Ameco Beijing Sept. 9 installed the grid roof of its new A380 hangar, completing a stage of the assembly of what it says is to be Asia's biggest maintenance hangar.

Construction of the hangar began in September 2006, and Ameco Beijing says it hopes to finish the project by March 2008. The maintenance facility should be up and running in time for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, for which China's aviation industry already has begun preparations to accommodate additional traffic.

The 8,770-ton roof of the facility, measuring 352.6 meters long and 114.5 meters wide, took 14 months to assemble on the ground. Pipes and pre-installed equipment were affixed to its framework during assembly, and real time computer controls were used to ensure the roof could feasibly be lifted to its intended height.

Following these tests, 45 lifting points and 138 jacks were chosen based on the roof's structure. The entire lifting process took nine days. Now that the roof is in place, Ameco Beijing has begun structural maintenance and equipment installation.

Ameco Beijing's A380 hanger is designed to accommodate all Boeing and Airbus series aircraft. It should be able to house up to six wide-body and four narrow-body aircraft at one time.

Ameco Beijing also received approval to construct another hangar of the same size alongside the A380 hangar currently under construction.