Despite disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, EME Aero says work is gradually ramping up at the facility it opened in January and so far it has delivered more than 20 engines back to customers.
The engine maintenance joint venture set up by Lufthansa Technik and MTU Aero Engines in Rzeszow, Poland following a mutual €150 million (US$165 million) investment, is now officially part of Pratt & Whitney’s GTF aftermarket network and to date has re-delivered approximately 21 PW1100G engines used to power the Airbus A320neo.
After obtaining EASA Part-145 approval December 2019, the following month saw the company begin the steady ramp up of the engine shop by undertaking low pressure turbine retrofit work on 15 engines. The additional six PW1100Gs were scheduled shop visits, during which the company completed its first overhaul.
"Despite all the obstacles and additional challenges due to the COVID-19 situation, we are still right on track with our ramp up," says Derrick Siebert, CEO and managing director of business at EME Aero.
EME Aero’s staff numbers total around 400 people, a number it expects to increase to 1,000 by 2026 once additional engine lines are added. Its next steps include implementing a flow plan system for engine shop operations by the end of the year.
After that, it will prepare for the induction of PW1500G engines in mid-2021 and eventually, the PW1900. The shop is designed for an annual capacity of up to 450 shop visits.
The engine manufacturer expanded this to nine companies earlier this year, with EME Aero joining the likes of Delta TechOps and Air India Engineering Services in joining the existing members which include MTU Aero Engines, Japanese Aero Engines Corporation and Lufthansa Technik.
By the end of the decade in 2030, the GTF engine family is projected to generate $37.1 billion by Aviation Week’s Fleet and MRO Forecast data.
