Manila – Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP) has officially opened a new hangar which adds three maintenance lines to its existing seven at the MacroAsia Special Economic Zone, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila amid growing demand for aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MROs) services.
Strategically located at Manila’s main aerodrome, Lufthansa Technik Philippines has a capacity to service aircraft coming to and from major international hubs such as Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
Increase in capacity
The new Hangar A1 is the company’s fourth, and initially broke ground in November 27, 2019. It was originally scheduled to open in September 2020 but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the two-year delay, the construction of the new Hangar was completed this year.
The new hangar is expected to increase Lufthansa Technik Philippines’ overhaul capacities by up to 20 percent and provide work for at least an additional 275 employees. It will provide base maintenance for various commercial aircraft of short-to long-range capacities, including Airbus jets A320, A330, A380, and the Boeing 777.
The parking spaces of the 9,000 square meter hangar can be configured according to the need to provide room for four narrow-body aircraft, or one wide-body aircraft and two narrow-body aircraft. Alternatively, an Airbus A380 can also be accommodated.
Air Travel: Demand and Recovery
President and Chief Executive Officer of Lufthansa Technik Philippines, Elmar Lutter has described the opening of the new hangar as a special milestone for Lufthansa Technik Philippines in the 22nd year of its existence.
“It marks a transition from some of the most difficult times we have experienced as a company due to the pandemic to the current phase of noticeable recovery. This is concrete, tangible evidence that we see clearer skies ahead of us.”
Vice President, Marketing & Sales of Lufthansa Technik Philippines, Rainer Janke has recognised the increase in the aircraft maintenance demand.
“The opening of the new hangar is Lufthansa Technik Philippines’ response to the increasing demand for aircraft maintenance, as travel continues to increase and a majority of the worldwide fleets are now back in operation. We are pleased to offer our customers first-class service and with reliable overhauls provide a valuable contribution to the stabilisation of their flight operations.”
Possible Future Expansion
Lufthansa Technik Philippines is also looking at expanding its footprint further and believe that LTP has reached its limits at NAIA and they are possibly looking beyond Manila.
“We will seek discussions with possible partners and explore possibilities within the Philippines and beyond, with the end in mind to bring affordable high-quality MRO to the region and deliver reliability and safety to our customers”.
Lufthansa Technik Philippines was founded in 2000 and is a joint venture of Lufthansa Technik (51 percent share) and Philippine aviation service provider MacroAsia Corporation (49 percent).
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the American FAA, the European EASA, and other airworthiness authorities worldwide have certified Lufthansa Technik Philippines as a qualified provider of aircraft MRO services. Our technical services group is certified as a Design Department under Lufthansa Technik AG’s Design Organization Approval (EASA.21J.019).
The base maintenance service spectrum includes cabin reconfiguration/retrofit programs and lease return checks available as a stand-alone product or integrated into long-term contracts. It is precisely this capability that has enabled Lufthansa Technik Philippines to successfully implement the A330 cabin reconfiguration project which contributed to Philippine Airlines’ achievement of their upgraded 4-star airline rating from Skytrax.
As one of the 30 affiliates and subsidiaries of the Lufthansa Technik Network, Lufthansa Technik Philippines is strategically located within a 4-hour flight radius from major international hubs.
Besides Manila, Lufthansa Technik Philippines is also servicing other airports in The Philippines, including Clark in Pampanga, Cebu, Davao, Kalibo in Aklan and Puerto Princesa in Palawan. The MRO provider currently employs 2,600 Filipinos across these key cities.
Lufthansa Technik Philippines has managed not only to muddle through the prolonged impacts of the pandemic on the aviation industry but also to rise above as an exceptional role model, showing others just how indispensable its workforce is to the business.
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