MTU Maintenance Zhuhai plans to establish a second facility focusing on Pratt & Whitney narrowbody engines such as the geared turbofan. The facility, to be named MTU Maintenance Zhuhai Jinwan Branch, will be located in the Jinwan district of Zhuhai in China.
MTU Maintenance Zhuhai, a joint venture between MTU Aero Engines and China Southern Airlines, expects the new shop to have an initial annual capacity for 250 engine visits and be operational in 2024.
Following the purchase of 1.6 million sq. ft of land, MTU has drawn up plans to include a 65,000-lb. test cell with staff numbers reaching around 600 employees. Having gained local government approval, the next step will see the project enter the detailed planning and construction stage.
Michael Schreyögg, chief program officer at MTU Aero Engines, says “We have made the decision to invest in an additional facility as we are confident of continued recovery in the Asian region and increasing growth and demand for narrowbody engine services moving forward.”
The new facility will operate under MTU Maintenance Zhuhai and its licenses and approvals. Jaap Beijer, president and CEO of MTU Maintenance Zhuhai, will manage both facilities.
The Zhuhai operation was affected by the pandemic earlier than MTU’s other global businesses, but it also subsequently resumed day-to-day operations earlier in mid-February. Since then, it has returned to nearly 100% operation.
Over the next decade, China's commercial engine aftermarket is expected to be robust. Aviation Week's Fleet & MRO Forecast data projects a spend of $67.9 billion in the segment from 2021 through to 2030. More than 12,500 engine shop visits are anticipated during that period.
