Sunday, October 12, 2008

PAL launches P88-M Mactan fleet maintenance facility

CEBU CITY, Oct. 11 -– Philippine Airlines (PAL) and its maintenance-service provider, Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP), on Friday launched the development of an P88-million maintenance facility at the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) for the flag carrier’s rapidly expanding fleet in Cebu.
Top executives of PAL and LTP, along with ranking officials of Lapu-Lapu City and the MCIA Authority broke ground for the facility within the Mactan airport complex.
The facility will rise on a 1.2-hectare lot that is part of LTP’s 2.6-hectare leased area at MCIA, PAL’s statement said.
It is adjacent to the longstanding, 1.4-hectare maintenance facility where PAL’s narrow-body fleet of Airbus A320s and A319s are checked.
When completed in February 2009,the facility will enable LTP to perform line maintenance checks on PAL’s turbo-propeller fleet of Bombardier Q400 and Q300 aircraft that fly under the brand PAL Express.
The expanded area can also, in the future, accommodate PAL’s forthcoming long-range, wide-body flagship, the Boeing 777-300ER.
LTP is applying as a locator at the nearby Mactan Export Processing Zone to gain “ecozone” status that will enable it to ship aircraft parts and materials directly to Mactan.
On hand for the ceremony were PAL deputy chief executive officer Henry So Uy, senior vice president for operations Capt. Beda Badiola, vice president for airport services Francisco Yngente IV, and special assistant to the chairman Emilio Yu.
LTP was represented by its president Bernhard Krueger Sprengel and chief finance officer Edison Que.
MCIAA general manager Danilo Augusto Francia and Lapu-Lapu city administrator Teodulo Ibanez also took part in the ceremony.

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