The Hainan FTP’s aircraft maintenance business sector is thriving, with an increasing number of planes making their way from around the world to the island province for servicing. According to data released by Haikou Customs on April 8, during the first quarter of 2025, nineteen domestic or international aircraft and four engines entered the one-stop aircraft maintenance base in the Hainan Free Trade Port for bonded maintenance with a total value of 14.8 billion RMB (approximately 2.1 billion USD), a 72% increase over the same period last year.
Recently, an Airbus A330 from Thailand flew to Hainan for a C4-level inspection, a systematic check-up, and maintenance of the plane’s avionics system, power system, fuselage structure, and cabin, ensuring safer and more comfortable long-haul flights.
Staff members work on an inbound airplane at a one-stop aircraft maintenance base of Hainan Free Trade Port in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province.
(Photo: Xinhua)
Why Hainan?
First, it’s cost-effective—by choosing Hainan, clients can benefit from favorable local policies such as “zero tariff” equipment imports, exemption from deposit payments for inbound maintenance, bonded aircraft fuel, and tax-free maintenance materials, reducing maintenance costs by 10% to 15%.
Staff members examine an inbound airplane at the one-stop aircraft maintenance base in Haikou's Hainan Free Trade Port, Hainan Province.
(Photo: Xinhua)
Secondly, the maintenance base offers comprehensive professional services, including regular inspections, livery painting, aircraft component repairs, and engine maintenance. This one-stop service base meets the varying maintenance and refurbishment needs of airlines based around the world.
Furthermore, to meet the fast-paced operational demands of international airlines, Haikou Meilan Airport Customs has set up a "green channel" offering 24-hour customs clearance support, significantly improving maintenance speed and efficiency.
A Boeing B787-9 aircraft of Mongolian Airlines is parked at the one-stop aircraft maintenance base in Haikou's Hainan Free Trade Port. (Photo: Xinhua)
With rapid business expansion, Hainan is setting up a comprehensive aircraft maintenance service chain that includes engine repairs. For example, when a GEnx-1B engine for a Boeing 787 aircraft is serviced in Hainan, airlines based in China and Southeast Asia can save approximately 500,000 RMB (about 68,000 USD) in transportation costs, as well as shortening the time required by around 20 days.
Currently, the Hainan FTP maintenance base serves clients from many countries including South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Mongolia, and is accelerating expansion into markets in Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia.
Source:hiHainan