Unilode Aviation Solutions celebrates grand opening of its new East Midlands MRO facility

Dec 01, 2025

East Midlands Station Manager Andy Fallon, Unilode Chief Operations Officer Janis Balkens, Frank Steinert, Global Director Aviation Network Equipment at DHL Express. Unilode's Chief Executive Officer, Ross Marino, and Unilode's EMEA MRO Director, Chris Jenkins

Unilode Aviation Solutions has officially opened its new state-of-the-art East Midlands MRO facility at Stud Brook Business Park in Castle Donnington, UK.

The 27,000 sq ft facility at Unit 5b marks a significant milestone in Unilode’s ongoing investment in both regional and global operations. As the operator of the world’s largest digitised ULD fleet—over 200,000 Unit Load Devices—and the most expansive global repair network serving more than 90 airlines across 550+ airports, Unilode continues to strengthen its capability to support customers with greater efficiency and scale.

Located just minutes from East Midlands Airport, the new MRO enhances Unilode’s ability to serve major operators in the region, including DHL, West Atlantic, Singapore Airlines, Aer Lingus, Finnair, and TUI.

Janis Balkens, Chief Operating Officer at Unilode Aviation Solutions, said:

“The Grand Opening represents an exciting step forward for our East Midlands team and our customers. Our new East Midlands MRO has been designed to enhance our service capabilities, support increased customer demand, and create a workplace that reflects our values and ambitions.

This facility reinforces our commitment to sustainable growth. By investing in a modern, efficient operation powered by 100% renewable energy and aligned with BREEAM certification standards, we are ensuring our work benefits not just our customers but our people and the planet.

Our East Midlands team has already delivered outstanding results, and this new facility enables us to grow our capabilities further, supporting our global growth and helping customers maximize performance throughout their operations.”

The East Midlands MRO opening forms part of Unilode’s wider global investment program, which includes recently launched MRO facilities in Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as major refurbishments in Newark (USA) and London Heathrow. These developments ensure Unilode remains highly responsive to the evolving needs of airline and cargo operators while further enhancing operational excellence worldwide.