Alliance Aviation touts cost savings with new A$60m Rockhampton MRO facility

Australia’s Alliance Aviation has received investment approval for the construction of an MRO facility at Rockhampton airport in Queensland state, as the airline expects longer-term cost savings in moving base maintenance works back to Australia. The new facility — estimated to cost A$60m ($58.4m) — is expected to finish construction by November 2022, with certification and commissioning to follow soon after. Spanning 10,000sqm (107,600 sq ft), the three-bay base maintenance facility — said to be the largest civil aircraft hangar in regional Australia — will support Alliance’s fleet of Fokker and Embraer aircraft. The airline currently operates 11 Embraer E190s, 24 Fokker F100s, 14 F70s, as well as five F50 turboprops. Alliance is also due to take delivery of 19 more E190s in 2022. The announcement comes nearly two years since the carrier started a feasibility study for the construction of a regional base maintenance facility. <br/>