Air Transport

Shanghai maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) firm Boeing Shanghai Aviation Services has opened a new hangar and reiterated its plan to move into work on widebodies.

The MRO does line maintenance as well as heavy maintenance and modification work on Boeing 737s but "plans to expand service offerings to include twin-aisle aircraft and passenger-to-freighter conversations", says Boeing without elaborating.

Today the company held a ceremony to mark the opening of a new two-bay hangar.

Boeing VP China operations for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, John Bruns, told ATI in September 2007 that the MRO planned to branch into Boeing 767 passenger-to-freighter conversions in 2010.

The US aircraft-maker owns the MRO along with 767 operator Shanghai Airlines, which was recently acquired by larger Shanghai carrier China Eastern Airlines.