Hurriyet - Türkiye’s flag carrier, the Turkish Airlines (THY), is aiming to become one of the top 5 aircraft maintenance and repair service providers in the world with its newly launched facility at Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport.
Built with an investment cost of USD 550 million, Turkish HABOM (Türk Hava Yollari Havacilik Bakim Onarim Merkezi) operating under Turkish Technic, a subsidiary of THY, will service THY and third party airlines, taking advantage of Istanbul’s key location lying within a flight distance of 3.5 hours to 55 countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Türkiye’s Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, noted Türkiye’s great leap in airline industry. “Türkiye has doubled the number of its airports in the last 12 years, bringing the number to 52 from 26, while the cost of air travel has dropped sharply, becoming a truly popular transportation method”, Erdogan said. “The new maintenance facility will not only serve THY aircraft but will also service airline companies from 30 countries”, Türkiye’s Prime Minister remarked, highlighting Türkiye’s status as a regional center for aircraft repair and maintenance.
Once fully operational, the new facility will employ 7,000 personnel and generate an annual revenue of USD 1.5 billion.