A familiar face, a fresh perspective: Vallair appoints Malcolm Chandler as MRO Sales Director – Lessors & Airlines
Châteauroux, 26 October 2026: Vallair, the multi-disciplinary MRO and mature aircraft asset specialist, has appointed experienced commercial expert Malcolm Chandler as MRO Sales Director – Lessors & Airlines. After gaining valuable international experience in a highly competitive sector, his appointment marks his return to the Company in a senior leadership role, where he will be responsible for the Company’s MRO activities throughout the department and across its two facilities in Châteauroux and Montpellier.
He returns to a business that is built for what next awaits the MRO landscape, bringing fresh and broad perspectives, valuable market insight and enhanced industry knowledge. Ready to drive commercial growth, he has identified maximising efficiency and future-proofing as his priorities across his remit of airframes, engines, and aerostructures. He will spearhead new business opportunities and strengthen partner relationships to deliver high-quality and cost-effective MRO services to customers.
He explains: “It is an exciting time to return to Vallair and I am looking forward to contributing to the next stage of development. The Company has undergone significant transformation, through change, investment, and a renewed leadership team. However, it has maintained its commitment to technical excellence and operational reliability. We are concentrating on building on these fundamentals, consolidating our services and making significant investments to ensure we evolve with the needs of our customers. With our latest A330 NEO maintenance approval, for example, we are expanding our capabilities so that we can offer the highest-quality, most cost-effective solutions for flag carriers, lessors and airlines within our geographical footprint.”
Pascal Parant, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at Vallair Group, welcomes Chandler’s return to the Company: “Malcolm has a strong reputation for business development across the airline and lessor sector and a proven track record for driving impact. He returns to a company which he knows but which has evolved: over recent times, Vallair has taken decisive steps to strengthen its capabilities and invest in its people. A respected and well-known industry figure, Malcolm brings a deep understanding of customer needs and a sharp sensitivity to the nuances of the market. He is uniquely placed not only to support the Company through its ongoing growth, but also reinforce the standards that matter most to aircraft owners, lessors, asset managers and MRO partners.”
Chandler is working closely with internal MRO and commercial teams to implement restructuring measures and streamline workflows across Vallair’s range of airframe services, including full base maintenance, lease transfers, parking & storage, painting and teardown. The Company’s approvals cover A330 CEO/NEO, A340-300/-600, A320 CEO/NEO and 737 aircraft, with further new generation aircraft, both narrow and wide body, progressively being added. Chandler’s scope also encompasses engine activities, such as storage, part out and light repairs, as well as services for aerostructures.
Vallair celebrates arrival of first A330 NEO for base maintenance at Châteauroux facility in France
Châteauroux, 21 October 2026: Vallair, the leading MRO and asset management service provider, has received its first A330 NEO to arrive for maintenance following attainment of the type rating approval in the summer. The aircraft, operated by a South American airline, is undergoing full base maintenance at the Company’s state-of-the-art facility in Châteauroux, France.
François Fermaut, Director of Operations – Châteauroux, comments: “The arrival of the first A330 NEO is a welcome sight, it is always energising to exercise new capabilities and bring more benefits for customers.”
He elaborates: “Our expansion into the A330 NEO platform has come at an exciting time. The aircraft type is experiencing a period of increasing adoption by airlines and demand has risen for qualified maintenance providers such as Vallair. With just under three hundred orders still to be delivered by Airbus, Vallair predicts that demand for MRO on the A330 NEO will only continue to surge in the coming years.”
Grégoire Lebigot, CEO of the Vallair Group, compounds: “The addition of this capability is a testament to our dedication to our customers. We understand that operators are increasingly turning to the A330 NEO for value, versatility and efficiency. Perceptive to this evolution, we have made ourselves ready to meet the maintenance demand for customers across the platform. Our approval, and now this first aircraft, signifies the latest in a comprehensive growth campaign to expand our capabilities in parallel with market needs.”
Lebigot continues: “The continuously evolving geopolitical situation in the Middle East has also prompted operators to look back at Europe for MRO and asset management opportunities. As such, it is becoming increasingly important for European providers to have capacity to deliver. Vallair is well placed not only to meet requirements but also to provide a competitive offering in the region, underpinned by extensive investment to capabilities as well as the workforce, as evidenced by the operations of the Company’s in-house technician training centre, Aircraft Academy.”
AviTrader MRO360° - Component Support for Ageing Aircraft
Recently, Pascal Parant, Chief Commercial Officer at Vallair, shared his insights on component support for ageing aircraft in AviTrader MRO360°.
“When determining whether a component should be repaired, overhauled, exchanged or replaced, you must consider pure economics in each case. If considering repair or overhaul, ask yourself if there is a cheaper solution. There may be special agreements with the OEM, offering discounts on new parts, or equivalent USM is readily available on the market at a lower cost. Similarly, not every component needs a full overhaul. Sometimes a repair is sufficient, or only certain sub-assemblies need to be overhauled, making the overall shop visit much more economical. Optimising in this way requires deep knowledge of the asset and its components to select the most appropriate solution.”
To read the full article, click here.
Article courtesy of AviTrader.
Freighter Trends - Engine Leasing Demand
Valentina Pilshchikova, Director Asset Trading at Vallair, recently spoke to Freighter Trends about demand for engine leasing.
In the article, Pilshchikova shares the current outlook of the engine leasing market, where demand remains strong due to delivery and supply chain delays and technical and inspection-related challenges with newer engines.
