Aero Contractors (N2, Lagos) expects to complete an expanded maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRTO) facility in Lagos within three months, aiming to create a one-stop maintenance hub for Western and Central Africa and improve its heavy maintenance capabilities, according to CEO and Managing Director Ado Sanusi.
Sanusi spoke to the newspaper Punch after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) in Lagos on March 17 to enhance safety training, knowledge exchange, and human capital development in the industry.
"We are also acquiring new tools and upgrading the hangar to the next level. Our workshop has been modernised and is undergoing expansion to cater for both older and new-generation aircraft," he said.
As previously reported, Sanusi was appointed in 2017 to turn around Aero Contractors, which has been under the receivership of the state-owned Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) since 2016.
The company's maintenance division, Aero MRO, has emerged as a strategic expansion of Aero Contractors' core services, offering line and base maintenance services. Under Sanusi's leadership, the airline has completed C-checks for B737 Classics, transformed its MRO capabilities, added to its workshop services, and expanded its hangar. Sanusi previously told ch-aviation that all this was being done without external financing.
According to Punch, Aero Contractors has secured line maintenance contracts for operators of B737 MAX and B787s. The carrier is also expanding its capabilities to handle Bombardier Aerospace aircraft, including engine maintenance, auxiliary power unit overhauls, landing gear repairs, and component servicing. Additionally, the MRO unit can perform up to D-checks on B737 Classics and De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Dash 8 aircraft.
The NSIB said in a statement that the MoU with Aero Contractors reinforces Nigeria's commitment to upholding global aviation safety standards and that the agreement sets a framework for structured training programmes, technical collaboration, and the sharing of resources between NSIB and Aero Contractors. The partnership will see the NSIB's transportation safety officers and technical personnel undergo specialised on-the-job training using Aero Contractor's facilities, including simulators and maintenance workshops. In exchange, Aero Contractor technical staff will benefit from NSIB-led training in accident investigation and related disciplines.
