Philippines joint venture evaluates addition of A320 heavy maintenance to cater for PAL and provide for growth
Lufthansa Technik's (LHT) Manila-based overhaul joint venture Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP) looks set to expand its heavy maintenance capabilities to include the Airbus A320 family. This would enable it to carry out work for its local customer Philippine Airlines (PAL) as well as position itself to cater for the expanding fleet of Airbus narrowbodies in the region. Meanwhile, the division has landed an important new widebody maintenance contract from Air Mauritius for a series of A340 checks believed to be worth around $10 million.
LTP is the former PAL maintenance operation that became a joint venture business in 2000 with LHT holding a 51% stake and local aviation services business MacroAsia holding the remainder. As well as carrying out line and light maintenance work for local operators, it has also been established as a centre of excellence within the LHT group for A330/A340 heavy maintenance, and has the theoretical annual capacity to undertake 20 A330/A340 D checks.
The company is completing an evaluation of whether to broaden its heavy maintenance capability to incorporate the A320 family to enable it to carry out PAL work locally says LHT chairman August Henningsen. "We expect to make the decision to add this capability within three months, and then it will take six-to-eight months to get up and running," he says.
Last year, LHT carried out a D check on one of PAL's six A320s, but the aircraft had to undertake the lengthy ferry flight from Manila to its European A320 heavy maintenance specialist arm Shannon Aerospace in Ireland. If it goes ahead with the A320 line, LTP should have the capability by its winter 2005-6 season, meaning that it will be in a position to undertake the next PAL A320 D check when it is due, although Henningsen says there is not yet any formal contract with the airline for additional A320 heavy checks.
Meanwhile, the Air Mauritius contract comprises five packages of maintenance for the airline's A340 fleet, including two D checks.
Source: Flight International
