GE Aerospace to invest BRL 430 million in Tres Rios MRO plant

GE Aerospace is expanding its Tres Rios maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) plant with an investment of BRL 430 million in response to increased customer demand across the region. The expansion work began earlier this year and is expected to be completed by autumn 2025. With the plant upgrade, the site will employ 500 GE Aerospace staff.

“With the Tres Rios plant expansion, we will be able to increase our MRO capabilities, primarily for LEAP engines,” said Luiz Froes, Regional Executive Director & VP Government Relations, Latin America. “This will be possible not only due to the increased space and staff to perform our activities, but also thanks to the implementation of FLIGHT DECK, our proprietary lean operating model. We will be able to optimise the distribution of engine parts and pieces across our units in Brazil, helping us meet growing demand from our clients around the world.”

GE Aerospace currently provides MRO services to over 500 engines in Brazil every year, including engine disassembly/reassembly, maintenance/repair/overhaul, inspection, and testing. When the upgrade at Tres Rios is concluded, this number is expected to increase to over 800 engines.

“This plant upgrade is evidence of GE Aerospace’s trust in the work that Celma has been developing in Tres Rios since 2018, and it naturally reflects how our clients around the world expect us to keep providing world-class MRO services with a relentless focus on Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost, in that order. We are proud of this expansion and grateful for all the support Brasil has given to our business throughout the years,” said Julio Talon, Plant Manager, Celma.

The upgrade will increase the repair capacity of CFM LEAP engines in Brazil. The Tres Rios plant was established in 2018 and is part of the Celma plant complex in Rio de Janeiro state, which also comprises the main Celma plant, 14 Bis, Avio do Brasil, and the Rio de Janeiro plant at GIG airport. (US$1.00 = BRL 5.25 at time of publication).