Japan Airlines breaks ground on Haneda landing gear MRO facility targeting December 2027 completion

Japan Airlines has commenced construction of a dedicated landing gear maintenance facility in the Haneda Airport Maintenance District, targeting completion in December 2027, as the carrier moves to consolidate and modernise its MRO capabilities in one of aviation's most technically demanding specialisations.

According to Aviation Business News, JAL has simultaneously established a new company, Landing Gear Innovation Factory Co., Ltd., incorporated on 8 June 2026, to own and manage the real estate associated with the development. Operational responsibility for landing gear maintenance will remain with JAL Engineering Co., Ltd., the group's existing MRO arm.

The new facility will incorporate capabilities including plating, next-generation thermal spraying, painting, surface treatment and non-destructive testing. JAL said the factory will also introduce automation, labour-saving systems and new equipment being deployed in Japan for the first time, with upgrades designed to improve quality consistency and throughput while addressing workforce challenges across the maintenance operation.

Landing gear systems require heavy maintenance approximately once every decade, involving the complete removal of gear assemblies from the aircraft for full overhaul, which is a process demanding advanced technical expertise and highly specialised infrastructure.

JAL said the project addresses three priorities: the transfer of technical skills to the next generation of engineers, productivity gains through modernisation and consolidation of functions currently spread across multiple sites, and reduced environmental impact through eco-efficient building design.

JAL has more than 50 years of experience in large aircraft landing gear maintenance and intends to use the new facility to serve both domestic and international third-party demand as it seeks to scale its MRO business internationally.

The development arrives as demand for landing gear MRO capacity grows across the Asia-Pacific region. Sustained fleet expansion among carriers in Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia and China, combined with the ageing of large narrowbody and widebody fleets, is generating increased volumes of heavy landing gear work across the region.

Independent and airline-affiliated MRO providers with certified landing gear overhaul capability are increasingly positioned to capture third-party contracts as airlines seek alternatives to OEM-managed programmes.

Japan's broader MRO sector has attracted growing investment in recent years, supported by government-backed initiatives to develop the country into a regional aviation services hub, with Haneda and Narita increasingly central to those ambitions.

Read the full facility announcement and details of JAL's MRO expansion strategy in the complete report.