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Lufthansa Technik opens $40-M new hangar after two-year delay
By TED CORDERO,GMA NewsAircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) provider Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP) on Friday opened its $40-million new hangar in Pasay City after a nearly two-year delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, LTP put on hold
the construction of its Hangar 1A in Villamor Air Base to keep financially afloat as the pandemic grounded most commercial aircraft amid global travel restrictions.The company broke ground for the Hangar 1A in November 2019. It was originally slated for completion in late 2020, but was delayed due to air travel slump due to the global health crisis.
The 9,000-sqm facility adds three lines to LTP’s existing seven-base maintenance lines in its Metro Manila hub, and is expected to serve the rising demand for its expert aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul services.
“This milestone for LTP in our 22nd year in business is very special. It marks our transition from some of the most difficult times we’ve faced as a company due to the pandemic, to this phase of gradual recovery. This is concrete, tangible proof that we are seeing clearer skies ahead,” LTP president and CEO Elmar Lutter said during a ceremony in LTP’s hub at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City.
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The new facility is expected to add 20% to LTP’s capacity and create at least 275 jobs for Filipino workers who are experts in aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhauling.
The new Hangar 1A will provide base maintenance for various commercial aircraft of short- to long-range capacities, including Airbus jets A320, A330, A380, and Boeing 777.
“With the opening of Hangar 1A, LTP is responding to a renewed demand for aircraft maintenance as travel picks up and planes around the world are no longer grounded. We are excited to provide our premium service to our clients and help ensure flight safety in the new normal,” Rainer Janke, LTP vice president for marketing and sales.
A joint venture between Germany’s Lufthansa Technik AG and Lucio Tan-led MacroAsia Corp., LTP provides aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services to both local and international carriers. In short, the company’s business depends highly on the airline industry.
Established in 2000, the LTP joint venture’s equity structure consists of 51% Hamburg-based Lufthansa Technik and 49% MacroAsia.
LTP currently employs more than 2,600 Filipinos across its facilities in Manila, Clark in Pampanga, Cebu, Davao, Kalibo in Aklan, and Puerto Princesa in Palawan.—AOL, GMA News