“This trend is further accelerated by the fact that some lessors can generate higher revenues by leasing engines while parking the airframe rather than leasing the entire aircraft. Vallair also anticipates an acceleration of demand with the former Spirit fleet, as both GTF and V2500 operators continue to suffer from long induction queues and extended turnaround times.”
To read the full article, click here.
Article courtesy of Freighter Trends.
Freighter Trends - MRO Demand
In a recent issue of Freighter Trends, Valentina Pilshchikova, Director Asset Trading at Vallair, shared industry insights into the current demand for MRO.
She states: “Global demand for aircraft maintenance is very strong and continues to grow, particularly for heavy maintenance. Deliveries of new aircraft are still delayed so airlines are continuing to keep aircraft in service longer. According to Aviation Week’s latest forecast, the global MRO market is expected to generate around $1.6 trillion between 2026 and 2035, with annual
growth of around 3.2%.
“The biggest growth is coming from narrowbody aircraft such as the Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737. Engine maintenance is the largest segment of the market, representing about 53% of total MRO demand, and is expected to grow faster than other maintenance categories. At Vallair, we are experiencing high demand for spare engines, USM, and leasing solutions as airlines focus on maximising fleet utilisation.”
To read the full article, click here.
Article courtesy of Freighter Trends.
Vallair welcomes you to MRO Europe
Meet us in Amsterdam at MRO Europe!
Visit Booth #1-1040 to learn more about our MRO | ASSETS | TRAINING services.
We’ll be there from Wednesday 28th – Thursday 29th October.
Visit mroeurope.aviationweek.com for more information.
Vallair Group appoints Valentina Pilshchikova as Director Asset Trading
Luxembourg, August 3rd 2026: Vallair, the multi-disciplinary MRO and mature aircraft asset specialist, has appointed experienced technical expert, Valentina Pilshchikova, as Director Asset Trading. Responsible for Vallair’s trading activities for both aircraft and engine assets, she will focus on the development of new business opportunities, strengthen relationships with customers and partners, identify asset acquisition and sales opportunities, and work closely with internal teams to deliver the best solutions for customers.
Pilshchikova joined Vallair in 2018 as a Purchasing Administrative Officer. Since then, her career has progressed to Material Sales & Market Analyst and then Engine & Parts Trading Sales Manager. With more than fifteen years of international commercial experience and over seven years in aviation, her engineering background affords a deep technical understanding. “I enjoy solving problems, finding practical solutions and creating value for everyone involved,” she says.
“Each role at Vallair has helped me grow professionally, build a deeper understanding of the aviation business and prepare me for this new challenge.”
Vallair’s Asset Trading division engages with a broad spectrum across the aviation industry, including airlines, lessors, traders, MROs and other business partners and Pascal Parant, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at Vallair Group, welcomes Pilshchikova into her new role. “At Vallair, we understand that every customer has different needs,” explains Parant. “Valentina has a special combination of technical and commercial awareness and she is ideally placed to help airlines to maximise the value of their assets and provide flexible solutions that support their operations. For lessors and asset owners, she and her team combine technical expertise with market knowledge to help maximise the value of their investments. As an organisation, we aim to be a reliable, responsive and trustworthy partner for traders and MROs – focused on building long-term relationships and finding solutions that benefit everyone.”
Pilshchikova sums up by saying, “I believe that people do business with people they trust. Building strong relationships has always been the most rewarding part of my job. I try to be open, reliable and solution-oriented, and I believe that when you keep your word and work towards a common goal, success follows naturally.”
Vallair welcomes you to MRO Middle East
Meet the us in Dubai at MRO Middle East!
Visit Booth #2540 to learn more about our MRO | ASSETS | TRAINING services.
We’ll be there from Wednesday 4th – Thursday 5th February.
Visit mromiddleeast.aviationweek.com/en/home for more information.
LARA - Tackling the MRO Skills Shortage
In the December issue of LARA, Rachel Hugonnet, Director of Workforce & Training at Vallair and CEO of Aircraft Academy, shares the Vallair Group approach to tackling the MRO skills shortage.
Speaking to Rob Munro, Hugonnet highlights Aircraft Academy’s Structured On-Job Training (SOJT) model, which provides an exceptional pathway for trainees to enter the workforce with immediately applicable skills.
“The SOJT, delivered through Vallair’s EASA Part 145 MRO, provides Aircraft Academy trainees with exceptional exposure to real-world maintenance operations,” she explains. “Rather than completing their practical modules in a simulated environment, our students are fully immersed within Vallair’s live maintenance facilities, working alongside experienced engineers on commercial aircraft projects.”
The hands-on engagement seamlessly blends Part 147 theory with practical, Part 145-compliant expertise. Vallair’s dual-facility approach also ensures trainees gain a comprehensive understanding of maintenance requirements across different operational scales and aircraft types. The result is a graduate cohort that is workforce-ready, a testament to Vallair’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of aircraft technicians.
To read the full article, click here.
Article courtesy of LARA.
Success for the Vallair team at MRO Europe 2025
From take-off to landing, the Vallair booth stayed buzzing throughout the most attended MRO Europe on record!
The team had a successful show connecting with partners and customers across the industry. Highlights included Group Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer Pascal Parant’s interviews with Rob Munro of HMG Aerospace and Lindsay Bjerregaard of Aviation Week Network.
Thank you to everyone who visited our booth to discuss our expert MRO and asset management services.