Textron Aviation is about to start construction for an expanded and modernized service center at Melbourne Essendon Fields Airport (YMEN) in Australia. The U.S. aircraft manufacturer announced the project today, saying the enlarged facility is expected to open in early 2026 to provide increased support capacity for operators of Cessna, Beechcraft, and Hawker turboprops and jets.

“Building this new facility to support more than 1,400 aircraft operating in the Asia-Pacific region demonstrates our commitment to providing the strongest combination of factory-direct maintenance and service solutions available for our customers,” said Brian Rohloff, Textron’s senior v-p for global customer support. “This investment will grow our capacity and help us to better assist customers with scheduled maintenance, modifications, and aircraft-on-ground support.”

The company operates a global aircraft support network with nearly 3,000 staff and 50 mobile service units, consisting of “Go Teams” that can be sent to support operators locally. In addition to Melbourne, Textron Aviation also has Asia-Pacific service centers at Gold Coast Airport (YBCG) in Queensland, Perth’s Jandakot Airport (YPJT), and Singapore Seletar Airport (WSSL).