Over 60-plus years, HAECO has evolved from a small MRO in Hong Kong operating with limited post-war resources into one of the world’s leading aircraft engineering and maintenance groups.
HAECO’s roots predate the company’s official birthday, reaching back to the years immediately following World War II when the Swire Group identified the aviation industry as an area of great potential. With no experience in aviation but every confidence in the expert engineering skills gained in the Taikoo Dockyard, Swire formed the Pacific Air Maintenance & Supply Company (PAMAS) in 1947, which would later merge with Jardine Air Maintenance Company (JAMCo) to become HAECO.
Today HAECO is the leading provider of line and airframe maintenance services at Hong Kong International Airport [HKIA] and one of the largest aeronautical engineering companies in Asia.
Operating in an intensely competitive environment, HAECO's line maintenance activities range from full technical certification and aircraft release to cabin management. The company provides round-the-clock ramp handling and line maintenance services for over 100 airline customers, handling over 110,000 flight movements a year. Airframe maintenance activities include major structural, avionic and cabin modifications.
HAECO operates three maintenance hangars at HKIA, with a total of 18 maintenance positions, giving it the capacity to undertake maintenance and modification work on a wide range of commercial aircraft types. Discussion is underway with the Airport Authority Hong Kong to provide sufficient land for a fourth hangar to be built.
The records reflect the role of John Swire & Sons, as managers of both PAMAS, and later HAECO. The operational records of HAECO are held by the Swire Archive Service in Hong Kong. As such, the records of each company are not comprehensive. They include correspondence, legal papers, staff records, some staff and property records and accounting records as well as minutes.