Aloha Air Cargo is expanding into the aircraft maintenance business.

The Honolulu-based company now has a subsidiary called Aloha Tech Ops that will sell aircraft repair and maintenance services to airlines in Hawaii.

Aloha Tech Ops has already signed a deal with Alaska Airlines to provide maintenance services on the Boeing 737 aircraft it flies to Hawaii, starting in February. It has also contracted with WestJet Airlines, which flies between Hawaii and Canada.

"Formalizing these agreements establishes Aloha Tech Ops as a leading provider of maintenance and repair for commercial aircraft throughout Hawaii," Mike Malik, president of Aloha Air Cargo, said in a statement. "We are pleased that we can offer these cost effective and customized services for a range of Boeing and Airbus aircraft types; it truly makes us a complete solution provider."

Aloha Tech Ops said it plans to hire a dozen experienced 737 maintenance workers who will join an engineering team already in place.

Aloha Air Cargo is owned by Seattle-based Saltchuk Resources.