Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services
A U.S. aircraft maintenance, repair, overhaul, engineering, and cargo-conversion services provider.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services, commonly referred to as Airborne or Airborne MRO, is a United States aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider headquartered at the Airborne Airpark in Wilmington, Ohio. The company began operations in 2009 after separating from ABX Air and operates within the Air Transport Services Group organization. Its work is directed primarily at aircraft operators, airlines, air-cargo companies, and other aviation customers rather than at individual consumers. Airborne’s service scope covers heavy maintenance, line maintenance, component repair and overhaul, engineering support, manufacturing services, and material sales. Its principal Wilmington operation includes an FAA Part 145 repair station, substantial hangar capacity, a component facility, and a warehouse supporting the sale and management of aviation materials. The company also operates line-maintenance stations at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and Miami International Airport, extending its support beyond its main Ohio base. The company has also participated in the aircraft-conversion market through Pemco Conversions, a business associated with its Tampa operations. Boeing 737 passenger-to-freighter conversion work became a notable part of the organization’s market positioning. In 2017, Airborne acquired Pemco World Air Services at Tampa International Airport. In 2018, the organization announced a brand realignment under which its Wilmington and Tampa MRO activities would use the Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services name, while the cargo-conversion product line would operate under the Pemco Conversions name. Airborne’s commercial history includes heavy-maintenance work for large aviation customers. Publicly described agreements include a three-year Boeing 767 heavy-maintenance arrangement with DHL announced in 2013 and a five-year heavy-maintenance contract with Delta Air Lines announced in 2015, including work on Boeing 717 aircraft. The company also expanded its physical operating footprint through a new hangar lease announced in 2014. Within Air Transport Services Group, Airborne complements aircraft leasing, cargo-airline, charter, and other aviation activities. Its role is that of an aviation-services and infrastructure business, providing technical capability and maintenance capacity that can support both affiliated operations and third-party customers. The available reference material does not establish a complete list of customers, current fleet approvals, annual revenue, workforce size, or detailed present-day management, so those items are not inferred here.
History
Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services emerged as a separate aviation-services operation in 2009, when it split from ABX Air. From its base at the Airborne Airpark in Wilmington, Ohio, the company developed as an aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul business serving airline and air-cargo customers. Its activities included heavy checks, line maintenance, component repair and overhaul, engineering, manufacturing support, and aviation-material sales. The Wilmington site became the company’s principal technical center. It operates under an FAA Part 145 repair-station certificate and includes approximately 315,000 square feet of hangar space, a 100,000-square-foot component facility, and a 40,000-square-foot warehouse associated with material sales. Airborne also established line-maintenance operations at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and Miami International Airport, giving it a wider operating presence than its Ohio headquarters alone. Airborne’s commercial development included work for major aviation customers. In 2013, it announced a three-year agreement with DHL for Boeing 767 heavy-maintenance checks. The following year, it announced a new hangar lease. In 2015, the company publicized a five-year heavy-maintenance agreement with Delta Air Lines, including a three-year period involving Boeing 717 aircraft. A major organizational development occurred in January 2017, when Airborne announced that it had acquired Pemco World Air Services in Tampa, Florida. The transaction brought together Airborne’s established MRO capabilities and Pemco’s aircraft-conversion expertise. Boeing 737 passenger-to-freighter conversions became an important part of the combined business. In April 2018, Airborne announced a brand realignment: the MRO activities in Wilmington and Tampa were to use the Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services identity, while the cargo-conversion offering was rebranded Pemco Conversions. The business is part of Air Transport Services Group, a publicly listed aviation group whose activities include air-cargo operations, aircraft leasing, and related aviation services. Airborne therefore functions both as a third-party MRO provider and as a technical capability within a broader air-transport organization. Publicly available reference material does not provide a sufficiently complete account of subsequent ownership changes, current leadership, detailed customer concentration, financial results, or the full range of aircraft approvals. Those matters remain unspecified rather than supplemented with assumptions.
- 2018
MRO and cargo-conversion brand realignment
[1]The Wilmington and Tampa MRO operations are organized under the Airborne name, while the cargo-conversion line is presented as Pemco Conversions.
- 2017
Acquisition of Pemco World Air Services
[1]Airborne announces the acquisition of Pemco World Air Services at Tampa International Airport, adding aircraft-conversion capabilities.
- 2015
Delta heavy-maintenance agreement
[1]Airborne announces a five-year heavy-maintenance contract with Delta Air Lines, including work on Boeing 717 aircraft.
- 2014
New hangar lease
[1]The company announces a lease for a new hangar, adding maintenance infrastructure to its operating platform.
