The day has come - Aviatic MRO hangar grand opening at Siauliai International Airport

The day has come, and we just witnessed the grand opening of Aviatic MRO hangar facility at Siauliai International Airport. The team waited for this very special day since years. The company announced a new era in MRO business in Baltic region, new opportunities for customers, partners, and aviation professionals.

Right before the ribbon cutting, we had the pleasure to have a short interview with Dmitrij Cheliadin, the owner of the Aviatic MRO. Here is the essential of our discussion:

Q. We're just moments away from the inauguration of your hangar at Siauliai International Airport - obvious question - how many years of work were necessary to reach this milestone?

D.C. In total I took five years from the start of this project. From the very first design to where we are standing now.

Q. You say – We put the craft in aircraft – how Aviatic MRO team is different and stands out of colleagues of the industry?
D.C. I got you! In general, in aviation business, people are in love with the aircraft. We love aircraft. But… We look at aircraft as a business: for us it is a piece of metal that should be repaired or refurbished. And we do it, we hope, the best possible way. 

Q. Aviatic MRO facility opening is big event for Siauliai Airport as well, how would you describe the cooperation with airport and city authorities?
D.C. You know, the airport by itself, it is a soviet type of airport. For many years it was not usable. It was used only for military purpose. It was completely unusable for civil aviation use. So, we are very proud to be able to say that thanks to cooperation with Siauliai Municipality we refurbished the airport and made it New to Live.

Q. What are your wishes for first months of activity in 2023 and what are future development plans?
D.C. It is just the beginning for us, and to be honest, it is never the easiest part of the business. We expect at least on aircraft to be finished till the end of this year. It will be like we call it training first for our technicians.

Povilas Padaiga, the CEO of Aviatic MRO stated: “Whenever you flight to other continents, your flight usually consists of several legs. Especially from Lithuania, the flight consists of 2 of 3 legs. First leg, you fly to a bigger airport. For me it is the same. This hangar is the first leg of our flight. Our beginning. This is a must be for us to start and to expand our activity. This is the first and the most important part of the trip. I thank everyone who putter the brick in to walls of this hangar. It means a lot for Aviatic MRO family!” 

So, what Aviatic MRO maintenance facility is ready to provide:

• Total area of 17,000 sq. m including warehouses, workshops, and offices
• 4 bays for narrow-bodies or 1 wide-body and 2 narrow-bodies configurations
• The hangar is fully modular, can be adapted to any MRO needs
• Fits up to B747-8 aircraft
• Gate dimensions 80 x 23 m

Aviatic MRO will provide line and base maintenance services for the Airbus A320 and A330, as well as Boeing 737 Classic and NG aircraft including scheduled heavy maintenance checks, end-of-lease projects, Delivery/Redelivery checks, modifications, and other MRO services, based on customer’s demand.