Hartzell Propeller has appointed maintenance, repair and overhaul provider Shenyang Avias Aviation Maintenance Engineering as its first service and support centre in mainland China.

To prepare for an impending surge in business from Chinese operators of Hartzell propeller-driven aircraft, the US company says Shenyang Avia’s engineers have undergone weeks of “intensive” training at its production facility in Ohio.

According to Hartzell, there are more than 300 aircraft in China equipped with its propellers. These include the piston-engined Air Tractor AT-802, Diamond DA40, Mooney M20 and Cirrus SR series, as well as the Quest Kodiak, Piaggio P180 Avanti, Pilatus PC-12 and Viking Air Twin Otter Series 400 turboprops.

Piqua-based Hartzell says it is working with China’s civil aviation administration to establish additional repair facilities to support the country’s expanding aircraft inventory.

Hartzell has 24 service facilities across the globe including in Australia, Brazil, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates and the UK, and is looking to grow the network even further. “It’s our long-term goal to ensure that customers throughout the world are only a short drive or flight from a Hartzell-recognised facility,” it says.

Shenyang Avias is located near Shenyang, the provincial capital and largest city of Liaoning province in northeast China.

Source: Flight International