By JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR and IRMA ISIP
German-Filipino owned Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP) will invest $150 million or about P8 billion for the construction of a second hangar for maintenance, repair and overhaul operations in Clark in possible partnership with the Maharlika Investment Corp. (MIC), a statement of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said.
Meanwhile, Bosch and AC Industrial Technology Holdings Inc. have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for a collaboration in mobility solutions, software services, manufacturing, factory automation, logistics services, energy, security and safety systems for buildings, consumer appliances, and healthcare.
The DTI said these are the two specific outcomes at the official visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his delegation in Berlin on March 12.
Marcos met with Elmar Lutter, LTP president and chief executive officer (CEO) who disclosed the proposed hangar in Clark covering two hectares of leased land. This is expected to employ at least 400 workers during construction.
The hangar can accommodate at least two Airbus A380s, with a construction timeline of two years.
The company shared the possibility of a Phase 2 expansion, either in Clark or at new airport sites in Bulacan or Sangley Point.
The facility will complement LTP’s existing 23-hectare technical base and hangar at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
LTP’s customers for the new hangar will include British Airways, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Emirates, and Qantas.
LTP has had initial discussions with MIC president and CEO Rafael Consing Jr. for a partnership on this project, the DTI added.
LTP employs around 2,800 in the Philippines, operating eight hangar bays and workshops for light to heavy maintenance checks, major modifications, cabin reconfiguration/retrofit programs, and lease return checks.
LTP is a joint venture between Lufthansa AG and Lucio Tan-owned MacroAsia Corp. specializing in base maintenance for the A320 family, A330, A340, A380, and Boeing 777 aircraft types.
On the airline side, Anlee Do, general manager for Lufthansa Group-Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines and the Mekong Region, early this month said they are considering returning the flights between the Philippines and Europe as part of their expansion plans in Southeast Asia.
Do said Lufthansa is also in the process of acquiring more aircrafts to handle direct flights between Europe and the countries in Southeast Asia including the Philippines.
Also on March 12, Marcos met with Vijay Ratnaparkhe, president of Bosch Southeast Asia and Jaime Alfonso Zobel de Ayala, president of AC Industrial to discuss the MOA the two companies signed in Berlin during the PH-DE business forum.
Bosch, a global technology and services provider for mobility, industrial technology, consumer goods, and energy and building technology, operates a sales office and global in-house centers in the Philippines.
AC Industrials is the industrial technology arm of Ayala Corp. which own Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc. and AC Mobility.
