Airhub Aviation Adds 737 MAX and A320neo Base Maintenance Capacity

Airhub Aviation has added Boeing 737 MAX and Airbus A320neo base maintenance to its capabilities, covering both engine variants of the A320neo — the Pratt & Whitney GTF and the CFM LEAP — at its five-bay MRO facility in Lithuania.

The scope expansion followed a successful regulatory audit by Lithuania's Transport Competence Agency (TKA), the national civil aviation authority. Airhub said the move responds to increased market demand for next-generation narrowbody maintenance.

Managing Director Oleg Novak said: "The aviation market is evolving rapidly, and technical capabilities must evolve with it."

He added: "Expanding our Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX maintenance scope responds directly to growing demand from lessors, operators and aftermarket players for specialized support across new-generation aircraft platforms."

Why does the first 12-year check matter?

The A320neo family, certified in the mid-2010s and delivered at scale from 2016 onward, is now reaching the point where the first wave of aircraft requires initial 12-year heavy checks. Novak said demand is growing not only for regular 24-month checks but for these first 12-year events.

"A wave of A320neo aircraft is now approaching this milestone, bringing additional challenges for operators, including potentially longer ground times, as these checks are being performed for the first time in the aircraft's operational lifecycle," he said.

Longer ground times translate directly into capacity pressure for operators already constrained by delayed new deliveries. Novak framed the challenge in cost terms: "Managing these complex maintenance events in the most cost-effective manner requires extensive technical expertise and strong MRO capabilities."

End-of-life work is also accelerating

The teardown market is moving in parallel with heavy maintenance. Novak said the past 12 months brought the first Boeing 737 MAX 8 through an end-of-life management process, while A320neo part-outs — the recovery of serviceable components from retired airframes — gained momentum following several airline insolvencies in 2025–2026.

Airhub positions the expanded capability within a broader lifecycle offer that includes:

• Line maintenance
• Aircraft transitions between operators and lessors
• End-of-life asset management
• Technical asset management and residual value preservation

"It also strengthens our capabilities across the broader aircraft lifecycle, with a continued focus on technical asset management and residual value preservation," Novak said.

A220 approval is next

Airhub is completing the approval process to add technical services for the Airbus A220, extending its coverage to a third next-generation narrowbody platform.

Novak said supply-side constraints continue to shape the aftermarket despite fleet modernization: "Despite ongoing fleet modernization, the industry continues to face supply chain constraints, limited engine shop capacity and delays in new aircraft deliveries."

He said these pressures are increasing demand for solutions that keep aircraft operational while preserving long-term asset value, and are driving demand for flexible technical slot availability across the aircraft lifecycle.

What does this change for operators and lessors? One more European slot option for heavy checks and transitions on the three highest-volume new-generation narrowbody families — at a moment when shop capacity and turnaround times, not aircraft availability, are becoming the binding constraints on narrowbody fleets.

With A220 approval pending and the first A320neo 12-year checks now entering the system, Airhub's five-bay facility will test whether independent MRO capacity can capture work that legacy providers and OEM-affiliated shops are struggling to schedule.