Early years Since the company's early years, particularly under the guise of IRMA, it has specialised in the overhaul of various types of aircraft. Specifically, it was involved in the repair and services of numerous
Soviet aircraft, including the
Li-2,
IL-14,
IL-18,
Antonov An-2,
An-24,
An-26 and
An-30. The company also produced a number of indigenously-developed aircraft, which were categorised as either
light aircraft or
agricultural aircraft:
IAR-818,
IAR-821, and
IAR-822. In 1968, IRMA secured an arrangement to manufacture the British
Britten-Norman Islander, a popular twin-engined multipurpose aircraft. According to the company, IRMA was responsible for producing in excess of 500 Islanders, roughly half of those ever produced. While production of the type came to a close during the late 1990s it was reported that negotiations for Romaero to resume production of the Islander had reached an advanced stage by 2002. However, Britten-Norman subsequently decided to bring manufacturing inhouse.
ROMBAC One-Eleven Rombac 111 On 9 June 1979, Romanian president
Nicolae Ceaușescu signed an agreement with the
British Aerospace for the
licensed production of the
BAC One-Eleven in Romania. This was to involve the delivery of three complete One-Elevens (two 500-series aircraft and one 475 series) plus the construction of at least 22 in Bucharest, with reducing British content. It also involved Romanian production of Spey engines and certification of the aircraft to British standards by the
Civil Aviation Authority. A market for up to 80 Romanian-built airliners was projected, largely in
China and other developing economies, as well as
Eastern Europe. The aircraft was re-designated
Rombac 111. The first Rombac One-Eleven, (YR-BRA cn 401) a series 561RC, was rolled out at Romaero's Băneasa factory on 27 August 1982 and first flew on 18 September 1982. Production continued until 1989 at a much slower pace than had been previously foreseen. Nine aircraft were delivered, while the tenth and eleventh airliners on the production line being abandoned when they were 85% and 70% complete respectively. The first Rombac was delivered to
TAROM on 29 December 1982. The Romanian carrier took delivery of all but two of the airliners produced, the remaining two going to
Romavia, the last of which (YR-BRI cn 409) was delivered on 1 January 1993. Romania's economy and international position deteriorated to the point where supplies for One-Eleven manufacturing slowed to a trickle, with
hard currency restrictions delaying overseas component deliveries; In 1993, with US operator
Kiwi International Air Lines placing a firm order for 11 Tay-engined aircraft with options for an additional five, but this plan fell through. In April 1997, Romaero announced was abandoning efforts to launch its envisioned revamp of the One-Eleven, which it referred to as the
Airstar 2500.
Post-Cold War During the 1990s, the company, recently rebranded as Romaero, became heavily engaged in the
maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) sector, performing such work for numerous European operators across a large number of commercial aircraft. In early 1999, it was announced that the company was to be acquired by Britten-Norman from the Romanian government in exchange for $80.5 million. At the time, Britten-Norman also announced plans to invest substantial sums in the firm's manufacturing facilities at
Băneasa Airport, including in its design and MRO capabilities. However, the acquisition was later abandoned following a dispute over the deal's cost. During 2000, Romaero became the first aerospace company in Romania to receive JAR-145 approval from the
Joint Aviation Authorities, enhancing its standing as a provider of MRO services. Throughout the 2000s, Romaero continued to seek out participation in Western European aircraft manufacturing programs. In 2003, a deal with
BAE Systems was announced for Romaero to build cargo conversion kits for the
British Aerospace ATP short-haul airliner; the first example was completed during the following year. During 2006, a long-term agreement was signed with
Saab AB and the firm concerning the manufacture of subassemblies and components; Saab referred to the deal as a strategic alliance. That same year, it was announced that Romaero would be performing manufacturing work on the
ATR 42 and
ATR 72 regional aircraft in favour of prior arrangements based in
Naples; the transfer was viewed as only the first step towards work on further projects undertaken by
Alenia Aeronautica, such as the
Alenia C-27J Spartan. In 2003, Romaero became the American
Lockheed Martin aircraft factory service center for
C-130 Hercules aircraft repairs. Following Romania's purchase of
Patriot missile systems, a memorandum was signed in 2019 between
Raytheon and Romaero for the production of component parts and mechanical subassemblies for the system. Currently, Romaero produces components for the
AN/MPQ-65 radar. Due to financial problems and various other reasons, Romaero was forced to file for
insolvency in January 2024. In June of the same year, the debt accumulated by the state-owned company was transferred to the State Assets Administration Authority (AAAS) with the goal of attracting new investors. As part of the restructuring plan of the company, Romaero signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Polish company WZL-2 from
Bydgoszcz for the maintenance of the new C-130 aircraft received by the
Romanian Air Force. A further collaboration with Aeroplex Central Europe from Hungary was started for the maintenance and repair of civil aircraft. ==See also==