The Essendon Fields Airport service centre is a 3,343 square metre aircraft maintenance hangar located in Melbourne, Victoria, and it is now trading. Textron Aviation opened Hangar 83 to customers in May 2026, more than doubling its previous footprint at the airport, with a formal grand opening set for August.
What the Essendon Fields Airport Hangar Means for Melbourne Aviation
Built by head contractor 2Construct to a Bruce Henderson Architects design, the hangar sits on the southern apron and removes the need to use the jet crossing. It supports nearly 1,500 Cessna, Beechcraft and Hawker aircraft across the Asia Pacific, and arrives as the $4.5 billion Melbourne Airport expansion accelerates at Tullamarine.
Project Overview
- Project Name: Textron Aviation service centre, Hangar 83, Essendon Fields Airport
- Location: 14 Bristol Street, Essendon Fields, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Project Value: Not publicly disclosed
- Client and Tenant: Textron Aviation, with Essendon Fields as airport owner and landlord
- Main Contractor: 2Construct
- Key Components: 3,343 square metre maintenance, repair and overhaul hangar on the southern apron, dedicated parts stockroom, upgraded customer service lounge
- Procurement Model: Privately funded tenant facility delivered under a Construction Environment Management Plan approved by the Airport Environment Officer
- Construction Start: Early 2025, with site works at Bristol Street from February and main construction from March
- Expected Completion: Opened to customers in May 2026, formal grand opening in August 2026
- Strategic Impact: Doubles Textron Aviation’s Melbourne maintenance capacity and adds engineering, support and apprentice roles, with Essendon Fields consolidating operations onto the main airfield under its master plan
Project Team
- Client and Facility Operator: Textron Aviation
- Airport Owner and Landlord: Essendon Fields
- Head Contractor: 2Construct
- Architect: Bruce Henderson Architects
- Project Management: Legacy Project Management
- Environmental Approvals: Airport Environment Officer, Australian Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts
Reported 17th February 2025: Textron Aviation plans to expand and modernize the service facility in Melbourne’s Essendon Fields Airport. The Essendon Fields Airport expansion project is also a bid to expand Textron Aviation’s footprint in Australia’s airspace, alongside improving the airport’s operations efficiency. Construction of the facility will start in March this year and be fully operational early next year.
Why expand the Essendon Fields Airport service facility
1. More space for aircraft servicing
2. Faster customer scheduling
Features of the new Essendon Fields Airport facility by Textron Aviation
1. More than double the size – at more than 35,000 square feet (3,343m2) after expansion
2. Centrally placed in the airport
3. A Textron Aviation parts stockroom
4. A new and modernized customer lounge room
What the expansion by Textron Aviation means for Essendon Fields Airport
Starting early 2026, the factory-direct service company will be able to offer maintenance, inspection, and refurbishment service to the airport’s aircraft. Also in the service log is the providence of parts, aviation electronics (avionics) upgrades, equipment installations and repairs, among other specialties. Also set to benefit by virtue of association are Hawker, Beechcraft, and Cessna customers.
Brian Rohloff, senior VP under the company’s Global Customer Support arm, had the following to say in a press release. “Building this new facility to support the more than 1,400 aircraft operating in the APAC region demonstrates our commitment to providing the strongest combination of factory-direct maintenance and service solutions available for our customers.” He then summed up in confidence the good this “investment” was set to bring to Essendon Fields Airport and the Australian airspace.
Key previous expansion projects by Textron Aviation
The expansion and modernization of the two airport facilities, in Perth and Melbourne was announced June last year in a press statement. Jandakot and Essendon Fields airports in the two cities were to get a revamp aimed at making the airports and their customers happy. The facilities servicing flights from Perth and Melbourne had operational-by dates set to July 2024.
Previous plans for the Essendon Fields airport service facility expansion included the addition of 5,000 square feet of a parts storage facility. The 4-times-the-size expansion meant faster and more efficient shipping time for customer orders. Also involved in the projects is Bruce Henderson Architects.
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