In the past few weeks, StandardAero’s MRO business in the U.S. has seen an uptick as business aircraft operators look to take care of some maintenance during a downturn in flight activity brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. “It’s been a huge boon of activity and our facilities have been jammed,” StandardAero business aviation division president Marc Drobny told AIN this week.

With the surge, Drobny estimated business was up 15 to 20 percent from where the company expected to be, and 30 percent higher than the same period last year. It’s meant that StandardAero hasn’t had to trim work hours or capacity at its three U.S. facilities in Augusta, Georgia; Houston, Texas; and Springfield, Illinois. In fact, Drobny explained, StandardAero brought in some additional contractors with special skills, such as aircraft painting, to keep up with the higher demand.

In some instances, the maintenance work it is doing now was scheduled for later in the year, so the company could very well be looking at a lull in activity later, Drobny acknowledged. “We’re trying to be really careful, keeping an eye on operational tempo to make sure we’re prepared for whatever might be coming our way,” he said. “But at this point, the business aviation side of the StandardAero portfolio is extremely busy.”