SriLankan Airlines has confirmed that it will be partnering with Lufthansa Technik to start an MRO facility at an airport in Mattala.
In a presentation, its chief executive Kapila Chandrasena shared that the joint venture's set-up will be "according to LHT base maintenance business model", and that operations should start by July 2014.
He adds that the facility will have four bays to accommodate narrowbody aircraft such as the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320s, and have the capability to handle base and heavy maintenance checks, including modifications and painting.
An investment of $14 million will be put in for machinery and equipment, and the facility is expected to generate around $100 million in revenue annually, creating 400 jobs, says Chandrasena. These will come from 110 maintenance checks per year, totalling an estimated 436,000 sold manhours.
The Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport is Sri Lanka's second international airport, and it started operations in March.
The Oneworld carrier also owns an MRO facility at Colombo International Airport that does line and base maintenance, and component support and repairs.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
