Construction of a second hangar at Cebu Pacific and SIA Engineering's maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) joint venture in the Philippines will start in mid-2010.
The second hangar at the MRO facility at Manila's Clark airport will be built from June or July, says the airport's president and CEO Victor Jose Luciano.
"It will be able to handle the Airbus A380," says Luciano. The MRO joint venture's first hangar was completed in July 2009, he adds. It is used for aircraft readiness checks and repairs on Cebu Pacific's narrowbody fleet.
The low-cost carrier operates 10 Airbus A319s, 11 A320s and eight ATR 72-500s.
With an investment of $100 million, the MRO facility will have five hangars eventually on a 10ha property, adds Luciano.
While the A380 does not operate to Clark, the airport is trying to attract Middle Eastern airlines, some of which have ordered the A380, to start services from the airport.
Clark is undergoing a two-phase expansion of its terminal building, which will enable it to accommodate passenger loads from A380 aircraft, says Luciano.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
