MAAS Aviation, a world-renowned leader in aircraft painting and exterior finishes, has marked a significant milestone by painting its 1000th aircraft at its specially designed facility located at the Airbus Finkenwerder Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Hamburg, Germany. This facility, equipped to handle up to 144 aircraft annually, features three bays that can accommodate aircraft as large as the A321XLRs. The initial paint shop at this location commenced operations in December 2012. The second bay was launched in October 2016, and the third was added in April 2018.
MAAS’ partnership with Airbus in Hamburg has led to the employment of over 100 people currently working at the facility, which paints exclusively for the leading aircraft OEM. Tim Macdougald, Chief Business Development Officer at MAAS, and part of the team that originally established the Hamburg site, comments on how proud they are to have become an important supplier to Airbus. “The positive collaboration between our Companies is a real demonstration of what can be achieved when a large corporation supports a much smaller business. It goes to show that size really doesn’t matter – it’s all about capability and the desire to succeed.”
Macdougald continues, “Airbus gave us a significant vote of confidence by placing their trust in us to design, build and operate our first paint shop in Hamburg back in 2011. The success of this partnership lead to them entrusting us with our second and third paint shops at the site, and ultimately led to MAAS establishing further operations in Mobile, Alabama. We are grateful for the support Airbus has given us and are proud that the quality of our work has enabled this relationship to flourish and grow. I’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to this successful partnership – you all know who you are!”
The 1000th aircraft to be painted by MAAS in Hamburg was an A321 delivered to Air Asia. Jan van Engelen, CEO at MAAS Aviation, added, “I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to everyone involved for achieving this significant milestone. It is a fantastic accomplishment, and it is through our close working relationship with our colleagues at Airbus over the past 12 years, combined with the MAAS Aviation focus on quality, that has made it possible.
“I am constantly amazed by the skill and dexterity of our painting technicians – from complex multi-coloured liveries, to achieving the smoothest gleaming white – they are renowned for being the best in the industry. The OEM standards that we are required to achieve every time an aircraft leaves our hangar to fly to its new owner, represent the pinnacle of painting craftsmanship. Our long-term relationship with one of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers is testimony to the commitment of both parties to deliver the very best product to discerning airlines across the globe.”
MAAS has expanded its operations to include facilities at the Airbus manufacturing site in Mobile, Alabama, USA, where it recently inaugurated two new paint bays. With these additions, MAAS now manages a total of eight OEM bays dedicated solely to Airbus, along with five additional narrowbody MRO paint bays located across Europe.
