Aircraft maintenance company MESA has started construction of its new hangar project at Beja Airport, Portugal. The work, which has already begun, is expected to last around 18-months, with the start of hangar activity scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Mesa, which is part of the Hi Fly Group, expects to invest €30million in the project, which will create about 150 jobs in its first three years of activity.

The project, spread over an area of 9,500 square meters, includes the construction of the hangar and workshops. A technical centre with capacity for large aircraft will also be built on the site.

Paulo Mirpuri, Hi Fly and MESA’s President, said: “Things have been going well in Beja and the work is progressing on the new Mesa hangar. It’s a big project for the Group and we’re looking forward to welcoming our fleet to this fantastic facility when it is complete.”

The new hangar will be used by Hi Fly for line/base maintenance of its Airbus fleet. Mesa will also provide maintenance service contracts to other airlines operating the same Airbus models as Hi Fly, as the Airbus A319, A320, A321, A330, A340, and A380s.