Lufthansa Technik to expand PHL facility for Airbus planes

Aircraft maintenance company Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP) has announced a plan to expand its facility in Manila to increase the variety of aircraft it can serve including the Airbus A380 — the world’s largest passenger plane. In a statement Friday, LTP, a joint venture between Lucio Tan’s MacroAsia Corp. and Germany’s Lufthansa group, said it would spend $30 million in the next year to expand its facility at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. This will “boost its capability in servicing the growing range of Airbus models that includes the A320, A330, A340 and A380, which is the world’s biggest and most technologically advanced commercial aircraft," the company said “The Philippines will be one of the few places of A380 maintenance in the world, and this definitely cements the country’s place in the global aviation map," MacroAsia said in the statement. The Airbus A320, designed for short to mid-range flights, is among the most-used aircraft by local airlines and is ideal for trips to domestic and international destinations within the Asia Pacific. Once completed, LTP said its expansion would enhance the Philippines’ position and presence in the global aviation map. The company said it would be able to hire 2,700 more workers once its new hangar becomes operational by January 2012. The new 8,484-sqm facility, which will add to LTP’s four existing hangars, will be able to accommodate one wide-body and two narrow-body or four narrow-body planes all at the same time. The company said the new structure will be built in accordance with the strictest design codes. LTP currently serves some of the world’s largest airlines, including Luftahnsa German Airlines, Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific. Local airlines Cebu Pacific, Zest Airways and LTP affiliate Philippine Airlines are also LTP clients. Aside from the LTP’s operations in Manila, SIA Engineering Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Singapore Airways, also has an aircraft maintenance facility at the Clark Freeport in Pampanga. — JMT/VS, GMA News