MTU Maintenance Zhuhai and Sichuan Airlines sign narrowbody engine agreement

 MTU Maintenance and long-standing partner Sichuan Airlines have strengthened their existing relationship with an engine MRO contract for the airline’s V2500 and CFM56-5B engines. The agreement covers 259 engines including spares for a five-year period and services will be carried out at MTU Maintenance’s facilities in Zhuhai, Hannover and Vancouver. Sichuan Airlines operates 119 V2500 and CFM56-5B powered A319, A320 and A321 aircraft.

“We have established an excellent professional relationship with MTU Maintenance Zhuhai over the past decade,” says Shao Chuan, General Manager of Maintenance & Engineering Department of Sichuan Airlines. “As such we have selected them as our maintenance provider for our V2500 and CFM56-5B fleet. They have an outstanding reputation for highly-customized and cost-effective MRO services and we are confident they will provide us with the very best solution across our entire engine fleet.”

“This tri-facility agreement is the first of its kind for MTU Maintenance and gives us the flexibility within our network to ensure the slot availability, quality, turnaround time and cost-effectiveness commitments we have made to Sichuan Airlines,” adds Michael Schreyögg, Chief Program Officer, MTU Aero Engines. “We are delighted to apply our unrivaled engine expertise to the Sichuan Airlines fleet and look forward to supporting them with the best solution to maximize their asset usage and avoid unnecessary spend during this difficult time for the airline industry.”

MTU Maintenance Zhuhai is a 50/50 joint venture between MTU Aero Engines and China Southern Airlines Company Limited specialized in narrowbody engine maintenance for CFM56, LEAP and V2500 engines. Located in Zhuhai's free trade zone, the facility benefits from its proximity to Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Macao. Service teams can be dispatched to the customers in the region in no time. The Zhuhai shop has an advanced machinery and performs 80 percent of parts repairs in-house. In addition to China Southern, MTU Maintenance Zhuhai serves over 70 customers from China, Asia and around the world, including International Aero Engines, Saudia Airlines and All Nippon Airways, as well as Chinese Shenzhen Airlines, Xiamen Airlines and Hainan Airlines. Last year, the company completed its 3000th shop visit and its second site expansion to a capacity of 450 shop visits per year. It also committed to building an additional facility in the region and signed an agreement with Pratt & Whitney to join the PW1100G-JM engine maintenance network in 2021.