The maintenance business of MTU Aero Engines has unveiled plans to expand its European MRO network by building a new facility in Serbia that it plans to have operating by late 2022.
The facility will operate as MTU Maintenance Serbia and will focus on repairs for commercial engine parts. MTU says it will hold capacity for around 400,000 repair hours annually.
Construction of the facility, located in Nova Pagoza about 25 kilometers north of Belgrade, began this week with a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday (July 5). The ceremony was attended by MTU executives and senior officials of the Serbian government.
“Commercial maintenance business accounts for more than 60% of our business volume—and the trend is rising,” says Michael Schreyögg, MTU Aero Engines' chief program officer. “The new facility in Serbia will add efficiency to our high-performance network of MRO locations in Europe, Asia and North America.”
Over the next few years, the company says it hopes to see staff grow above 500 people for the MTU Maintenance Serbia venture. At present, the business has around 60 staff employed, following the commencement of recruitment in Sept. 2020.
MTU says it has partnered with the Serbian Ministry of Education to develop an Aviation Academy in Belgrade which targets the development of aviation professionals. On the job training of staff is also ongoing at MTU sites in Germany and Poland.
Construction of the Serbia facility is a continuation of MTU’s strategy to add further maintenance capacity across its global network over the past few years. In January 2020, its MTU Aero Engines parent company opened its new EME Aero joint venture with Lufthansa Technik in Rzeszow, Poland, which focuses on Pratt & Whitney GTF engine repairs.
Later in 2020 it also confirmed plans to add capacity to its MTU Maintenance Zhuhai business in China by establishing 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 and be operational from 2024.
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