AAR Corp.’s Foundation, History, and Significant Achievements

For decades, AAR Corporation has been a trusted provider of aviation services and a leader in the aircraft maintenance business. The company leverages its industry expertise to help customers grow their businesses and reduce costs for aviation-focused agencies while maintaining efficiency, safety, and enterprise-quality standards.

Learn more about AAR Corp.’s foundation, history, and significant achievements here.

A History of AAR Corporation

AAR Corporation traces its beginnings to 1951. It began as I.A. Allen Industrial, a company led by Ira A. Eichner, who started his career selling electric parts in Chicago. The company was incorporated in 1955 and renamed Allen Aircraft Radio in 1962. 

As Allen Aircraft Radio, its offerings expanded into supplying radio equipment to fledgling aviation companies. After over 50 years, the company rebranded into AAR Corporation and became a leading supplier of radio and aviation solutions to prominent federal and state agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the United States Air Force (USAF), and the U.S. Intelligence Community.

Timeline of AAR Corporation’s Significant Milestones

AAR Corp.’s proven track record of successful aircraft and flight-related capabilities has helped it burgeon into a prime commercial business partner and government contractor. Below is AAR Corporation’s significant milestones. 

• • 1962 – Allen Aircraft Radio expanded its portfolio to include a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) repair station for avionics and instruments at its new headquarters at Elk Grove Village, Illinois
  • 1967 – Allen Aircraft Radio launched the Allen Automotive facility repair in Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • 1969 – Allen Aircraft Radio changes its name to AAR Corporation
  • 1971 – AAR Corp. acquires its first airframe maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility at Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City.
  • 1981 – AAR Corp. acquired AAR Mobility, enhancing its deployment of equipment, pallets, and containers
  • 1982 – AAR Corp. opens an office in Singapore, expanding its offerings to cater to Asia-Pacific customers
  • 1985 – AAR Corp. enters the high-technology F-15 and F-16 military aircraft component repair business, securing government contracts to serve the U.S. Air Force, Dutch Air Force, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
  • 1986 – AAR Corp. acquires a landing gear haul and exchange facility in Miami to expand its repair services portfolio
  • 1991– AAR Corp. contributed to Operation Desert Storm by delivering rapid deployment equipment to allied forces
  • 1997 – AAR Corp. delves into the new parts distribution industry by acquiring OEM products and adding them to its aftermarket portfolio
  • 2000 – AAR Corp. secures more government contracts with the U.S. military and allied forces to accommodate increased military aviation activity, such as supply chain management for the U.S. Navy helicopters, U.K. Airborne Warning and Control System (AWAC) aircraft, and KC-10
  • 2001 – AAR Mobility continues to expand as it delivers products and services to support military activity in the Middle East during the September 11 attacks. 
  • 2004 – AAR Corp. secures contracts from United Airlines to perform heavy maintenance for its fleets at the world-class Indianapolis Maintenance Center
  • 2005 – AAR Corp. establishes a landing gear services facility in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 2007 – AAR Corp. acquires Brown International and renames it AAR Integrated Technologies. This acquisition paved the way for the company to add communications integration capabilities to its roster of services.
  • 2008 – AAR Corp. acquires an MRO facility close to its Landing Gear facility at Miami International Airport.
  • 2012 – With the company’s continuous expansion, AAR Corp. opens a new 188,000-square-foot aircraft maintenance facility in Duluth, Minnesota
  • 2014 – Advanced Military Maintenance Repair & Overhaul Center taps into AAR Corp.’s aviation expertise to support the design, outfitting, and streamlining of its MRO facility in the UAE
  • 2017 – This year marks several pivotal milestones for AAR Corp. The aviation company celebrates the 50th anniversary of its repair facility in Amsterdam, acquires two MRO facilities from Premier Aviation in Canada, opens components warehouses in Shanghai and Dubai, and receives the Worldwide Aviation Support Services (WASS) contract from the U.S. Department of State
  • 2018 – AAR Corp. establishes joint venture with Indamer to open a new MRO facility in India. In the same year, the company launches the EAGLE Career Pathway Program and partnered with educational institutions to boost its aviation maintenance talent pipeline. 
  • 2019 – AAR Corp. integrates drone technology into its MRO aircraft inspections
  • 2020 – AAR Corp. sets the standard for safety as the first third-party MRO facility approved by the FAA
  • 2023 –  AAR Corp. acquires Trax, a prime provider of MRO and fleet management software

What services does AAR Corp. offer?

