Lufthansa Technik Philippines has officially opened a new hangar which adds three maintenance lines to its existing seven at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.

The parking spaces of the 9,000sq m hangar can be configured according to need to provide room for four narrowbody aircraft, or one widebody aircraft and two narrowbody aircraft, the company said. Alternatively, an Airbus A380 can also be accommodated.

The hangar is the company’s fourth and was originally scheduled to open in September 2020, but was delayed due to the Covid crisis. The new hangar increases Lufthansa Technik Philippines’ overhaul capacities by up to 20 per cent and provide work for at least an additional 275 employees.

“This is a very special milestone for Lufthansa Technik Philippines in the 22nd year of our existence,” said Lufthansa Technik Philippines’ president and chief executive officer Elmar Lutter. “It marks a transition from some of the most difficult times we have experienced as a company due to the pandemic to the current phase of noticeable recovery. This is concrete, tangible evidence that we see clearer skies ahead of us.”

Lufthansa Technik Philippines’ vice president for marketing & sales Rainer Janke: “The opening of the new hangar is Lufthansa Technik Philippines’ response to the increasing demand for aircraft maintenance, as travel continues to increase and a majority of the worldwide fleets are now back in operation. We are pleased to offer our customers first-class service and with reliable overhauls provide a valuable contribution to the stabilisation of their flight operations.”

Lufthansa Technik Philippines was founded in 2000 and is a joint venture of Lufthansa Technik (51 per cent share) and Philippine aviation service provider MacroAsia Corporation (49 per cent).