- 2013
DHL Boeing 767 maintenance agreement
[1]Airborne announces a three-year heavy-maintenance agreement with DHL covering Boeing 767 checks.
- 2009
Operations begin after separation from ABX Air
[1]Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services begins operations as a distinct aircraft maintenance and engineering business following its separation from ABX Air.
Products and positioning
An integrated aviation MRO provider serving airlines, cargo operators, aircraft owners, and other commercial aviation customers, with additional specialization in Boeing 737 passenger-to-freighter conversions.
Aircraft MRO
Heavy Maintenance
Airborne provides heavy aircraft maintenance, including scheduled checks and other substantial maintenance events for commercial aircraft. The service is aimed at airlines, cargo operators, and aircraft owners that require aircraft to undergo detailed inspection, repair, and return-to-service work. Public references specifically identify Boeing 767 and Boeing 717 heavy-maintenance activity, but they do not establish the complete list of aircraft types supported.
Aircraft MRO
Line Maintenance
Line maintenance provides operational support at or near an aircraft’s airport station, covering routine servicing, inspections, troubleshooting, and corrective work needed to keep aircraft in service. Airborne operates line-maintenance stations at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and Miami International Airport in addition to its Wilmington base.
Aircraft component services
Component Repair and Overhaul
The company repairs and overhauls aircraft components through its component-focused facilities. This service supports operators and maintenance organizations that need individual aircraft parts inspected, repaired, overhauled, or returned to an approved service condition. The available material does not provide a complete component catalogue.
Aviation engineering
Engineering and Manufacturing Services
Airborne offers engineering and manufacturing-related support connected with aircraft maintenance and modification work. These capabilities can include technical planning, repair development, production support, and other services associated with maintaining or modifying aircraft, although the reference material does not enumerate every individual offering.
Aviation materials
Material Sales
Airborne operates a material-sales activity supported by a dedicated warehouse at Wilmington. The business supplies aviation materials associated with maintenance activity. Public information confirms the existence of this offering but does not specify its inventory breadth, customer terms, or sales volume.
Aircraft conversion
Pemco Conversions Boeing 737 Cargo Conversion
Through the Pemco Conversions business, Airborne offers Boeing 737 passenger-to-freighter conversion services. The offering modifies passenger aircraft for cargo use and became a distinct branded product line after the 2018 organizational realignment. The available sources do not specify conversion volumes, individual programmes, or current aircraft variants.
Brand decisions
2018
Brand realignment for MRO and cargo conversionsStrategyBackground
Following the addition of Pemco World Air Services, the organization needed to distinguish its general MRO activities from its aircraft-conversion product line.
Action taken
The Wilmington and Tampa MRO operations were aligned under the Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services name, while the Boeing 737 cargo-conversion line was branded Pemco Conversions.
Aftermath
The structure positioned Airborne as the MRO identity and Pemco Conversions as the specialist cargo-conversion identity.
2017
Acquisition of Pemco World Air ServicesM&ABackground
Airborne sought to broaden its aviation-services platform by combining its MRO activities with Pemco World Air Services, a Tampa-based business associated with aircraft conversions.
Action taken
Airborne announced the acquisition of Pemco World Air Services at Tampa International Airport.
Aftermath
The acquisition added cargo-conversion capabilities and contributed to the later separation of the MRO and conversion brands.
Recent events
- 2018
Airborne introduces a revised brand structure for MRO and cargo conversions[1]
Campaign
The company announced a brand realignment in which the Wilmington and Tampa MRO operations adopted the Airborne name, while the Boeing 737 cargo-conversion business was presented under the Pemco Conversions name.
- 2017
Airborne acquires Pemco World Air Services[1]
M&A
Airborne announced the acquisition of Pemco World Air Services, a Tampa International Airport-based aviation services business.
- 2015
Airborne signs five-year heavy-maintenance contract with Delta Air Lines[1]
Other
Airborne announced a five-year heavy-maintenance contract with Delta Air Lines. The arrangement included three years of work involving Boeing 717 aircraft.
- 2014
Airborne leases a new hangar[1]
Other
The company announced a new hangar lease, supporting the expansion of its maintenance infrastructure.
- 2013
Airborne announces three-year Boeing 767 heavy-maintenance agreement with DHL[1]
Other
Airborne announced a three-year heavy-maintenance agreement with DHL covering Boeing 767 checks.
- 2009
Airborne begins operations after separating from ABX Air[1]
Other
Airborne Maintenance & Engineering Services began operating as a distinct maintenance and engineering business after splitting from ABX Air.
Sources1 sources
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