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HAECO Receives LEED Platinum Certification for New Maintenance Facility

HAECO Receives LEED Platinum Certification for New Maintenance Facility
Landmark Achievement in Sustainable Aviation Maintenance
HAECO, a prominent global provider of aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services, has been awarded the prestigious LEED Platinum certification for its new base maintenance hangar at Xiamen Xiang’an International Airport. Scheduled to commence operations by 2026, this facility represents a significant advancement in sustainable aviation infrastructure. The LEED Platinum rating, the highest level within the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system, underscores HAECO’s commitment to environmental stewardship and sets a new benchmark for the industry.
The Xiamen hangar is notable not only for its environmental credentials but also for its scale and design. It is the world’s largest single-span hangar and the first outside the United States to achieve LEED Platinum certification. Richard Sell, CEO of HAECO Group, emphasized that the facility exemplifies the company’s dedication to integrating cutting-edge, energy-efficient technologies with sustainable operational practices. The hangar incorporates smart building systems and advanced MRO technologies aimed at enhancing efficiency while minimizing environmental impact.
Innovative Design and Eco-Friendly Features
Spanning 537,300 square meters with a building footprint of approximately 292,300 square meters, the new maintenance base employs a central axle design to optimize logistics and streamline material transport between its primary facilities and ancillary buildings. The hangar is engineered to accommodate a variety of aircraft types and is equipped with numerous environmentally conscious features. These include solar panels, intelligent building management systems, advanced wastewater treatment, upgraded emissions control technologies, and robotic automation.
These innovations collectively serve to optimize energy consumption and operational efficiency, while maintaining rigorous standards for employee wellbeing and safety. Notably, robotic automation facilitates continuous warehousing and material transport to maintenance bays, thereby enhancing productivity and reducing manual labor demands.
Context and Industry Implications
The LEED certification, administered by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), evaluates buildings across their entire lifecycle—from design and construction to operation—based on criteria such as site location, transportation, energy and water use, materials, and occupant health. Certification levels range from Certified to Platinum, with the latter reserved for facilities demonstrating exceptional environmental performance.
HAECO’s achievement aligns with a broader industry trend toward sustainability. The company has previously expanded its solar photovoltaic capacity at its Hong Kong base, generating an annual output of 4 million kWh—the highest from a single site in the city. This new facility forms part of HAECO’s 2030 sustainable development strategy, which aims to position the company as a leader in environmentally responsible aviation maintenance.
While the LEED Platinum certification enhances HAECO’s reputation for sustainability, it also presents challenges in maintaining these standards amid growing operational demands. The recognition is likely to influence market perceptions and may prompt competitors such as FL Technics and ACI Jet to accelerate their own sustainability initiatives or expand maintenance capabilities. This dynamic is expected to intensify competition within the MRO sector as the industry increasingly prioritizes sustainable practices.

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