Base maintenance for the Boeing 787 are expected to begin in Malta in 2024.
Lufthansa Technik Malta is moving into heavy maintenance for Boeing 787 aircraft.
The expansion of the site’s capabilities will see Lufthansa Technik invest “several” million euros in training, tooling and materials, with the goal of starting base maintenance services for the 787 in spring 2024.
Parent company Lufthansa currently has five 787-9s in service and more than 30 on order.
Lufthansa Technik Malta's (LTM) announcement followed shortly after the appointment of its new chief executive, Maria Cilia, who is also in charge of base maintenance services at the MRO provider.
“With the expansion of our portfolio, we will not only become the center of excellence for widebody aircraft overhaul in Europe to serve our Boeing 787 operators in the region, but we will also strengthen our presence in the Maltese community and create new opportunities for current and future employees," Cilia says.
Aviation Week’s 2023 Commercial Fleet & MRO Forecast shows roughly 450 787s in service in LTM's local markets of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with that number set to almost double over the next 10 years.
That fleet growth is one reason for LTM to branch out into base maintenance services for Boeing aircraft for the first time.
Its current capabilities include line maintenance and C checks for the Airbus A320 family, A330, A340 and A350 aircraft types, plus D checks for the A330 and A340.
These are offered from three narrowbody and three widebody aircraft overhaul lines in its 689,000 ft.2 facility.
“This development will allow us greater flexibility in meeting our customers' needs, leveraging LTM's remarkable efficiency and reliability," adds Alexander Feuersaenger, vice president and chief operations officer of aircraft maintenance services at Lufthansa Technik.
