Comlux America, the US completions and service centre arm of the Comlux Group, is planning to induct the first green widebody airliner into its Indianapolis facility in early November, as the construction of a new hangar extension to accommodate twin-aisle aircraft nears completion.
The new building – on which Comlux broke ground in April 2015 – will expand the footprint of the VIP maintenance, repair and overhaul facility from 11,900m² (128,000ft²) to 14,600m². This will be "large enough to house aircraft up to an Airbus A340-600 or Boeing 747-800 size", says Comlux.
Its inaugural aircraft, an A330-200, was delivered to Indianapolis in July, and Comlux plans to hand the completed VVIP airliner to its unnamed customer in the fourth quarter of 2017.
“We expect this aircraft will be the first of many widebodies for us,” said company chief executive, Scott Meyer. "It is the beginning of the next generation of business for Comlux America."
Comlux is a relative newcomer to the VIP airliner completions market. It made its first foray into this niche sector in 2012, four years after its acquisition of Indianapolis Jet Center – an MRO facility for Bombardier Challenger-series business jets.
To date, the company has outfitted nine VIP narrowbodies, with two more projects under way.
Comlux is now seeking to expand its MRO presence globally, Meyer said, to take advantage of its growing international customer base.
“We are pursuing several prospects beyond our current footprint in the USA,” he said. “We want to be closer and more supportive to our clients based in Asia, central Asia, eastern Europe and the Middle East.”
Source: Flight International
