Lufthansa, MacroAsia eye P15-B hub in Clark
MANILA -Aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP) is planning to spend P15 billion to establish operations in Clark, Pampanga, by 2026 as part of its expansion plan amid increasing air traffic.
LTP, which is based in Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), saw the need to find a new location to serve airlines’ needs, said Elmar Lutter, the MRO company’s president and CEO. “We cannot build anything anymore. New hangars have to be built somewhere else,” Lutter told reporters last week.
The joint venture of Lucio Tan-led MacroAsia Corp. and Germany-headquartered Lufthansa Technik AG plans to roll out the expansion plan, which is still subject to regulatory approvals, in two phases.
The first phase is envisioned to have a capacity to service two aircraft at a time. The second is designed for six planes.
Lutter said the company was aiming to break ground in 2024 and complete the construction two years thereafter.
In 2022, LTP inaugurated a 9,000-square-meter hangar in Pasay after nearly two years of delay due to the pandemic.
3 additional lines
The hangar, which added three lines to its existing seven base maintenance lines, services commercial aircraft of short- to long-haul capacities, such as Airbus jets A320, A330, A380 and the Boeing 777.
MacroAsia saw its net income attributable to the parent company soar by 340 percent to P285.77 million in the first semester from P64.84 million following the recovery of the aviation sector.
READ: MacroAsia income soars by 340%
In-flight and other catering businesses, the main driver of its top line with a 51-percent contribution, saw revenues improve by 143 percent to P1.88 billion. It served 11.11 million meals, a 552-percent growth from 5.62 million in the previous year.
Revenues from ground handling and aviation services, meanwhile, nearly doubled to P1.49 billion for the period amid better flight volumes. The number of flights handled increased by 57 percent to over 88,400. INQ
