The Beijing Aero Engine Services Company Limited (BAESL) facility, a 50:50 joint venture established by Rolls-Royce and Air China, is one step closer to being built as the two companies announced Aug. 31 that they broke ground on the new building.

The maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility is being built next to Beijing Capital Airport within the Beijing Capital International Airport Economic Zone. BAESL will be 80,000 m² (861,000 ft.²) in size and will enter production starting in 2026. Estimated to hit full capacity by mid-2030, the facility will support up to 250 shop visits per year when running at full capacity, providing MRO services for Trent 700, Trent XWB-84, and Trent 1000 engines.

The Aviation Week Network Fleet Discovery database shows that within China there are 69 Airbus A350s, 192 A330s, and 12 Boeing 787s powered by these engines currently in service.

The two companies first announced their plans to set up BAESL in September 2022. The groundbreaking ceremony was timed to coincide with UK foreign secretary James Cleverly’s visit to Beijing and meeting with his Chinese counterpart. 

BAESL is the first Rolls MRO joint venture in mainland China, and the fourth globally. The other sites are Hong Kong’s HAESL, SASEL in Singapore, and N3 in Germany.