Rolls-Royce and Air China have entered into a new 50/50 joint venture (JV) maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Beijing, China. The new facility, BAESL (Beijing Aero Engine Services Company Limited), will provide MRO support on the Rolls-Royce Trent 700, Trent XWB-84 and Trent 1000 aero engines. Air China currently has all three engine types in its fleet.
At full capacity, which is expected to be achieved in the mid 2030s, BAESL will be able to support up to 250 shop visits per year. The facility will offer MRO services to Air China as well as Rolls-Royce's other airline customers based in Greater China and beyond. Today, Rolls-Royce powers 60% of China's wide-body fleet, powering more than 550 aircraft in service or on order. Its Trent 700 engines also power 90% of the country's Airbus A330 fleet and the Greater China fleet represents 20% of all Trent engines flying today.