German MRO provider MTU Maintenance has formally opened its new facility in Serbia.
MTU Maintenance Serbia in Nova Pazova near Belgrade appears to have opened on time to meet its target of starting operations in late 2022.
The company first announced plans to open the facility in the eastern European country back in summer 2021.
The 420,000 ft.2 facility will specialize in parts repairs, with trials of the relevant machinery now underway. Revenue work is set to begin in December, 17 months after construction started.
Michael Schreyögg, MTU Aero Engines' chief program officer, praised the cooperation of the Serbian government for the “extraordinarily fast pace” of construction, adding: “The additional MRO capacity in Serbia will further improve our strong and flexible network, and boost our ability to offer competitive services in the global market.”
Over the summer, Inside MRO reported that the recovery of Eastern Europe’s commercial aftermarket picked up in 2021 as travel restrictions eased and aircraft returned from storage.
That recovery continued this year albeit with the injection of uncertainty from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Prior to the war, Aviation Week’s Commercial Fleet & MRO Forecast data projected that Eastern Europe would generate $4.7 billion in maintenance spending, and that the market would grow at an annual compound rate of 2.2% from 2022-31.
As for MTU, it told investors earlier this year that shop visit slots for engine maintenance were “more or less” booked out for the whole of 2022.
It reported that commercial engine MRO sales were up 9% for the 2021 calendar year, as compared with 2020. MTU is guiding for about 25-30% revenue growth in 2022, making commercial maintenance its fastest growing segment this year.
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