WLFC Expands UK Aftermarket Footprint

TEESSIDE—Willis Lease Finance Corp. (WLFC) has added to its existing MRO footprint in the UK with the opening of two new narrowbody maintenance hangars at Teesside Airport.

Operated by subsidiary Willis Aviation Services (WASL), the facilities were unveiled at a ceremony held in the Northeastern region of England on Oct. 13 and are now the second and third hangars it operates at the airport.

The first aircraft induction was a Boeing 737-800 operated by UK leisure carrier Jet2, which WASL signed terms for two lines of base maintenance with for the upcoming season in July 2025.

Construction on the £13.5 million ($18 million) facility started in April of this year and it is set up to service 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft. Long-term, WASL expects around 100 jobs to be created at the new hangars. Previously, it operated a two-bay MRO facility at the site along with aircraft storage and disassembly services. In addition, it also operates a fixed-based operation (FBO) jet center, which provides ground-handling services for business, private aviation, military and cargo flights.

WLFC has committed further investment to Teesside with plans unveiled in 2023 to build a designated Aviation Village on-site to the tune of £25 million. At the time of the announcement, WLFC outlined plans to build up to five maintenance hangars long-term as well as construct a new FBO jet center. It also plans to develop a power-to-liquid sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) plant at Teesside, which will eventually produce 20 million liters of SAF annually.

“We see significant opportunity in the Teesside region, where WLFC has made a number of strategic investments recently,” said Caroline Vandedrinck, SVP materials and services for WLFC. “We remain committed to Teesside for its ability to create value not only for our customers but also the growing demands of the UK’s MRO sector at large.”

The company’s UK footprint is also comprised of an engine MRO facility in Bridgend, Wales, which operates as Willis Engine Repair Center.

In early 2025, WLFC founder Charles Willis told Aviation Week that the company’s service business represents about 15% of its overall revenue and has previously said he’d like to further grow the business in this segment. Ideally, Willis said he would like to expand aftermarket revenue to 50% of the U.S. lessor’s overall revenue but warned this might take a long time to achieve.

Teesside has actively targeted more aftermarket activity taking place at the airport as a driver of economic growth in the local region. In 2024, UK-based aircraft painting specialist Airborne Colours opened its first hangar at the site, with a second expected to open next month.