The company said hangar availability in Estonia and Europe is limited, but the Pärnu facility meets all their requirements. The first aircraft to be serviced is the Saab 340.

Oliver Loorits, head of maintenance services at Rapid MRO, said: "This year, we have six aircraft — in English it's called 'nose-to-tail', meaning the planes come into maintenance one after another. The team will start with the first plane next week, and the hangar will be full until October. Initially, we will have 10 people working, three of whom are local mechanics. The Saab 340 isn't widely used anymore; it's an older aircraft and finding technicians for it across Europe is quite challenging."

The company plans to service six aircraft this year. Loorits added that the long-term vision is to expand to different aircraft types, such as the ATR 72. The Pärnu facilities can also accommodate larger aircraft like the Boeing 737 or Airbus 320. The leasehold agreement is for five years.

Pärnu Airport has seen falling flight connections and is subsidized by the state. While privatization has been discussed, other proposals include building a methanol plant on airport territory.

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