Story updated to correct the conversion of square feet to square metres in the second paragraph.

Aerospace contractor AAR continues to expand its facilities at Duluth, Minnesota, announcing it will add a third maintenance line to help fulfill a multi-year MRO agreement with Air Canada.

Chicago-based AAR’s first maintenance line in the formerly-abandoned, 188,000ft2 (17,466m2) hangar at Duluth opened in November 2012, and the company added a second line at the facility in March, according to a 26 September AAR media release.

The hangar was formerly used by Northwest Airlines, which was acquired by Delta Air Lines, to maintain its Airbus A320 aircraft.

"When AAR first came to Duluth, the goal was to make this facility fully operational. In less than a year, we've earned the confidence and trust of the customer and have demonstrated that we are committed to doing business in Duluth over the long term," says Dany Kleiman, AAR’s aviation services group vice president for repair and engineering, in the media release.

AAR signed a five-year agreement with Air Canada last year to maintain about 90 of the airline’s A320 aircraft.

In September, AAR announced that its sixth MRO facility in North America, at Chennault International airport in Lake Charles, Louisiana, had received certification by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

That facility can accommodate up to seven widebody aircraft or 10 narrowbody aircraft, the company says.

AAR also has US maintenance centres in Miami, Indianapolis, Oklahoma City and Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Source: FlightGlobal.com