities that span forging, precision machining, surface treatment, and final assembly.

To support the expanded scope of work under the new Safran contracts, a significant portion of the manufacturing will be allocated to the upcoming Aequs Engine Components Ecosystem (AECE). Located in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, this new facility is specifically designed to handle the production of medium and large engine parts. The addition of the Hosur site complements the existing infrastructure in Belagavi and provides the necessary capacity to meet the long-term production rates required by the Airbus and Boeing commercial programs.

AirPro News analysis

The progression of Aequs from supplying individual machined parts to securing 15-year serial production contracts for fully assembled, flight-critical components illustrates a maturation in India’s aerospace manufacturing sector. The requirement for 100 percent in-country value addition on the July 2026 wheels contract, combined with the new agreements for superalloy machining and landing gear assembly, indicates that global original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are increasingly comfortable placing complex, high-liability work packages in the region. As supply chain constraints continue to challenge Airbus and Boeing production rates, vertically integrated hubs like the Belagavi Aerospace Cluster offer a localized solution to mitigate logistics and sourcing bottlenecks.

Mammoth Freighters LLC has inducted its first Boeing 777-200LR for passenger-to-freighter conversion at the Shandong Taikoo Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (STAECO) facility in Qingdao, China.

Announced in a company press release on October 15, 2026, the milestone marks the official launch of Mammoth’s conversion operations in Asia and expands its global modification network to meet growing demand for widebody freighters.

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Expanding the global conversion footprint

The induction in Qingdao is part of a broader strategy to establish nine total production lines in Mammoth’s global conversion network. The company currently allocates five production lines at Aspire MRO in Fort Worth, Texas, and two lines at STS Aviation Services UK Limited in Manchester, England. The STAECO partnership adds two planned lines in China, with the second expected to begin operations in 2027, according to reporting by Aviation Week.

Mammoth Freighters Vice President of Operations Cameron France stated the induction represents an important step in the continued expansion of the company’s global network.

“STAECO brings an exceptional level of technical expertise, a highly skilled workforce, and a proven track record in freighter modifications. We are excited to officially launch conversion operations in China and look forward to working closely with STAECO and Jetran to deliver world-class Mammoth 777 freighters,” France said.

STAECO Chairman Huang Enfang noted the facility is honored to welcome the first Mammoth aircraft, describing the induction as a significant step forward in expanding the company’s widebody freighter conversion capabilities.

Aircraft history and Jetran partnership

The inducted aircraft, registered as N60VL, is a 17.5-year-old Boeing 777-200LR that originally entered service with Delta Air Lines (DL). Aviation Week reports the airframe was stored in 2020, eventually acquired by Jetran LLC, and most recently leased to Air India (AI) before its return in May 2026.

The official press release text identifies the aircraft as N60VL, though a prepared quote from Jetran CEO Jordan Jaffe referenced a different former Delta Air Lines airframe, N708DN, entering conversion at the facility.

Jaffe emphasized the importance of the event for the ongoing partnership between the two companies.

“As the first Mammoth 777 to undergo conversion at this facility, this aircraft represents an exciting new chapter in the program. We have tremendous confidence in both Mammoth and STAECO and look forward to seeing more Mammoth 777 freighters enter the global cargo market,” Jaffe said.

Jetran has committed more than two dozen Boeing 777-200LRs to the Mammoth conversion program. According to Aviation Week, 13 of these aircraft are allocated to DHL, and five are destined for Qatar Airways Cargo. Ethiopian Airlines has also agreed to take two converted Boeing 777-200LRs.

The Boeing 777 P2F market landscape

Founded in December 2020, Mammoth Freighters is backed by funds managed by affiliates of Fortress Investment Group. The company operates as a Boeing Licensee, focusing initially on passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversions for the Boeing 777-200LR and Boeing 777-300ER variants.

Mammoth received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification for its Boeing 777-200LRMF in April 2026. This regulatory approval made it the first company authorized to convert the passenger Boeing 777-200LR into a freighter. The company subsequently delivered its first converted aircraft to Jetran on August 21, 2026, following a public debut at the Farnborough International Airshow in July 2026.

The Boeing 777 P2F market is relatively new compared to established narrowbody and mid-size widebody programs. Mammoth competes directly with factory-built Boeing 777Fs and other conversion programs, such as the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) 777-300ERSF.

AirPro News analysis

Establishing a conversion line in China is a strategic necessity for Mammoth Freighters as it scales production to meet Jetran’s extensive order book. With five lines in Texas and two in the UK, the addition of STAECO provides geographic diversification and taps into established heavy maintenance expertise in the Asia-Pacific region. The rapid progression from FAA certification in April 2026 to opening a third global conversion site by October demonstrates the aggressive timeline required to capture market share in the emerging Boeing 777 P2F sector before feedstock ages out or competing programs saturate the market.