MTU Maintenance has signed an agreement with fledgling Pakistan-based carrier Air Sial for MRO services on six V2500 engines powering its fleet of three Airbus A320-200 aircraft.

The five-year contract will include maintenance coverage along with other services including trend monitoring, on-site services and lease engine support as well as technical training.

“We are confident that MTU’s engine experts will minimize our costs and optimize our usage to gain the maximum benefit and performance from our engines,” said Fazal Jilani, Air Sial’s chairman.

Meanwhile, Michael Schreyögg, chief program officer, at MTU Maintenance’s parent group MTU Aero Engines, says the agreement is a signal of better times ahead after a year which saw commercial air travel heavily impacted from the Covid crisis. 

This follows on from the group’s buoyant outlook for 2021, when it stated in November last year that it anticipates its commercial maintenance and spare parts businesses should show the clearest recovery from the crisis in 2021.

Air Sial began operating in December 2020 and upon launching, became Pakistan’s third privately owned airline. The carrier, based out of the city of Sialkhot in the north east of the country, is flying domestic routes to boost air travel and connectivity in the region. Later this year, it has plans to carry start cross-border flights.

Aviation Week’s Fleet & MRO Forecast projects an MRO spend of $141.9 million for Pakistan’s commercial aftermarket.