Lufthansa Technik expects stronger MRO demand in H2

Aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP) sees better performance in the second half amid the resurgence of air travel and the opening of its new hangar that increased its capacity.

Stefan Yordanov, LTP vice president for finance, strategy and corporate projects, said they have clocked in about 600,000 man hours of service maintenance so far this year.

The joint venture between MacroAsia Corp. and Lufthansa Technik AG aims to reach 1.3 million man hours by the end of this year, banking on the renewed demand for travel with the reopening of the borders.

The turnaround period for maintenance checks ranges from five days to a month, depending on the condition of the aircraft.

“We look to achieve more in the second half of the year to somehow benefit from the recovery of the industry. We’ve been missing so much travel that even at higher prices, we want to travel,” Yordanov told the reporters on the sidelines of LTP’s Hangar 1A inauguration last week.

Along with this, LTP president and CEO Elmar Lutter noted their newest hangar would add three lines to existing seven base maintenance lines.

“We hope to see three lines in full swing by the end of the year,” he told the reporters.

New facility launched

After nearly two years of delay caused by the pandemic, the 9,000-square-meter facility was inaugurated. It employs at least 275 more workers.

The hangar is set to service commercial aircraft of short- to long-haul capacities, such as Airbus A320, A330, A380 jets and the Boeing 777.

Lutter also disclosed the company’s plan to further expand their footprint outside Metro Manila.

“We will seek discussions with possible partners and explore possibilities in the Philippines and beyond with the end in mind to add affordable high-quality MRO to our region and deliver safety and reliability to our customers,” he said.

LTP, which has capacity to service aircraft coming to and from major international hubs, currently employs over 2,600.

In the first half, MacroAsia reported that its net income attributable to equity holders of the company amounted to P64.84 million, a turnaround from P524.49-million net loss in the same period last year. This was supported by the increasing flight activities because of the reopening of the borders. INQ