AAR Corp. started as a manufacturer of radio equipment for starting aviation companies. Since then, it has expanded its offerings to include the following products, services, and innovative digital solutions:

• Airframe parts
• Engine solutions and services
• OEM solutions
• Mobility systems
• Integrated C4 systems
• Airframe maintenance
• Component repair services
• Landing gear repair services
• Wheels and brake services
• Trax

Where is AAR Corp. ‘s headquarters?

AAR Corporation’s main office and warehouse are headquartered in Wood Dale, Illinois, where they neighbor Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Under AAR Corp.’s wings are over 20 offices operating across the United States and worldwide. 

Added to that are the MRO Services network with Component Repair and Landing Gear Repair services, Mobility Systems and Integrated Solutions, and other engineering and solutions hubs supporting government agencies within the U.S.A. and Canada.

AAR Corp.’s Executives and Leaders

AAR Corporation’s success as a leading aviation industry expert and provider of radio and aircraft services is due in large part to its executives and leaders. These forerunners have decades of experience in supply chain management, reaching out to current and new markets, and modernizing aircraft engineering methods to cater to the evolving demands of the U.S. Air Force and other agencies. 

Corporate Leaders

AAR Corp.’s corporate leaders are selected by the Nomination and Governance Committee and approved by the company’s Board of Directors. These leaders are empowered to fulfill individual responsibilities that spur the growth of the company, accomplish objectives, and provide oversight to the aviation aftermarket.

• John M. Holmes, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President
• John B. Cooper, Vice President of Global Government and Defense
• Sarah L. Flanagan, Vice President of Financial Operations
• Jessica Garascia, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer, and Secretary
• Rahul Ghai, Senior Vice President and Chief Digital and Technology Officer
• Sean Gillen, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
• Nicholas P. Gross, Senior Vice President of Integrated Solutions
• Tom Hoferer, Senior Vice President of Repair, and Engineering
• Christopher A. Jessup, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer
• Lori A. Knudson, Vice President and Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer
• Salvatore J. Marino, Senior Vice President of Parts Supply Group
• Eric S. Pachapa, Vice President, Controller, and Chief Accounting Officer
• Tracey Patterson, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
• Art R. Smith, Vice President and Chief Quality Officer
• Dylan Wolin, Vice President of Strategic and Corporate Development and Treasurer

Senior Leaders

The Senior Leaders of AAR Corporation report directly to the CEO, President, and Chairman of the Board, John M. Holmes.

• Jessica Garascia, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer, and Secretary
• Rahul Ghai, Senior Vice President and Chief Digital and Technology Officer
• Sean Gillen, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
• Nicholas P. Gross, Senior Vice President of Integrated Solutions
• Tom Hoferer, Senior Vice President of Repair, and Engineering
• Christopher A. Jessup, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer
• Frank Landrio, Vice President of OEM Solutions
• Salvatore J. Marino, Senior Vice President of Parts Supply Group
• Tracey Patterson, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
• Andrew Schmidt, Senior Vice President of AAR Digital  Services and Trax
• Art R. Smith, Vice President and Chief Quality Officer
• Gerianne Tatone, Executive Office Director

AAR Corp. Board of Directors

AAR Corp.’s Board of Directors is selected by the company’s stockholders. They’re tasked with spearheading the company’s management, strategic direction, and financial success.

• John M. Holmes, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and President
• Anthony K. Anderson, Independent Business Consultant
• Michael R. Boyce, Retired Chairman of PQ Corporation
• John W. Dietrich, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of FedEx
• Robert F. Leduc, President of Pratt & Whitney
• Ellen M. Lord, Former Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment
• Duncan J. McNabb, Retired U.S. Air Force General
• Peter Pace, Retired U.S. Marine Corps General
• Jennifer L. Vogel, Co-founder of Invista Advisors LLP
• Marc J. Walfish, Founding Partner of Merit Capital Partners

AAR Corporation: “Doing it Right” for Customers and Industries to Take Flight

For over 60 years, AAR Corporation has anchored on “doing it right” to deliver cutting-edge flight and engineering solutions to commercial and government customers.

AAR Corp. leverages its comprehensive industry expertise and roster of capabilities to enable starting aviation firms to take flight, help current partners spur market and revenue growth, and provide tailor-made components and services with reduced costs, but without compromising quality and efficiency, that best cater to customer needs.