MTU Maintenance Zhuhai’s joint venture partners MTU Aero Engines and China Southern Airline have conducted a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new engineer training centre.

The centre is expected to open in early 2023 and train up to 100 engine mechanics for the company every year.

“With a training centre, MTU Maintenance Zhuhai will get on a fast lane to be a company with abundant talents and high-quality development,” said China Southern Airlines’ chief engineer and China Southern’s general manager of engineering technology Wu Rongxin.

MTU Aero Engines’ chief program officer Michael Schreyögg commented: “Building the training centre is part of our long-term growth strategy at the Zhuhai site. At MTU, we believe in the future of the aviation industry, and in the growth and strength of the market for engines for short and medium-range aircraft in Asia. That is why we are so committed to expanding our network.”

In September 2021, MTU Maintenance Zhuhai began building a new site in Jinwan for engine disassembly, assembly and testing. The new plant will initially have capacity for 260 maintenance procedures, focusing on Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM and V2500 engines, and will go into operation in 2024. The new training centre will serve both the existing plant in the Free Trade Zone and the new site in Jinwan district, Zhuhai.

“This centre is an investment in our most important capital – our employees,” said MTU Maintenance Zhuhai’s president and CEO Jaap Beijer. “We will be able to implement our ambitious plans for personnel requirements and guarantee the high-quality training that is demanded of us.”