Central European low-cost operator Wizz Air has partnered with freight carrier and MRO provider Rose Air to take a single line in the Bulgarian company's three-line hangar in Sofia.
The Bulgarian capital thus becomes Wizz's fourth maintenance location in Europe and first in the Balkans, says the airline.
It notes that the Sofia hangar space gives it capacity for 300 line maintenance processes per annum, and that basic metal repairs can also be carried out there. The airline adds that it has the option to take an additional bay, increasing local maintenance capability for the Airbus A320-aircraft family.
Wizz has been operating to Bulgaria for 12 years. The A320-family operator has seven jets based in Sofia – including four A321s – and one in Varna.
Rose Air chief executive Ivan Dochev states: "We're glad to provide the required space in the new high-tech facility of Rose Air for [Wizz Air's] needs."
He says the new site will help in retaining "local talented specialists", adding to the potential for large-scale MRO growth in the country.
Budapest-headquartered Wizz is a customer of Lufthansa Technik for base maintenance checks. The German MRO group operates facilities for such checks in the Hungarian capital and Sofia, among other locations in Europe and elsewhere.
Wizz's fleet comprises 71 Airbus A320s and 31 A321s. The carrier has another 266 A320-family jets on order. These are scheduled for delivery through 2026.
Additional reporting by Niall O'Keeffe
Source: Cirium Dashboard
