Lufthansa eyes Sangley airport for expansion

MANILA, Philippines — Aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service provider Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP) has set its sights on possibly expanding to the Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA) to boost its viability as an alternative gateway.

LTP president and CEO Elmar Lutter told The STAR that the firm’s affiliations with two members of the SPIA Consortium puts it in a position to build an MRO facility at the proposed $11 billion international airport in Cavite.

“The Sangley airport is backed by Munich Airport International and big conglomerates. I wouldn’t write it off, a new airport is anyway 10 to 15 years away. I think if travel will recover, there might be space for an alternative to what we see right now,” Lutter said.

Munich Airport International operates Munich Airport, the second largest passenger terminal in Germany only next to Frankfurt Airport. LTP’s parent Lufthansa Technik AG owns a large-scale facility in Munich Airport offering MRO services to international carriers.

Apart from this, LTP operates as a joint venture between Lufthansa Technik AG and MacroAsia Corp. Together, they employ some 2,600 Filipinos across LTP’s facilities in Manila, Clark, Cebu, Davao, Kalibo and Puerto Princesa.

Both MacroAsia and Munich Airport International form part of the consortium that received the green light from the provincial government of Cavite to put up the SPIA.

“I will give it a chance (expanding LTP’s operations to Sangley). We are affiliated with MacroAsia and MacroAsia is part of that project now. I would be delighted if it comes through,” Lutter said.

Lutter said that the company is currently looking for locations both here and abroad for future expansions of the aircraft repairer, especially as its Manila hub has reached its full capacity.

Last August, LTP raised its capacity by 20 percent by opening the new hangar in its economic zone beside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

With Hangar 1A running, LTP looks to add around 275 personnel, especially with demand for aircraft MRO picking up.

For the year, LTP hopes to deliver 1.3 million man-hours of work, clocking in 600,000 man-hours in the seven months to July.

The Philippine unit of Lufthansa Technik AG has also reinstated at least 70 percent of its pre-pandemic capacity.